So how many of you have been scarred by a raucous round of musical chairs? I can’t be the only one.
I mean really, who came up with this concept in the first place? Hey, I’ve got a great idea. Let’s circle up a group of kids – even better if we hop them up on cake and punch first – and set out chairs for a slow motion race. We can play some kind of music and when it stops they have to sit down, but here’s the kicker. WE’LL MAKE IT ONE CHAIR SHORT so somebody gets kicked out each round. 🎼 Da dum, da dum, da dumbady dum. Da dum, da dum, da dum dum. Da dum, da dum, da 🎼 STOP!! Trust me, watching them freak out over finding a seat will be a riot.
Sadists.
It’s been a long time since I’ve played musical chairs (thank God) but I have distinct memories of the experience. The stress. The anxiety. The palpitations that grew more intense the longer the music played, because the longer the music played the closer we were to them turning the music off so the closer we were to lunging for a spot. The utter dejection of having everyone point and laugh as you stood there, alone, chairless, feeling like the loser who couldn’t pull off the easiest freaking job on the planet, SITTING DOWN. Hell, gravity does 2/3 of the work but noooo, there you are, standing on those legs like you’ve forgotten how to use your butt.
Kids got a little cutthroat playing musical chairs, too. It was nothing to be on the receiving end of a NHL-worthy hip check that threw you to the floor. It’s all fun and games, sure, but when you’re eight years old and looking at the chance to win a candy bar – well, all’s fair in love and chocolate. And when the kid you’re playing with loves chocolate then all bets are off.
It probably won’t come as much of a shock to anybody that my kids never ever hosted a single birthday party with musical chairs on the agenda. I might have to carry those memories with me for a lifetime but there was no way I was doing that to somebody else’s kid.
Linda hosts Stream of Consciousness Saturday. This week’s prompt is “musical.”
Oh my! The horrible memories. I am having flash backs of the song used when we played musical chairs at recess!! Yes not even a special party but routine school day shenanigans. Must be why I dislike “Pop Goes the Weasel”.
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It’s burned in the memory banks…
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Inveterate conspiracy theorist I am, I can’t help but think that musical chairs, along with all of those other dangerous, competitive “games” they put kids through are there to toughen up that competitive spirit. Besides that one, think about pin the tail on the donkey, where you blindfold the child, spin them until they are dizzy, then turn them loose with a tack? Or the whole pinata bashing thing. How many have been bashed with the stick by the basher for entertainment?
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You’re right, there aren’t very many happy-go-lucky children’s games out there. I’ve seen more than a few piñata bashings go sideways — that’s another one I never hosted at our house. Liability! 😆
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I remember musical chairs being fun sometimes, but it did tend to bring out aggressiveness. Red Rover was worse as far as physical damage. I remember having very sore arms from someone trying to break through my hold on the person next to me. So many of our childhood games were violent or about control. Maybe that’s why I liked reading and drawing.
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Oh yes, Red Rover was HARD CORE. Maybe because it was one of the socially “acceptable” times to be a bulldozer? I remember more than a few bruises, too…
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At least we’ve made progress in this area.
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Political correctness and perhaps the Me Too Movement will eventually phase this game into obscurity, but when I was young, there were no video games, so this was a way to keep children busy.
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After seeing your comment I reread my post and get how it might come off a bit precious-snowflake. As a parent who firmly believes in tournaments, competitions, and despises the participation trophy it’s not PC-ness that makes me hate musical chairs. Maybe because it doesn’t involve any actual skill? Watching kids play looks like a public shaming based on luck.
As for the Me Too Movement, I can’t make the leap between that and phasing out musical chairs. Maybe you could clarify? Have a good weekend!
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Good heavens I just commented on John’s blog about how much I hated musical chairs. It is a form of torture for uncoordinated Type B kids with glasses. I have scars, too. *meh*
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“character building” – meh.
“good competition” – meh.
“not everybody can win everything” – meh.
Still hated the game. 😆😆
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LOL – Your description took me right back to childhood memories of not enjoying that game too! Happy Saturday!
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Happy Saturday to you, too, Shelley! Sometimes I struggle with an socs prompt but this one was full steam ahead… 😆
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I hated that game. Ugh. What were people thinking? Also not a fan of any form of keep-away.
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True. I never had the heart to really keep a ball away from someone else, and it’s actually painful for me to watch kids play that one.
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I HATED Musical Chairs too. Don’t think I had them at my kids’ parties either. Definitely not at the grandkids parties.
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The change starts here! 🤜🏼
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Ugh, yes. Definitely not my favorite party game. I was usually the first ‘out’ in that one. And for a kid already left out by the other groups of kids, it’s really not a good feeling.
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It’s a strangely cold hearted “game” for littles. I’ve seen a lot of tears over the years in musical chairs.
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I remember as a kid my dads working club would hold a Christmas party. Probably an excuse for the parents to have a drinking party. But they would always play musical chairs. All the adults would crowd round the outside and watch the kids (me included) scramble around trying to find a chair. The usual kids would win. But it felt like the kids were like performing animals bringing much laughter to the grown ups. Luckily my parents stopped going. I hated it.
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Exactly. I meet so many people who hated this “beloved children’s party game” with the fire of a thousand suns…
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