Write a post that begins and ends with a merry-go-round.
When Mom announced we were going to McDonald’s one evening I grabbed my shoes and assumed my position in the van. All I could think about was that Merry Go Round. I mean seriously, can you think of a better name for that ride? It really is a merry feeling going round and round in circles. What wasn’t there to love!?!
I was five years old and the merry-go-round was one of the newest additions to the McDonald’s outdoor play area. All the children flocked to it. None of us had seen anything like it. And it was the ONLY reason I even liked to GO to McDonald’s. Well…that and the fries…and the cheeseburgers…and large soda that my Mom liked to split between the six of us, “don’t drink it all at once, you’re not getting anymore!”
How much merrier could life get when a mini automated Merry-Go-round with stop and go buttons on the wall was involved?
When we pulled up I quickly ran to the play area, but noticed the new toy was jam packed with kids. No way was I going to fit on that thing. I stood back and patiently waited my turn when I noticed a n enthusiastic father attempting to snap pictures of his daughter each time the merry-go-round brought her around.
I felt the man needed a hand so I jumped up to the control panel and turned the merry-go-round off every time his daughter came to his side. Surely it had to be difficult to take a picture of her while she was moving! I considered it my call to duty and after about the 14th time stopping jolting the merry-go-round to a stop the children all complained and the dad snapped, “WOULD YOU LEAVE THAT DAMN THING ALONE!?!?!”
Ahem.
Startled, I stepped down from my perch and self consciously backed myself into a corner. I thought for SURE he was going to give me a quarter for my help with his picture. I was not prepared for his anger, though I suppose I DID go a bit overboard with the stopping and going and stopping and going and so forth, but STILL! Did I deserve such a harsh tone when I was only trying to help?
It was during this inner dialogue with myself that a child actually fell off the merry-go-round and got stuck beneath it. I stood next to my perch staring. Panicked parents yelling, small child screaming, chaos ensued….all I had to do was reach up and push the stop button. Stop the madness, stop the fear, stop the screaming child…this was not merry, not merry one bit.
But that MAN.
He told me not to push the buttons anymore. He yelled at me! No WAY was I going to push that button again. So I just stood there as a parent rushed from the other side of the play area to stop it himself and then everyone swarmed to unravel the twisted child.
I ducked back into the booth with my family when I heard the ambulance coming…clearly my assistance was no longer needed and I felt okay letting the paramedics step in to deal with the situation.
A lesson was learned that day indeed:
All is merry on the merry-go-round until a crazy man yells at a child who’s trying to HELP him take a decent picture and then everything goes to hell in a hand basket.
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Now it’s your turn! Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back and sign Mr. McLinky. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1.) Childhood fears you’ve taken into your adult life.
2.) Write a post that begins and ends with a merry-go-round.
3.) Why were you mortified? Write about a true embarrassing moment as though it was happening in slow motion.
4.) Open letter to a celebrity.
5.) Oprah says we all have a story. If you were on her show, what would your story be? What would you be talking about? What advice would she give you? Write about it and provide a snippet of your interview together.
Erin says
OMG that is horrible! How traumatic! You should have been like my oldest and just yelled “NO, YOU STOP” he does that often when we tell him No!
I do remember that merry go round though!
Jennifer says
That’s horrible. I can’t believe he yelled at you like that… and it would have traumatized me too! Thanks for the picture, I forgot all about those things!!
Booyah's Momma says
O my gosh… hope that child was okay!
I have a love/hate towards McDonald’s. The play structure is great and all, but once the happy meal toy emerges, I lose all hope of my kids actually finishing their meals.
June Freaking Cleaver says
My girls LOVED that stupid thing. That may be when I fell in love with the concept of the “drive-thru window”.
I just hated that a trip to McDonald’s now took five times as long, so the kids could get their fill of junk food AND their fill of riding that slowpoke ride.
And even rickety carny rides have an operator – I bet the lawsuits that McDonald’s had to deal with were the reason the rides left the building.
stef says
I would have done the same…though not sure I would have been as thoughtful as you to push stop for the picture. I would have just been thinking, Geez, take the picture already, get your kid off the toy and let me have a go. You did the right thing…
Single and Sane says
When I was a kid, McDonald’s just had a counter and you had to eat in the car – it was like a drive-in without the car hop. After reading your post, I no longer feel deprived. Strangers never yelled at me in the car. =)
Mama Kat says
I’ve never seen a McD’s like that!
Dominique @Dominique's Desk says
We don’t have merry-go-around at Mc Donalds here but those plastic playground features. Most of the time we use the drive-thru only as it is much more convenient then lugging the kids to the counter and later ensuring that they finish their food in the diner.
HisBell says
Oh my goodness… how frightening! Fortunately for us… (for me as now the mom) our McD’s does not have a playground! lol
Tanya says
What a stupid jerk!! I do feel bad for the kid stuck under the merry-go-round though. That is one of those lovely childhood memories that you NEVER forget. I knew there was a reason I disliked McDonalds!
dumb mom says
I hate that man for yelling at you. And for taking away your chance to be a life saver, a heroine. He sucks.
Mama Kat says
Just THINK of the amazing blog post I could have written about saving a child’s life on the Merry Go Round!!!
That man ruined my LIFE!
Lesley says
If he would’ve just let you finish your job and said “Thank You”, with ANY resemblance of manners, the whole nightmareish ordeal could have been avoided! I hope he learned his lesson….JERK.
Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry" says
What a mean, grouchy man to yell at you like that for trying to be helpful. He probably didn’t realize why you were doing it and thought you were just playing around with the button. How sad for the kid who fell off and got caught underneath! I would have thought that man would have stopped it. You certainly showed him how to do it enough.
