Let she who is without sin cast the first slice

Please stop whatever you're doing right now - hang up the phone, put down the soda, quit fiddling with that thing, and focus here.

Yahoo! News - Police: Mom Threatens Chuck E. Cheese

MACON, Ga. - A teenager dressed as pizza mascot Chuck E. Cheese was pelted with pizza and threatened with a beating by an angry parent who said the mascot wasn't paying enough attention to her child, police said.

The report stated that the mother then threatened to "whip" the girl when she changed out of costume.

No charges were filed in the incident, so the name of the mother and employee were not released by police.

OK. Now take a deep breath, throw your arms out wide, feel the warmth of shared cyber-cameraderie, and think/say to yourself,

"I can completely relate to that mom."

Because oh yes, anybody who has ever been forced to spend a birthday party or even a lunch at C.E.C's, amidst screaming, sugar-frenzied children, shoving adults, raucous music, horrid gigantic stuffed characters, and above all, hideous ear-melting noise of 101 different games, can understand exactly what must have happened and what probably made her snap. And we know, it could have been any one of us!

Comments

[Anthony]

No, sorry--no-one forces anyone to take their kids to CC (the Jerry Springer Show of pizza franchises). People do it because they would rather be tyrannized by their children than have to deal with the obilgatory UCTT (Ugly Childhood Temper Tantrum) that comes from telling your kids that there are some experiences in the world that they can experience on their own dime (or some ditzy neighbor's dime). Take your kid to a zoo or a museum or a Young Person's concert or even Six Flags over Baghdad (just don't let them ride the "Abu-Gharib Carousel of Abuses") but for Eris's sake--show some fortitude and KEEP YOUR KIDS OUT OF CHUCKIE CHEESE'S!! Your kids will be healthier, you'll be happier and all that parental agression can be spent beating up on Peggy Mackintosh (a radical "educational reformer" once called "the Pol Pot of Education" by the Wall Street Journal on what must have been a very bad Conservative Hair Day). Mackintosh has been quoted as saying "why do we spend all our time talking about Beethoven and not Beethoven's mother--she was a nuturing person and deserves equal time." Perhaps, Peggy Sue, that Beethoven's mother, lovely and nuturing a person as she likely was DIDN'T WRITE ALL THAT F#$*&^@ CLASSICAL MUSIC HER WHITE MALE PATRIARCHAL PHALLOCENTRIC SON DID SO JUST DEAL WITH IT YOU MORON!
Whew--I feel so much better now and no teenage mascot was hurt during the making of my tirade.

[pam]

a) Speaking for myself, I never paid for a CEC birthday party, but b) attended two with my little ankle-biter out of social obligation, c) we also can and do attend museums and other, quieter cultural events, and d) holy shit darling, I am definitely getting you your own blog, because you have so much to say and not enough room to say it now!

[Kimberly]

I went to a CEC birthday party once and I understand why that woman snapped. HOWEVER, imagine the poor teenager who has to put up with it all week. I feel more compassion for her.

[Kimberly]

Oh and I forgot to mention that story was *hysterical*.

[jo]

Oh my god, I have SO been there. The last one I went to I wore earplugs, and the experience, while surreal, was vastly improved.

[Snowball]

Didn't you upgrade to a pro account, Pam? You could host a blog for Anthony, who really should have one. I'm hosting for two other folks besides my own. We'd all be visiting Anthony's blog for more fun, even if he didn't post often.

Oh -- and the C.E.C. thing? The pizza tastes horrid, but if you're a single mom, it's a good place to pick up single dads who have no idea what to do with the kids on a Friday night. Not that I'd do that, you understand. I'm just saying...

I'm with Kimberly. I feel rather sorry for the mascot jammed into the hot suit with wee beasties clamoring for attention. I can see why tempers would run high on both ends of that particular spectrum.

[Becky]

I don't have kids, so I can't attest to the horror of CEC (though it sounds pretty god-awful), but as a former mascot (Yogi Bear, thank you very much), I will say that it's a crappy job. It's hard to see, it's hotter than Hades, and kids beat you up.

[Goldberry]

Note to self: Avoid taking my Firefly to CEC.

[Bob O'Shaughnessy]

I've always been amazed by the behavior of parents at the Rat Pizza place. My favorite stupid stunt is the obese hillbilly climbing into the gerbil-tube system that they have there, despite the signs that it is for children only and that it's nearly impossible to get in.

I've found it good though that our Wall-e-Weasel serves beer though.....

[Danielle]

I took my son to chuckie cheese and we were playing a game were you grab balls and throw them into a garbage can. When we went to scoop the balls my hand got cut from broken glass at the bottom they never clen those things out the management didnt even care i reported them i thought i would get aids or something i am so glad it wasnt my son who got cut.

[Don M]

I took a job as a Tech. Manager at Chuckie E. Cheeses, hoping for a nice quite job, what the hell happened? With in the first weeks of this job, I got the flu, momo, and a server staph infection. The workers comp lady came to see me in the hospital and ask me very personal questions, like what I did I do in the military and was I sexual active, and how old was my son?
I did some checking and these restaurants have been sighted for many, many health violations. I did not have ax to grind with the Chuck but when the GM came in and said to a cast member how had acne bad, you need to shave! I went off! The GM told me that nice guys finish last, and this is a place to take the kids?

Chuckie E. Cheeses does not use equipment to keep their establishment clean, if you will notice many places like DQ or some BK use Ultraviolet lights. It seems the managers at Chuckie don't know what these lights do, they kill bacteria and some virus, furthermore, it is dark in most of these stage shows, with dim lighting. Also if you will notice that some establishments have a blower when you come in the door not the chuckie...now if you had your choice to go to a restaurant that had a robotics mouse or UV lights which would you go to?
Just take a look at the DPH web site in Richmond Va. the workers are not even alowed to ware Gloves or other personal protective equipment. Even if they have to handle body fluids. And you want these people to handle your food, wipe your table, and work on the ice maker several months back there was mold in the ice maker(DHP), this could have been stoped by UV lights, or seals in the ice maker.

Another lady told me this:I would never take my daughter here again. This place is not clean and the people that work here are young kids trying to make a couple of dollars and they do not care. I think that this place can be better if they did a re organization. My friend took her kid here as well and got sick from another kid because that kid had pink eye.
Do not take your kids here!

Check the DPH web site before you go to any chuckie cheeses, and I feel you will make another choice. Check the DPH web site before you go to any chuckie cheeses, and I feel you will make another choice. They do not use bleach to clean equipment and games and with a possible up coming pandemic, use your on judgment.