Call me old school, but I miss arcade games and glow in the dark ice hockey.  Thankfully my all-time favorite is still around; skeeball.  Our little one just went to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese and I was shocked to find it is now more like a kiddie casino.  I have always loved the idea of earning tickets to win a prize.  There used to be SOME level of skill or modicum of thought involved in order to get tickets.  Now the games seem to have no redemption.  You just slap, slap, slap and pay money until you get enough tickets.  Recently on vacation we had to cross the casino several times going to dinner.  I saw rows upon rows of people sitting slack-jawed and staring glassy-eyed, slapping and slapping the button on the video slot machines.  They sort of resembled zombies, colored by the ever-glaring, blueish glow of the machines and seemingly unfazed by the chaos swirling around them.  I went to my first casino at 40 and knew immediately it was not for me.  Between the giant windowless, aimless wandering of it all, the flashing lights, and the constant barrage of noise it was literally too much.  My husband and I still laugh because I literally pulled him out and declared we weren’t going back in.  We blinked like dazed moles coming out of the ground walking blearily as we realized with some shock it was still sunny out.  WOW that is not a healthy environment; particularly for someone with ADD.  We had a budget and my husband slapped through his within minutes.  I’ll never forget I snatched my money back and bought two really nice looking wolf knickknacks with it instead of gambling.  I felt guilty before I realized it would have just been slapped away anyway with nothing to show for it except lost time.  I am sure casinos are great for someone good with numbers.  I am not.  So it is just not for me.  I could not possibly hope to add even the simplest amount or pay attention to cards with any sort of acuity and especially not while drinking!  I watched our little one slap, slap, slap with a frightening genetic similarity to her father and decided I’d better win her some tickets or she’d leave with nothing.  My daddy taught me skeeball when I was kid.  I do pretty well.  So I snuck away and got us enough tickets for her to get the little pink heart necklace she wanted.  I slipped them in her bag and after she was all slapped out of money her tickets were counted and she was so thrilled she could get her necklace.  She had 25 tickets left over and the pimply faced kid was about to trash the paltry amount with dismissive disdain.  Horrified, I asked Maris if I could try to get something with what she had left and she proudly said sure!  Pictured above is the little blue plastic sea star I now have as a keepsake.  Some people enjoy the experience and don’t need a take away.  I guess I really like going home with a memento at the end.  So other than an image of James Bond strolling like a panther through a casino in Monte Carlo, gambling is just not for me.  I’m going to do my best to instill the concept of earning in my daughter and thankfully “Slappy” (the hubs) has agreed he MIGHT have gotten a little too souped up in the casino that time.  I came across an unattributed quote on Pinterest once that said, “Chuck E. Cheese:  because it’s never too early to introduce your child to poor nutrition and gambling.”  Lucky for us, our little one can no longer have gluten, dairy, or eggs.  I am thankful the good Lord is watching over us.  In fact, I’d bet money on it.