We made a pit stop on the way home from Ann's house to Dave and Buster's. For those who don't know what Dave and Buster's is...it is literally Las Vegas for children. There are tons of games and slot machines to play and the kids would get tickets that they collect towards a prize. Dave and Buster's sounds like a casino. There are blinking lights, loud pinging machines and of course, loud music. You can't hear yourself think at Dave and Buster's, let alone have a conversation with anyone. It is a place where kids get completely overstimulated. You practically have to scrape the kids off the ceiling once you get them out of there. For years, May and I would take the kids over there on a weekend and they would run around like lunatics with their chip cards, while May and I would watch them from a safe distance and monitor their spending. Matthew's been asking when he could go with Jocelyn since there isn't anything like it in Shanghai. So, we met May and the kids there tonight for old times sake and the kids were thrilled to be back in action. It's been a year since Matthew, Jocelyn and Joanna have made a guest appearance there.
While we settled on a table where we can watch the kids safely from a distance, Matthew and Jocelyn were itching for their electronic chip cards so they can start playing on the machines. Ok- maybe not itching...more like twitching. When May and I finally handed out the cards and gave them strict instructions that they were to stay together, they were gone before we can even finish our sentence. Joanna chose to stick close by with us and just play the coin machines. She figured why get trampled by the other two kids. Smart move on her part.
After two hours of running loose, Matthew walked away with 1,204 tickets towards a prize. He decided to cash in all his tickets for a Darth Vader dash board figurine while Jocelyn and Joanna settled for two stuffed animals. So, who says it's not nice to be a kid? Your parents support your "gambling" habit and you get the rush that you're looking for.
