This week’s chosen Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop prompt is:
4.) The craziest reason I ever got in trouble as a child.
I realize that the act of Ding Dong Ditch isn’t all that crazy, but the time my friend, Felicia, and I got caught in the act – and subsequently chased by the Dongee – was pretty stupid.
I’m assuming we all know how Ding Dong Ditch works, right? You run up and ring the doorbell of your unsuspecting victim, and then run away as fast as your legs can carry you, preferably to a spot where you can hide and watch the Dongee open their door and look around to see who just rang.
There are just 3 basic rules to Ding Dong Ditch:
1. Choose your target
2. Plan your escape route ahead of time.
3. Hit each target once and only once.
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Felicia lived next door to me. Next door to her was a red house, and then a white house.
D.D.D. Rule #1 – Identify your target
In our case, the white house.
D.D.D. Rule #2 – Plan your escape route
I vaguely remember deciding we’d leave the front porch and head around the back of the red house, and end up at Felicia’s, where we considered ourselves to be “safe.”
D.D.D. Rule #3 – Hit each target just once
Our first donging went so perfectly that we got cocky, and went back to the white house a second time.
(Improvised) D.D.D Rule #4 – If you are cocky enough to go back twice, you fall into the “totally moronic” category if you return to the same house for a 3rd time, and you deserve whatever’s coming to you.
Yep, that was us.
Total morons.
And we got caught.
And chased.
And I never ran so fast in my life.
Stupid, stupid us.
Did you ever play Ding Dong Ditch as a kid?
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
HAHA!! I can say that is one game I did not play. I was more of the prank calling type
Ha! Can’t say I played that one, either. Mostly because I could never figure out step 2, and I was a slow runner.
I was always way too chicken to play games like that! I was worried I’d get caught!
I’m with Katie…I was too afraid that my parents would find out! I did however call and hang up a few more times than I care to admit! I’ve never heard it called Ding Dong Ditch…clever, but I’m not surprised!
I’m with KT. I was way too slow as a child to ever attempt something that required a getaway. Most of my antics were carefully schemed to make it look like someone else (my sister) actually did it.
I suspected you had a criminal past!
I never played it!!!! (I was/am a s-l-o-w poke and new I’d get caught!)
Donging….who knew that was a word meaning something you could do in public?!
We used to do that, and lots of prank phone calls (before darn caller id). I don’t remember being caught, but I remember being caught TP’ing a boy’s house once! Run like the wind we did….
Funny. Mostly that you remember it. I seem to have blocked out most all of those years.
Yes! We played that too but it’s called Knock and Run over here. I remember playing it whilst walking to school with friends one morning, I must have been about 9 or so. The only problem was we chose a house right next to the school and of course the owner recognised us. She reported us to the headmistress who in turn called our parents.
I was so scared of what my parents reaction might be that I lied and said it hadn’t been me, that it had been the friend I was with at the time. My parents believed me and defended me to the headmistress! I felt so guilty about that for years and finally confessed to Mum and Dad last year. I got told off!
yep… we were um… mischievous to say the least… just a little! or a lot! can’t say I ever got caught on that one… but we did get caught doing many other prankish things… or naughty things… or just plain stupid things… childhood was Full of Fun and spanks! ha ha!
Never even heard it called Ding Dong Ditch. And I never played, we grew up in the forest and we didn’t have any neighbors close enough.
I never played this but always wanted to! I was too chicken to get caught by all the neighbors. I was definitely more of a crank caller – before *69 came into being (at least in my world). Was this a common game, or just a one-time thing?
Never have I done this. Not sure why, but I haven’t. My cousin and I did however “pick up” some traffic cones and reroute the neighborhood once. It is very hard not to laugh when you hear your father and the neighbors try to figure out what “they” were about to do. I let everyone circle the block for a week before I moved them!
You wild thang. Too chicken. I’d totally do it now though.
I never even heard of this game. But I was a very shy child who would have peed herself at the mere thought of being caught, so it’s probably better that I never heard of it.
I was a huge nerd when I was a kid, so I never did anything “bad” or even troublesome. I don’t know how it happened, but I grew up absolutely HATING games like this…and still do! Unfortunately my husband LOVES playing pranks, so I’m sure my son will too. I see lots of yelling in my future.
HA! The dongee! We used to call people and hang up. That probably wouldn’t work now since there’s caller ID. Although we might’ve still been dumb enough to try.
I love, love that you got chased. I fully plan to chase all the kids who ding dong ditch my house just for my own enjoyment.
haha – that is hilarious and brings back some equally silly memories for me (we totally played ding-song-ditch and then dared people to go back – impossible to refuse after you’ve been dared!!)
Swati
Lol. I’ve never played that game but it has been played on us. Only once…my Dad gave chase & caught up w them. Probably why I didn’t play it…:)
Okay, I definitely never did that as a kid – probably because I was a goody-two-shoes and would have had a panic attack at the thought of someone chasing me. And I actually don’t get why that’s amusing. Though I admit, I’m still bummed I never tp’d someone’s home.
And yes – I’ve seriously considered tping my own house when I get it to make up for the lack.
And I know how weird that is.
I have never played this game before. JDanile loves to ring door bells though.
LOL…I lived in a rural area in my early teens.
We would have been visible hightailing it across the back forty.
And guns, guns were popular in that area.
Buckshot in the butt? Not interested!
rotfl. hahahaha Now that’s hilarious. I played but don’t remember getting caught. I do know that the neighbors knew because who else would do it except for the kids on the block. As I do recall, i’d let my male cousins do all the dirty work and i’d stay back.
Oh heck yeah we did! And fell into the “totally moronic” category more than once…
I didn’t ding dong ditch very often, but we did our share of TPing and egging cars at night as we passed them on the road. That last one led to a high speed chase that was rather scary. I had forgotten about it until reading this.
Haaa!! Never played ding dong ditch, but I did pick the flowers from my neighbors garden, got caught, and ran as fast as my little legs could carry me down the street. I never wanted to walk by that house again, but I had to cuz it was just four doors down from mine. Naughty naughty!
I never did that but I heard about it. How did I miss out? Maybe I heard stories of double dinging like you?
You ding dong ditched THE WHITE HOUSE!? Which president chased you!?
Sorry. I had to.
I used to play this game also and managed to never get caught. I was like a ding dong ditch ninja.
hahaha, that’s too funny! i never played, but i totally know what you are talking about!
LOL – oh yeah, I played it. And I got caught. And I’m a moron.
My own kids do this to me all the time. You think if I chase them down and tackle them, they would stop??
Never played but sounds super fun!! You, rebel, you.
Oh yes, I’ve played this game…luckily never got caught though. Oh, the thrill of the chase, and laughing all the way!
It was probably a good thing we didn’t have any houses close to us growing up! We did make nuisances of ourselves calling the local radio station though.
I’ve never heard of it until right now. Of course my closest neighbor was 1/4 mile away as a kid. Not much opportunity for pranks.
It sounds fun. I’ll have to make sure the neighborhood kids don’t get wind of it.
So, an old lady mommy chased you down? Come on now Liz, we southsiders can escape trouble better than that! Think about trying to run after a little kid now…I think I’d never catch a soul!
It’s not called that in England but yes I did play it as a child but never got caught
HA! That is too funny. I can’t believe I never played this. I’m going to blame it on growing up over seas. It couldn’t have been that I was chicken.
LMAO! Where the heck is this game when I was little? We don’t have ding dong ditch hahaha
Ha ha, I don’t recall ever playing, but then again, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning, so trying to think back to when I was a kid would give me a serious headache … or maybe it’s the ponytail again