4 reasons why I love McDonalds.

by

(In this raging TX heat #1 really *should* be that McD’s offers free AIR-CONDITIONING)

Yep.

I still possess my love for the purveyor of all things fried & faux: McDonalds.

Allow me to share with you why:

1. The Happy Meal (& McDonalds in general) is an amazing teaching tool. My child is on the receiving end of entire days filled with NO! That said, each NO she receives is fodder for an age appropriate discussion about why.  We visit our local McDonalds a couple of times a month(and did over the long weekend) for some playscape-time & a snack of apples and milk.  I deliberately choose this fast food emporium because of the conversations & opportunities it provides me to parent.  Which leads me to…

2. The Happy Meal is only the first of manymany. Given my tattoos and quirky clothing choices people often assume I am a permissive parent. Hello cover not indicative of the book! Sure I’d be all in if we could ban Happy Meals, age inappropriate skimpy clothing, R rated movies viewed by tweens, a certain trashy pre-teen book series etc etc—-but we cannot.  In my eyes the Happy Meal is only the first of many realizations my child will have that other kids can do things/eat things she cannot. At the age of 5 ½ she already can carry on her *own* conversation with regards to this:  Why can she have ____ and I can’t? (dramatic pause) I know, Mama. Because she’s not your girl (exceedingly long melodramatic sigh).

3. One Mom’s Happy Meal is another Mom’s (insert not perfect food choice here). Our family may not consume Happy Meals, but we do have some junk in the house.  YES as a new mom I judged adults who let kids consume fast food crap—until I realized our Hershey’s Kisses were their McDonalds fries. Do we eat junk food daily? No.  Are there occasional hot summer nights filled with ice-cream and old school Magic Shell? Yes. The realization of that was a light-bulb moment for me.  I may think my Annie’s Organic crackers rock—but they are still processed CRACKERS nonetheless.

4. Since 100% fast food elimination is unrealistic—I’m focusing on the fact it takes a village.  Of course I want our kids to eat healthy, non-hormone laden, organic foods. Yes I’m painfully aware 15% of American children are overweight putting them at risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Yes it breaks my heart, in some states, childhood obesity is over 30 percent. I believe, right now, education is our answer. I’m grateful for the access I have to information others may not and spend hours a week writing & filming videos about this stuff for free. Teaching, in this woman’s opinion, is our greatest ally in the fight against obesity as the more I’m told I cannot have something the more ALLURING that something becomes.  Teach me why I do NOT WANT IT & I’ll make different choices willingly.

 

**stumbles off accidental soapbox sparked by a stranger chastising me this weekend **

So that’s me, People, on this day after a long holiday weekend when we Americans are all a tad slow & sluggish.

and YOU?

Do you feel as the stranger I encountered did: that all things McDonalds & fast food are evil?

Or are you willing to step up and OUT and announce, as I did, YES in a small quirky misfit’y way YOURE LOVIN’ IT.

Please to hit us up in the comments below.

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Comments

  1. For my family it is all things in moderation.
    We do go to McDonalds and Chikfila, but not often.

  2. I would not go into McDonald’s, but you do have a point about it being one of many NO’s in my son’s life.
    I avoid it at all costs because I don’t want to have that conversation.

  3. Well, we would not go into a McDonald’s ever 🙂

    My kids do beg for it all the time as a treat which annoys me a great deal.

  4. I go to that McD’s all the time to be inside and play (as you know).
    I also let my kids get ice cream or yogurt when we are there and I don’t make a big deal about it either way.

    (We don’t talk about “treats” in the form of food.)

    As a result, my three don’t ask for fast food much if ever.

  5. Sure, if we lived in a world where the vast majority of restaurants and grocery stores were chock full of nutritious wholesome whole foods… yeah, maybe there would not be a reason to ever to pass under the golden arches. But realistically, kids are going to encounter a world fueled by fast food when they get older. I think it’s brilliant of you to educate about healthy choices in an unhealthy world, rather than just pretend McDonalds doesn’t exist.

