He's Cheesy and His Name is Chuck

Remember the 'good 'ol days'? When you were a kid and you had no real worries in the world? Where birthday parties were simple - mom makes a cake, kids bring presents and if you're lucky there was a pinata.

But today, kids have elaborate birthday parties. There are pool parties where parents rent out a hotel's pool area. There are skating parties where parents pay for the entire rink and a private DJ. And if you're P-Diddy's son, there's a $360,000 car at the end of a party, which was filmed for the MTV reality show "My Super Sweet Sixteen," featuring performances by rappers Fabolous, Lil' Kim, and Jim Jones. Cast members from "Jersey Shore" were also there to wish Justin a happy birthday.

I remember begging and pleading for my parents to take me and my friends to Chuck E. Cheese (actually where we lived it was called Show Biz Pizza). Not having a care about the cost, I was sad when I had to settle for a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey and a homemade cake.

It wasn't about the cool games at Chuck E. Cheese either. I knew back then that it was a waste of money to play all these games to collect tickets whereby you redeem them for little trinkets that cost a millionth of what you spent trying to 'win' them. I wanted to go for the music.

I really thought Chuck was God. Boy, could he sing. All of them up on stage, singing to ME. At Show Biz Pizza, a gorilla was the star of the show. Nowadays, it's all about the mouse. And nothing is more appropriate for a mascot of a pizza place than a MOUSE.

I went to Chuck E. Cheese last week with my Little. I had promised her I would take her for her birthday. And apparently I had a lot of surpressed feelings about the children's version of Dave & Busters. I went crazy.

I bought so many tokens hoping to win that little spider ring. And I'm proud to say we left victorious. I was a rock star at Skee-Ball (even with a broken shoulder). We raced (she won). We shot hoops (she won again). And we collected enough tickets to win TWO plastic thingamabobs and THREE things of Smarties candies. Victory was ours.

But, it was when the 'band' started to play that I truly reverted to my 10-year-old self. Chuck sang a song. His girlfriend sang a song. The weird dude on the drums sang a song. All accompanied by 1980s footage on a big-screen TV.

And then it hit me. That band sucks. I spent way too much money. At least at Dave & Busters you can drink enough alcohol that you don't realize how much the fun night out cost you. And you don't have to hear Chuck's rendition of various Jonas Brother's hits over and over again.

Thank you Mom and Dad for not wasting money on Chuck E. Cheese when I was growing up. Because afterall, Chuck is pretty cheesy!