Celebrating 6 Years With Chuck E. Cheese

by Catherine Ipcizade | More from this Blogger

23 Oct 2006 11:56 PM

My son turned six on Saturday. It was a birthday I both looked forward to and felt a bit nostalgic about. After all, six meant so many things-the end of the "are you going to school?" questions, the end of buying clothes in the toddler section, and the end of...well, an era so to speak. But turning six also meant so many other things. First, it was my son's first "class" birthday party. It was the first birthday party where people other than his family would be there to celebrate with him, and it was a BIG deal.

I decided to plan the party at Chuck E. Cheese. After all, they have a great program there where, for the cost of $11.99 per child, you get a reserved table, two slices of pizza and a drink per child, and a slice of cake. Chuck E. Cheese also comes to the child's table, sings happy birthday and takes a group photo. They have additional items you can purchase as well, including gift bags, etc.

Well, what I didn't count on was the massive turnout we got. 23 bustling kindergarteners joined us on Saturday, and let me tell you, it was a wild time. Trying to get that many five and six-year-olds to sit at a table at the same time, when games and rides abound around them, was comparable to organizing a group of jumpy frogs, all eager to hop to the next place. And if I ever had any hope of opening the gifts at the table, within five minutes that idea was clearly out of the question.

The important thing is that my son got to feel like a prince for a day. He got to laugh with his friends, got to be "cool" and had everyone wanting to sit by him. It was a great introduction to his new classmates, and one that their parents told me they appreciated.

Though I'll likely have him celebrate his next party at home, I will tell you that a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's is fun for all. The parents enjoyed it. The kids enjoyed it. And this birthday mama especially enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to clean up afterwards.

Happy birthday to my sweet Bailey-thanks Chuck E. Cheese!

Learn more about Catherine Ipcizade

Cathy Ipcizade is 30 years old and currently resides in Southern California. Prior to coming to California she grew up in Arizona.

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