Kid Chaos

Big Sis was invited to a party for one her new classmates. His parents were very considerate and invited everyone in his new preschool class. The party was to take place on Saturday, at Chuck E. Cheese. I RSVP'd for her, saying that she would come with Mom and Big J in tow.


I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but I guess I never considered the ramifications of showing up to Chuck E. Cheese.


On a Saturday.


For a birthday party.


It was a little chaotic.

It's been several years since I've stepped foot in a CEC, and I think the last time I was there was on a Thursday evening. Not exactly prime kid play time. Saturday at 12:30 was a different story. I can't recall the last time I was so surrounded by such a large pack of screaming, shouting, crying, 3-10 year olds. The chaos was compounded by the buzz, beeps, and whines of 50 electronic "games". A little sensory overload. After a rough start trying to locate the party, we finally joined in the festivities, and the kids had fun. About 6 of the classmates showed up, and the parents were even able to visit a little bit. Big J actually fell asleep in my arms for awhile, but after almost 2 hours of this craziness, I was ready to G-O. I had to come home and decompress from the madness. Unfortunately, Big Sis' appetite for CEC has only been piqued by this little excursion, and we are already hearing refrains of "Can I have my birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese? Plllllleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee??????" Since her birthday falls in the middle of winter (and we live in a tiny apartment), CEC is one of the few options available for hosting more than 2 five year olds at one time. Thankfully I have a good 5 months to steel myself for the madness.