    Plus I’ve heard tell that their hot fudge sundaes are cheap and tasty and make an excellent Road Trip Treat when crossing the country. Not sure where I coulda heard that…

  6. We allow the McDonald’s occasionally as well. And yes, I’ve learned the same lesson. That in the eyes of others, my parenting choices may look like huge #FAILs, but we all need to make decisions based on our own values and priorities. Whether it’s co-sleeping, or extended breastfeeding, or Happy Meals, as parents we make the choice to do or not do based on what works for our family. (I realize co-sleeping is not within the scope of this blog post, but it reflects parenting choices and learning to respect other parents for their choices too.)

    Okay, I’m rambling. I just love the awesome example that you set for your child and that you share those conversations with us. 🙂

  7. DISAGREE!

    Respectfully 😉

    There is never any reason to go to McDonald’s.

    Ever.

  8. I have no kids, but if I did, we’d probably go to McD’s or one of its cousins every now and then. I don’t think the fast food emporiums are the problem, necessarily (though they’re certainly not doing anything to help the cause with their too-big portions and icky ingredients). I think the bigger problem is that many parents are using fast food solutions far too frequently and then letting the kids order whatever they want when they get there. No discussion, no guidance, no lessons learned. And frequently, no balancing healthy meals at home on the other 29 days of the month.

  9. No discussion, no guidance, no lessons learned. And frequently, no balancing healthy meals at home on the other 29 days of the month.
    ——-

    so so so true. and much to the husbands delight I did not regale the woman who chastised me with all our food choices (inside the Golden Arches) and all our food choices (outside the archnessment).

    and for me McD’s and that ilk really is a great teaching time.
    Her world is filled with things she CAN NOT DO that all her peers can.

    It’s a rough go of it to have a misfit mama 🙂

  10. I’m a cancer patient on active chemo – with all the hot flashes that implies. Organic locavore or not, no one will *ever* catch me discounting any place that has free air conditioning and sells good cheap coffee with real cream. McD’s scores on both counts. 😉

    Unfortunately, I must admit that sometimes, the only food that has taste or is even remotely appealing after a chemo treatment is fast food. I don’t know why. After 7 years, I’ve stopped trying to figure that out…but maybe it’s because I don’t have to handle the raw food or smell the cooking process…both things that can make me ill on chemo days. So hey, yeah – a fish filet sandwich, some chicken pieces molded into deep-fried nuggets with honey-mustard, fries, a McD’s mocha, even (goddess help me) the occasional Taco Bell taco have crossed my lips on chemo days. On those days, fast food is better than not eating.

    But I’m with you on the teaching moments that fast food restaurants – any restaurants – can offer. Life is all about choices. Refusing to let kids see those choices denies them the skills they need to make good choices when they’re left to their own devices. Parent on, girl.

    oh – and I’ll have an iced mocha, with whipped cream. 😉

  11. Intriguing approach.
    My trouble is I love McDonald’s fries so it is less the twins asking than the fact I want some french fries/

    🙁

    I can’t resist them.

  12. LOL at Sara.
    Me too.
    Most of the reason I forbid junk food and fast food is because I love it so much I can’t resist.

  13. When my kids were younger we used to eat at McDs all the time, and I wasn’t educated enough about nutrition (despite by phi beta kappa college degree) to know that I should be having conversations or guiding choices. Now, McDs is our go-to breakfast stop on road trips, and emergency refueling stop for my son between lacrosse games. Yes, I cringe at his super-sized order, but after many hours of lacrosse I assume his body burns right through all the trans fat. Plus, when we’re at home I have to fight him for the watermelon and blackberries, so I think his diet is pretty well balanced.

