The other day, I brought my three kids to a birthday party that took place at one of those family fun centers. There were all sorts of adventures, such as a huge climbing/ball pit, a small laser maze, a rock climbing wall and plenty of games that the kids could play for tickets. In order to play the ticket games, kids had to swipe a card on which money was added.
As part of the party, each guest got a card that was worth $3. Each game cost anywhere from $.50 to $2.00 to play. This meant less than the cards were used up within a few minutes.
It was hard not to notice all of the tantrums. Once the cards ran out, the kids wanted more. These were not just the birthday kids, but those others in the center, that maybe came with their moms and dads for some fun away from the threatening rain. Most of the time, I noticed, the parents headed off to the counter to put more dollars on the cards, and the kids gleefully skipped off to the next games, until the cards ran out again.
It became clear that the cards and the kids would never be satisfied. No matter how much was put on the cards, it would take hours for the typical kid to earn enough tickets to get even the smallest of significant prizes, a small stuffed animal or a plastic pool set that fits in the palm of your hand and breaks within the first hour of play.
I started thinking, as these parents were basically giving their kids everything they wanted while they were at the center (pizza, fries and drinks included), the kids were never content. There was always one more game to play, ten more tickets to win.
How much happier were the kids who played their $3 and then went back to the free laser maze, ball pit or rock climbing center. These were the kids who were laughing and giggling, running around like kids and having fun, not disappointed grimaces when they didn’t win the 1,000 ticket jackpots.