Be patient, order a pizza and cokes, sit where you can keep him in view. If you crochet, bring it along.

Can we play the games with him,or is it just for kids?

Oh YES you can play the games. We have more fun than they do sometimes, especially skee ball! DD and I compete on some of the games to see who can do better.

And, if you're having an especially bad time, they do serve beer and wine LOL

We have two in my area. One is a converted old Discovery Zone. I truly dislike that one --- just laid out wrong, and hard to keep an eye on your kids. The other one is an original, and is easy to enjoy. Get a table in the game area if the children are young, and you can relax and eat, while also keeping an eye on the kids.

Chuck E. Cheese is the kind of environment a bit like an enclosed midway from a fair. This depends on the 9 year old in question as well as the general atmosphere and excitement but you might also need to brace yourself for preparing and enforcing any bugetary limits.

You may also need to be braced for some asking/pleading for 'more.' (It's normal for a 9 year old to not have much experience or talent in natural self control when it comes to this sort of environment. Brace yourself for it.)

As a general rule, when an adult is confronted with child pleading for some 'treat' thing, especially when that child seems beyond all reasoning, it is essential to maintain the enforced limit. (That's why any limits picked should be well thought out before hand and examined by the adult to make sure they are at least minimally reasonable). Changing direction after some amount of pleading (even if it's minutes or hours long) has the result of teaching the child that the way to change an adult's mind is just more pleading. The stealth lesson they learn is that adults don't always mean what they say.

Go to Chuck E. Cheese yourself for a dinner or lunch. See what it is like so you're not just all thrown into a whole new experience with the 9 year old too. You can, in that way get a better idea of what to expect and what you will want to take along. You can see how much things cost and that can help you decide about any reasonable financial limit the 9 year old will have. Foam ear plugs will be helpful. You might find you will need a time limit (that can deemphasize the financial limit, if there is a 2 or 3 hour limit on the time the 9 year old will be able to be there).

go there between now and then so you can get a feel for the place, and be at least a little more prepared when you're there with your grandson (and just be prepared for having to say 'no' without elaboration or undue excitement-- even if the 9 year old says some choice hurtful things as part of their pleading; that is normal and it probably works sometimes with some people)

Thanks for your answers.My main concern was if could we play the games with him and I'm glad to see that we can. Our grandson is a good kid as are all his friends..never had a problem with them anywhere we've taken them especially when it comes to money. They all know what no means and respect that. Amygdala,sounds as if you have had other experiences thougn. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

You probably have already went but I would say not to worry about it. I was just in ours last Tues. and the place was pretty quiet and dead. Go during the day, mid-week when most people are working and the kids are at the sitters. It's really not that bad and my mother and I took my 3 year old.

~Leslie~