  14. Interesting point of view. I like that you tackle McD’s head on vs. going about pretending it doesn’t exist (as I do). I definitely do have my “happy meal” like foods. Definitely opened up my eyes a bit 🙂

  15. I really hadn’t thought about the face my beloved Annies are sort of processed junk too.
    I still believe they trump pop tarts and goldfish crackers 🙂

    Respectfully disagree with this post, Miz.

  16. I have to agree with being a learning situation. When we travel mcdonalds is always a place where I know we have choices. Oatmeal, fruit and yogurt salad or fruit. Airport can get expensive and the mcdonalds is quick and on budget. My daughter is 14 and she is good at making healthy choices. Her fav at Msdonalds is the grilled chicken BBQ wrap. We talk alot about healthy choices because we do have to live with temptation in the world. One day I have to set her out on her own.

  17. yes yes Robyne thats precisely how I feel (perhaps better explained :)). Im constantly being sought out to accompany friends in approaching the school board to rally AGAINST any kind of treats (their word) in school. Im constantly disappointing friends when I remind them Im PRO-TREATS.

    the world is fraught with “temptation” (ahhh that word is a post in itself) and I want her to learn with the little ones (fries over fruit) so we can be ready for the BIG.

  18. I, too, use Burger King etc. as a teaching tool.
    I teach my children never to go inside.

  19. I loved this post Carla! I love that you use this as a learning lesson! I agree with Cammy. We can;t hide the kids from everything BUT we can teach them reasons why to eat better most of the time. I think when parents don’t do the teaching, kids become more curious or rebel due to other friends talking about it & then it becomes worse because there was no teaching about the whys.

    I am not a fan of fast food. I don’t eat it BUT I do partake of a few fries if my hubby has it.

    It is all about making sure the kids understand what is behind the no when you say no to it & they learn life & how to handle things in moderation.

    As Cammy said, parents are not doing their job.

  20. It’s a shame that there are few to no little mom and pop sandwich shops left were you could go and not support McD’s.

    Good luck with it all!

  21. I think it’s awesome that you found a way to say YES to McDonald’s and still keep it within your healthy living world 🙂 Just goes to show that smart choices can be made in places that scream FRIED…FAT….UNHEALTHY!

    • I have to say (shout) that the mere sight of them make me gag. While I will bring the Tornado there for fruit milk & indoor frolicking it bums me out there are no options I will eat. It isn’t the BEST salad but at least the ChikfiA sald is…well…resembles a salad!

    • nah and don’t really wanna. More curious with regards to OUR tribe’s thoughts. Screw corporate 🙂

  25. I agree with you. Instead of just keeping something from her, I want to teach her how to make her own, educated and informed decisions. I also think a lot of people assume because something is organic, like Annie’s products, that it’s better for you. Processed food is still processed, even if the ingredients are organic.

  26. I don’t think I will shift my stance (we will not go anywhere which offers a drive through), however you do make a point about the teaching tool.

  27. I am often put on the defensive as other parents often make me feel guilty about feeding my son McDonald’s. My son is very underweight. He has been known to go days without eating. This is far more than the typical picky eating that most pre-schoolers go through. When I say he won’t eat anything, I mean he won’t eat anything. No cookies, no candy, no cake, no fries, no chicken nuggets….nothing. On those days he lives entirely on pediasure and orange juice. I am told by his pediatrician to make sure that everything he drinks has calories in it, and to encourage him to eat calorie dense foods as often as possible. Because he need the calories so he doesn’t loose weight.
    I have found that after several days of waiting for my son to swallow ANYTHING that requires him to chew, that sometimes a change of scenery can coax him to try to eat. Those are days that I take him to McDonald’s and he eats half of a sausage burrito. Other times it will be late evening and I pick him up at my sister in law’s house to find out that he has refused to eat all day, I think back and the day before I realize he only consumed 1/2 cup of cheerios and a couple of raisins. TO head off a potential hinger strike I stop and pick up a chicken nugget happy meal with apples and milk. My son has never been motivated by “treats” like M&M’s (he hates sweets) or stickers (he hates sticky things) but he does love “presents” and telling him if he eats his meal he’ll get a “present” sometimes works to nip it in the bud.
    Believe me before I had a kid, I too said that I would never allow him to taste “junk food”. Circumstances have changed that in practice. The one phrase I have come to despise that I have heard over and over from well meaning “healthy living” and parenting advocates that no child will starve themselves, if you keep putting healthy food in front of them they will eventually eat it… But that is not true, as I’ve been made painfully aware of. And it’s an easy choice to make between a feeding tube and a trip to Mickey D’s once in a while. Not that it always works, mind you. There are days when he refuses the fast food too. But I wanted to share this with everyone because so much emphasis is put on the childhood obesity epidemic that it feels sometimes that the push is to reduce calories for all children across the board. It scares me when I hear that people want to ban chocolate milk in schools and serve salads for lunch. I get it that many kids are eating too much and this is a huge problem for them and their parents. But for my son, the problem is the opposite, and those kids are often overlooked in the new “healthy eating” craze.

