Monday, March 4, 2013

Everyday Revolutions

The ticket counter at the prize station in Chuck E. Cheese is not usually a place where you think about starting a revolution.  It's a place where weary moms and dads take their over-sugared, over-stimulated children to "buy" prizes.  Done right, the whole scene can be a teachable moment about overpricing, decision making, saving vs. spending and more.  Done wrong, it can be a sad example of pushy parents, impatientince, entitlement and possibly lead to a sad headline like "Parents Throw Punches at Kiddie Pizza Restaurant."

If nothing else, it is indeed a lesson in humanity.

Smack dab in all that humanity is where we found ourselves on Saturday night.

Having recently discovered that Chuck E. Cheese makes a pretty good gluten free pizza, we have eaten there a couple times.  Along with a trustworthy gluten free pizza, it's just a good fit for our family.  

It's loud, it's crowded. I don't have to tell my kids to be quiet and I don't feel judged when Wade is climbing on top of my head in the booth.

Wade loved the games and rides, token or no token.  The older kids were all about the tickets.  They sought out the games that would spit out the most tickets.  

After a couple hours, they collectively had 543 tickets.  Tim and I were tired and ready to leave, but of course we had to get the prizes.

The line was long at the prize station.  We waited patiently.  Picking up Wade, setting Wade down, chasing Wade and then picking him up again.  The kids were busy trying to see past the crowd and into the glass counter to get an idea of what they wanted when it was their turn.  Per usual they were shocked and appalled at how little they could get with 543 tickets (especially split between the four of them).  There were tired nods and understanding smiles with other mothers and fathers waiting in line with their excited children.

When it was finally our turn, the kids were ready.  They waited for each sibling to take their turn placing their order, deciding on the specific color of the desired silly straw.  It was sweet.  But the crowd was growing restless behind us.  As JT paused to decide on the perfect color, the young woman behind the counter asked "does anyone know what they want?"

"Yeah we do," a tall man said pushing past several small children and two exhausted mothers.  He didn't care, he just ordered up his whoopee cushion for 250 tickets.  

"You know that's really not right, you just pushed past all these kids that have been waiting so patiently," I said.  "You should have waited your turn."

"Are you serious lady?," he asked smugly.  

"Yes, totally, you should have waited," I said back nervously, but not rudely.

"Let it go," said his wife standing behind him.  "I mean really!"
She was furious.  How could I have the nerve to....what? tell her husband he was wrong?  Ugh.

For a split second I thought one of them was going to punch me.  I pictured the headline. I always wondered who those people were that got into fist fights at Chuck E. Cheese and I was about to find out.
"Okay, look I'm sorry, alright?," he flippantly said as he walked away.

Phew.  Dodged a punch.  
I then turned to the young woman behind the counter and suggested she wait until the kids in the first two rows had placed their orders before busting out with the "anyone know what they want" line.

Who do I think I am?
For the past week, we've been driving around town with the soundtrack to Les Miserables blasting from the speakers.  The kids belt out songs they've memorized like "Look Down" and "Do You Hear The People Sing" with great passion and enthusiasm.

"Maybe listening to this music is making you pick fights," my reserved oldest child pointed out after the Chuck E. Cheese incident.

I explained that I wasn't picking fights, but that I had been very close to singing "look down upon your fellow man, look down with mercy if you can" to the smug gentleman who apparently had no regard for the tired mostly mothers in line in front of him.  

To quote that man's wife, "I mean really!"

Life is about everyday revolutions.  
It's about fighting for the underdog, standing up to injustice, even if it's a simple obnoxious line-cutting situation.  Parenthood is about modeling those behaviors so your kids can know what to do when they are confronted with bullies of all kinds in the world.  It is especially important for my more reserved children to know their voice matters.

If I learned anything from the movie and music of Les Miserables (and I learned a lot), it is that one person's decision to do the right thing can affect so many people's lives.  And I want that lesson to continue everyday for my kids in big and small ways.  Even at the ticket counter of Chuck E. Cheese.
The kids were pretty psyched about their new glasses.
Here's the song that inspired it all:

1 comment:

  1. I think you should've punched him. No, not really, but it was good of you to stand up for the little guys. How rude was he, seriously? And his wife? And that worker lady?! Ugh. It's called common courtesy, people.