Mama Kat says
I’m sure he thought I was just being an obnoxious kid.
CDG says
Oh, the McDonald’s Merry Go Round!
Haven’t thought of that in years. … And poor little you!
I went a with fiction this week… but the same prompt.
Lara says
It always amazes me how we can hold on to those childhood moments as if they were yesterday…
Thanks for the prompt this week. As always learned more about myself….
Annie @ astonesthrowfrominsanity says
And that is why there are no more merry go rounds at McD’s . . . sigh . . . Didn’t McD’s forsee that kids would LOVE them to the point of throwing themselves under them? Geez!
Anyways, enjoyed the story and the prompt this week. I got to vent to Tom Cruise which was so fun.:)
Mama Kat says
I’m pretty sure that one child ruined McD’s merry go rounds for everyone. Way to go kid!
liz says
I guess the merry go round wasn’t so merry that day. Did you avoid going near it on subsequent trips?
Mama Kat says
THEY REMOVED THE MERRY GO ROUND! I forgot about that!! I wonder if the child’s family sued when she got stuck in it.
I don’t know why I’m laughing at that right now…
Jennifer @ The Mommy Mambo says
Karma!
I enjoyed this! So sad though. I loved that merry-go-round too. The only reason I ever went to McDonalds, cause the food sucked!
I would have balled my eyes out if that were me! I was so timid and shy (no, really) that if I had mustered the courage to push the button in the first place, the screaming would have done me in, for sure!
Mama Kat says
He was a real jerk. But I was used to yelling adults so more than anything it just made me want to kick him in the shin.
Paula Kiger says
Great story! There’s nobody like an adult to misread a kid’s intentions!
Mama Kat says
The clincher, and I forgot to add this in the post…is that I don’t even think I was stopping it on the right kid! That’s why he was so irritated. :)
Carrie says
Oh, I loved the merry go round at Mc D’s! My best friend always got to have her birthday there since she lived in a small apartment and I was SO jealous. I always had these fabulous backyard pool paties don’t ya know ;)
I miss the simplicity of thoe playgrounds. Now they are BIG and complex…isn’t a merry-go-round that moves super slow and a couple of rockin Fry guys good enough for anyone anymore?
Mama Kat says
I forgot how slow it moved! That’s right!!
And God bless those massive climbers they invented…a Godsend on rainy days for the daycare.
Dawn says
What a great story! That Merry Go Round was certainly not MERRY that day! I too have fond memories of that ride at McDonalds! Great prompts this week!
Mama Kat says
The Merry Go Round was downright obnoxious that night….but at least I got a cheeseburger out of the deal.
Jennifer says
The merry go round makes me barf. For real. Even when I was little.
And I bet after that kid got trapped underneath you didn’t even get a turn to ride it.
Mama Kat says
Hell no I didn’t get to ride it!! That night was a complete bust!
Michelle @ Mommy Loves Stilettos says
WOW! That is awful!! And how traumatic! *HUGS*
Tylaine says
How rude of that man! I would never yell at a child (well except my own of course)
How awful for that poor kid. Maybe that’s why there is no more merry-go-round.
Peg says
I’m sure it was all his fault! If he hadn’t yelled at you it wouldn’t have startled that kid to fall off! LOL (Gotta blame it on someone!)
MommaPebz says
wow that ride looks like fun lol!
That man was lucky, if he screamed at me that way my dad would have punched him! =)
Lindy Leigh 56 says
That was so frightening for you! I would have had nightmares after that!
Jenners says
Is this real or fake?????
hotpants says
This brings back memories of playing on the McDonald’s playground. It was pretty fancy back in the day.
I wrote an open letter to Britney Spears today. Fun times.
Kimberly says
OMG. I remember that facken beastly thing at McD’s. One time I was trying to get off of the hamburger head horse and the thing was still turning and I fell and got the worst rug burn…yes back in the day when I was a wee one we didn’t have fancy cushy floors to prevent such atrocities…on my knees and all the kids laughed at me. Little bass turds.
Shelley says
Wow, that is a story indeed!! So sorry you had to see all that! I feel really bad for the kid who got mashed under the ride!!
Diane says
Did that REALLY happen?! If so, what happened to the kid who fell off?
Kelly says
Wow – that is totally traumatic!! I would never have touched a merry go round again without getting shaky and nervous!!
gaelikaa says
I didn’t see McDonald’s until I was a teen. Then again, I keep on forgetting that I’m 47 and lived in Ireland until I was 31. My kids out here in India love McDonald’s. It’s one of our favourite places to go….
Christy says
oh my gosh, that mean man. I felt the shock and shame from that man’s yell … I probably would have cried.
Kristy says
I love the point of view you used!
CheryltheOCM says
Oh my, I don’t think I would have ever set foot in a McD’s again. Figures their mascot is a clown, that place is evil I tell you!
Bethany @ ImperfectMom says
What a scary story! I’ll never look at Merry Go Rounds the same again.
ElizOF says
What a sad story… I love merry go rounds and wrote about them as one of the two prompts I chose for my blogs. I looked at the life and death aspect of it but not this way… Yes, even a playground can be a dangerous place to visit.
M.Jay. says
Wow, Than must have been scary. I am sure that man felt bad for yelling at you to stop because it could have saved that kid from getting hurt.
Allison @ Alli n Son says
Wow, that’s really scary. I hope the kid was OK.
I totally remember those merry go rounds. We had one at our McD’s playland growing up too.
Emily says
Great story, it’s real right? Anyway, it reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode where a man goes back to the time where he sees himself fall and get stuck on the merry-go-round and has a limp for life. Wonderful episode and I could still hear the merry-go-round music!