  28. I think it’s important not to make ANY food “mysterious” or “forbidden”. We do go to Mickie D’s once a month maybe – I call it a “sometimes food”. They get a happy meal, they play, and that’s it.
    I don’t see the harm as long as we TALK (like you said) about it, explain why it’s a “sometimes food”.
    If we always say “NO, you can’t have that ever!”, one day they’ll realize they CAN have it and then they may go overboard, eating all the foods they were never allowed to have as kids (insert personal experience here).

    • So so so with you here Jenn. We’re in the same (parenting) boat.

      And also, with Christina one post up. While we all want our children to be happy and healthy, let’s also not forget that for every couple of overweight kids out there, there are also more and more struggling with eating disorders. And at younger and younger ages. Our society has become much too obsessed with “good” vs “bad” and “fat” vs “thin”.

      My kids know nothing in the realm of food is forbidden; some things are just not daily occurrences. Teaching them to make smart decisions and listen to their bodies is the most important lesson.

    • I think this is very reasonable. At the point you say NEVER. … That’s the point, when you are not around, that they choose EVERY CHANCE I GET!!!

  29. I like what you say about it being the first of many NOs.

    Many days I feel as though all I say is no and all my mama-peers say is yes.
    Motherhood is a challenge.

  30. Wow, that was a shocking post title–then I read it. Ah, NOW I get it. =)

    When I grew up we had all natural this and that, whole wheat everything (except tortillas–yay!), “real” cheese (Tillamook cheddar vs. American), real butter, etc. This was the base. Could only buy cereal if sugar was the 3rd or later ingredient.

    And boy did I whine about it, eating bologna and white bread sandwiches & (packaged) cookies at friends’ houses was HEAVEN.

    However, on Sundays, my mom would sometimes send me to the store to buy danishes or bear claws or whatever and we’d ADD BUTTER to the tops and BROIL them. InSANEly good. And once in a great while, my mom would just want her Jack in the Box tacos. And we’d all scarf ’em. And it was fabulous.

    But that was the only time we went to fast food. I tried a McD burger as a kid and didn’t like or finish it and never eat there now. (well, am a conservation biologist, so, wouldn’t ANY how…)

    Key thing was my mom was not neurotic or emotional about it. Very good, basic, real food 99% of the time, then when you really want something else, do that. But, then you’ve satisfied your craving and you’re done.

    As an adult, she explained to me she never made us clean our plates. Her parents had done this to her and she resented it and did not pass that on. Yay, mom!

    And while I was in college I realized that my mom was the thinnest of all my friends moms, save one. Not that she’s THIN, but she’s normal (looks thin by current American standards). She was not overweight.

    And I am called thin but am “normal.” I could be more fit (that varies), who couldn’t, but I am v. healthy and my kitchen has whole wheat 100% natural most everything, organic, fresh, lots of local. And I usually eat some chocolate every day.

