This Makes Me Cringe...

[love-my-wolves]

Hm, well, I hope I don't get blasted, but I give my kids fast food about once a week. However, we don't do kids meals, we do dollar menu. They each get 3 things, their choice. If the kids want a specific toy at a ff place, I ask to buy them seperately. They are usually around a dollar or so, but usually that is only if they are a specific "must have" type toy (my son loves pokemon, so I got all of them for him). My children may not be fed the "healthiest" food, my mother never taught me how to cook, I had to wing it, and I honestly only learned how to make a Thanksgiving turkey 4 years ago, but, my kids LOVE fruits and veggies. Give them a veggie tray, and it won't last an hour. Do I monitor every single thing they eat? No. They get sugary, unhealthy cereal because the other stuff is just gross, if I won't eat it, I won't buy it. They get cookies and chips every once in a while. Overall, my kids are very healthy. My oldest is skinny as a rail, healthy as an ox, and happy as a clam

. None of my 3 kids are considered overweight, actually all 3 are on the bottom of their weight category, because they play outside, they run, they jump, and I don't give them excess. Moderation is the key to everything.

As to the topic of the thread, I would never boycott a fast food place for offering healthy food, the mother is just being rediculous and venting because she can't give her kids "shut up food". I stopped going to burger king long ago, not because of toys or fries, but because they are so expensive, they have no dollar menu. I won't spend $6 on a "value" meal, so I don't go there. However, that being said, I commend fast food places for trying to offer healthy alternatives, even though I know none of them are really healthy. But they are trying to promote awareness. My kids won't eat fast food place's fruit, it is packaged and "ew gross, it's all soggy and tastes funny".

 

[Tylt33]

Quote:
oh the poster was being sarcastic?
it's hard to read sarcasm online.

No, I think she was being sincere and was impressed that the discussion had turned so philosophical. At least, that's my impression.

 

[Tylt33]

Quote:
Once a week? Once a week hardly matters. The issue is when it becomes a lifestyle. If you feel strong enough to boycott a place due to no toys... then there is a problem...

 

[Laurajean]

I have been reading along since my original post. Just some general thoughts regarding various posts: To be clear, I am not complaining that my friend takes her kid for fast food. Personally, I think every day after school is horribly excessive. But the point of my post was shock that she would "boycott" Burger King for offering fruit in the Happy Meal instead of fries. Some people have said, "She should have had a choice..." Well she did of course have a choice. Burger King still sells french fries, she could have simply ordered fries. They may have even substituted them for the fruit upon request, I'm not sure. But no one was DENYING her fries. They simply substituted the snack with a healthier option. But I can't help thinking about the message this must have sent to the kids. She wrote that she "drove right across the street to McDonald's where they offer happy meals instead of sad meals". Those were her words. So I imagine there was some discussion of this with the kids. Scenario: Kids open kids meal, see fruit, say "Hey, where's the fries?" Mom says "What!? No fries! That's stupid, come on kids, we'll go over to McDonald's where they have fries instead of fruit! Fruit! What were they thinking?? We won't be going back THERE any more..." That's the likely scenario I play out in my head. So instead of saying "Come on girls, get over it, you need to have something healthy along with your cheeseburger and soda, you don't need french fries EVERY DAY. Maybe tomorrow we'll order some fries." No, she acts appalled along with the CHILDREN and promises never to return to that bad place that had the audacity to offer a healthy choice. You know what I'm saying?

I'm not badmouthing fast food in general, although I DO think every single day is ridiculously unhealthy. So some of you are saying, "Hey, I bring my kids to get fast food some times". Sure, fine. But every day? And then getting mad at the presence of FRUIT? The problem here is that many parents don't bring their kids for fast food "occasionally" any more. Many are doing exactly what my single mother friend is doing, stopping at Burger King on the way home because they're overwhelmed and busy, and this is a quick solution to dinner. I'd be willing to bet that my friend hasn't thought of the fact that she's really lining her kids up for early onset diabetes with all this junk. They are already both overweight, daily Burger King is the last thing they need. But the fact is, due to various circumstances, people are bringing their kids to Burger King regularly instead of occasionally, and so the fast food industry is starting to try and counter the epidemic and bad reputation they have earned by offering salads, fruits, etc. Instead of supporting the effort to put healthy things into their kids' mouths, people like my friend get mad and go someplace else because her spoiled kids want french fries every day. It's really sending the wrong message all the way around. Telling a business "I'm going across the street where they'll still give me french fries", and telling the kids "we won't go back to Burger King" is just, well, foolish.

Oh, and the toy thing: Since when do kids get a toy with their supper? I can't imagine making a scene to my parents because they didn't give me a toy along with my dinner. The concept of the toy in the Happy Meals were back in the day that Happy Meals were considered a Special Treat. Every once in a while, you get to go out, have a burger and fries, get a surprise toy, play on the slide. Now it's all the time, it's daily supper for many of today's kids. Even if they're only bringing their kids for fast food once a week: I never got a new toy once a week!! Dollar toy or not. I just think this concept of "no fries, no toys = we're outta here" is a very bad message to kids.

 

[Cetawin]

I find this parent's lack of concern for a healthy choice as opposed to a non-healthy item and toy sad. Really says a lot about society and marketing.

 

[thekid]

I will admit that I eat out normally twice a week, I usually eat at a cafe that serves healthy breakfast and a fast food, sometimes its two healty places that take time to prepare instead of putting it in the microwave for a minute. Tommorw I will probably eat a King's and then the day after that we will probably eat at that cafe.



p.s. the cafe has really good food

 

[halo]

Fast food is not healthy for you. Period. But it will never hurt you in moderation. Once, twice a month, perfectly fine. The problems come up when people eat fast food 3,4,5 times a week. People need to eat it in moderation, but nowadays, nothing is done in moderation. Personally, I dont like Mcdonalds, but do enjoy a good Wendys chicken sandwhich and fries once in a great while.