So I get woken up about an hour before I intended to actually start my day, by my daughter, saying she fell in some mud at school and needs a change of clothing. I get up, handle my parental duties, and get back home and lay back on my bed talking to my significant other. I feel a buzz and pull out my phone and it's a headlines notification from one of the local news apps I have installed on my iPhone. It's talking about tax cuts, so I go ahead and read it, same old garbage there.... Then I look at the other headline stories and come across this: "Health group sues McDonald's over Happy Meal toys". Really America, seriously?
Ok, taking a step back... Is the purpose of the toy in a kid’s meal at any fast food place meant to attract children? Yes! Why? Because it's marketing to the proper demographic, folks. Brenda takes Little Tommy into McDonald's and asks him what he wants to eat. Little Tommy's been eying the toy from the latest kid's show or movie over in the toy preview box, and shouts that he wants a Happy Meal; And why wouldn't he? They're portioned and geared toward children, and they come with these cool (work with me here) toys. Brenda gives in, buys the Happy Meal, and is rewarded with a smile and a future full of weekly requests to go to McDonald's for a Happy Meal. Keep reading, because I'm just getting started...
So now comes decision time for Brenda: Does she give into Little Tommy's whims and make weekly trips to McDonald's? Or, does she deal with an unhappy Little Tommy when she tells him no? If it were the latter, then these types of ridiculous lawsuits would be more pointless than they already are. It's yet another example of blaming the fast food restaurant for the shortcomings of a parent. Brenda doesn't want to make Little Tommy cry, so she gives in, and then complains because Little Tommy is now yet another childhood obesity statistic.
What lawsuits like that do, in my eyes, is further spotlight the fact that American parents have turned into a bunch of simpletons that can't 1. Take responsibility for their shortcomings, and 2. Want to blame someone else to save face. Guess what Brenda's of America, let's coin a phrase from an old campaign.... JUST SAY NO! Little Tommy will get over it, I promise. Millions of people go about their daily lives with no ill effects for not having fast food weekly, or from growing up that way. Stop whining because you're too weak to tell your child that they can't have a Happy Meal.
Am I saying that Happy Meals are evil? Heck no, then I'd be a hypocrite. I take my own daughter for one on occasion and sometimes just because she wants the toy. What I don't do is make it routine. She would love McDonald's at least once a week, but I know that it's not going to do her any favors if I concede to do that. What I also know and make use of is the healthier options they provide. You can substitute the fries for their apple slices with caramel dipping sauce, and instead of a soda get them milk, or you can even get them bottled water for a small charge. You cut the caloric intake quite a bit with the simple changes, and yeah the caramel dipping sauce is sugar, but they're kids, they burn the sugar off quickly provided it's consumed in moderation (oh, what a lovely term) whereas the fries are salt and oil which can raise blood pressure, and congeal in the arteries.
So yeah, that term I just used, moderation, it's means you control the frequency. Shoot, if a lot more things were dealt with in moderation when it came to raising children, they'd be better off for it. Video games, TV time, the internet for fun, etc. are specific examples of things that should be allowed in moderation. Parents spend too much time giving their children what they want, rather than what they need. They act like they're afraid to say no, they're scared to ever have their child say "I hate you!" because they didn't hear what they wanted to hear. Guess what folks, if your child ever says that because you told them they couldn't do/have something... you're doing your job. I can't wait until my daughter says that to me for the first time, because I know at that point, that I'm not completely borking up my job as her mother.
Bringing it back to the original purpose, I'll say this: Stop sugarcoating life for your kids, you're hurting the future of this country and it will be more screwed up than it already is. We're so worried about hurting their feelings that it's become detrimental to them. Your child should know about life and death, that guns can kill people, that not everyone is a nice person, that there are people out there who like doing bad things to little kids, where babies really come from, the proper terms for penis, vagina, and breasts (not ding-dings, hoo-hoos, chichis, or business) and to which gender they apply, and naturally that eating too much fast food makes you fat. They need to be familiar with being told no, and they need you, as their parent, to be consistent with your decisions. You tell them no, they cry, you respond with this, "You don't have to like my answer, but it's the one you get and it's not up for discussion." Yes, use words you'd use to talk with another adult (not curse words, but proper communication) because they might be your baby, but they're growing up and you need to be their example.
Things like Happy Meal toys and fast food making people fat should never, ever, be the subject of a lawsuit. It's about personal responsibility. Learn to take some and stop blaming everyone else. No wonder the world has lost so much respect for America.