    While I was sort of shocked at your McD lovin’ declaration, having read it, I totally get it & that’s a 100% non-neurotic, pretty-darn-healthy McD experience.

    Well done!

  32. I see what you’re getting at, yet I think you are doing your child a disservice allowing her to think anything there is food.

    It is not.

  33. I don’t find McDonald’s evil or good. And I will admit without embarrassment that I like their food for what it is. To me Mickey D’s is just another place to make the right choices. I’ve gained and lost weight as a result of eating things off of their menu. I do think it is important to teach kids those things much earlier than I ever gave them thought.

  34. So was the woman who chastised you actually inside the Arches? Because, hello, pot, meet kettle. That out of the way, I have to say that I relied way too much on fast food when my kids were growing up – it was just “easier” to swing by there after karate or baseball or scouts or whatever…you get the drift. I know I gave my kids the gift of bad eating habits, and for that, I really wish I’d never fallen into the whole “fast food as food” trap.

  35. I think you’re teaching your child that everything in moderation can be part of a healthy lifestyle. I don’t understand why other people feel they need to comment on the way someone else parents. Hello, you do that stuff behind their backs like your mama taught you! 😉

    Fast food isn’t evil in itself, its the frequency and portions in which many people choose to consume it that is evil. (CHOOSE being the operative word!)

    • yes. choose. personal responsibility is crucial in all aspects of our lives and seems so rare these days

  36. You Miz = so normal.
    I = so crazy.

    The real reason fast food is forbidden here is me 🙁

  37. I try to teach moderation as best I can. The method I try to use with my children is that meals we eat at home (which is most of them) are healthy. They eat their veggies (and lots of them). *IF* we have dessert, like you mentioned above, it’s typically 2 hershey kisses or similar and that’s it. Breads are whole-grain, etc. They only drink water at home. So the one, maybe two, meals out of 21 in a week that we actually go out… I let them order as they please… well, mostly… no caffeine, etc. But if they want juice and french fries, I let them have it.

  38. I’ve always been against using any form of food as a treat. My family has it’s share of eating dinner out – usually not the best places, either – but those occasions are very few and far between. I allow my kids to order what they want.

    It was the last time I took my 3 year old to McD’s that I realized the impact of eating healthy can have – by just being an example.

    I asked her if she wanted a Happy Meal. She said yes. I asked her which one – she opted for chicken nuggets. When asked if she wanted fries or apple slices – she went with the apple slices. When asked if she wanted soda, juice, or milk…she went with milk.

    She made those decisions on her own. Her favorite things to eat are chicken and apples. She opted for the healthier choices because it’s what she’s used to eating. That’s a win in my books. It doesn’t have to be about treat – or eating fast food being evil.

    I put no restrictions on what she could have – I gave her the choices that were on the menu. She made the decision to eat healthier…and I was super happy!! (I even got asked by another mother how I managed to make that happen..LOL)

  39. I look at it this way:

    I grew up in an isolated community. Most everyone would visit the fast food places when they traveled–even if it was just a short trip to where I live currently. My mom, sister, and I would always hit Taco Bell first thing when we reached Seattle. Our vacations usually would consist of fast food restaurants instead of looking for more expensive local places.

    Here is the thing. Once I moved to where I live now, which has two McDonalds, three subways, and a Starbucks, I slowly stopped going to the fast food places. The food makes me gag and now that I am dairy and gluten free, I have to be more picky about what I put into my body. When I travel, I’m more interested in local places than hitting all the name brand restaurants.

    With your guidance the lil Tornado will grow up to see that McDonalds isn’t some forbidden fruit to sneak. Instead she’ll see it as a place to stop by every once in a blue moon.

  40. i love the approach you are taking with your daughter.. i think as parents our job is to teach our kids how to make healthy food choices.. my daughter is 6 months, so i have some time before the dreaded “can we go to McD” conversation happens, but i’m not going to act like McD doesn’t exist, it’s there and a gazillion other fast food chains.. but i want to teach her why it’s not the healthiest option and if you HAVE to go pick the healthiest items, whatever that maybe :-).. great post

  42. I don’t have kids, but when I was one, going to a fast food place was truly a treat. There were lots of us kids, so we didn’t go often. I think that teaching is the tool – and moderation may be the key word. My friends’ kids who were forbidden things – pop, meat, etc – absolutely went nuts over that stuff when they had a chance at it (the forbidden meat was from a vegetarian family).

    • Thank you for commenting. I’ve gotten a number of emails today from people saying I WAS GOING TO COMMENT BUT I DON’T HAVE KIDS…

      I said to them exactly what you said BUT YOU WERE A KID. COMMENT!

  43. I really like this Miz.
    I would never bring my family to a fast food place, but respect what you’ve chosen to do.

  44. I have very picky plan eaters and it’s very frustating for parents to eat anything, and everything. So yeah, we go to McDonalds.

    Everything in moderation, even McDonalds. Those salty greasy fries are a guilty guilty pleasure of mine and I admit I drive thru, and my kids eat it too. Lock me up!

    Everything on that menu is processed crap, even the “healthy” oatmeal is horrible, I bought it and looked up the info after the oatmeal has as much calories, fat and sugar has the same amount of calories as a cheeseburger (ok 10 less) and their egg Mcmuffin, there are ingredients in there that I can’t even pronouce, I didn’t eat it but I sure as hell will eat the fries!

    We have to do what’s best for your family, life. I try to make the best choices possible and rest on my laurels that one day my kids will eat something more than pasta, and will make healthy choices because they see us doing so.

  45. “fast food elimination” can also have another meaning. Trust me, because I’ve had food poisoning TWICE from those dang places. But I will say, ever since McDonald’s introduced their Maple Oatmeal with REAL fruit in it (apples and raisins)? Yes, I do eat that (just ask for sans sugar). It’s a savior when I’m on the road with my growling stomachs. And they serve it all day long. Only 260-290 calories…. And now I feel like a fast food oatmeal saleswoman.

  46. …and I got so caught up in my own oatmealing, that I didn’t even address the “kids” part of fast food. I don’t buy it for them – except for the McDonald’s pancakes. They’re allowed to eat that while I’m eating my oatmeal. Geeeze.

  47. we don’t go to mc d’s but if daughter (15) would want to then I’d probably let her (as if she couldnt go on her own anyhow or with friends at that age) but regardless we do have our own “junk” (evident by my post on my blog about cupcakes yesterday! they ARE evil!) LOL
    I’ve never judged, have no plan on it…to each her/his own.
    I’ve been judged plenty..for being vegan and now for not being 100% vegan -more like 95% vegan but the die hard vegans are now slashing/bashing me so whatever…
    and hey I remember as a kid having to ‘sneak’ to mc d’s for fries and as a teen working in burger king but that was sooooo gross I don’t think I could eat anything from there either…but thats me! lol
    I luv your blog, your quirky-ness and you!

  48. Just have to say an enormous, ENORMOUS “yes” to the below:

    the more I’m told I cannot have something the more ALLURING that something becomes. Teach me why I do NOT WANT IT & I’ll make different choices willingly.

    And I’ll add as someone who heard “no” (though more from myself than my mom, which is a whole ‘nother story you’ve already heard) all the time and as someone who equated certain foods with moral “badness,” that the allure is a hard thing to unlearn. I just spent a solid year not blogging, not writing, not exercising, not paying attention to eating “well” in an (so far successful) attempt to unlearn the ALLURE, and to learn how I actually FEEL – to learn whether or not I really WANT that food. And as it turns out, I (mostly) don’t. But I’ve spent the better part of 2 decades eating it mainly because of that forbidden allure.

    Seriously. I’ve been eating food that makes me feel like crap for nearly TWENTY YEARS, just because I never absorbed anything about it other than that it was “bad.” That “badness” was so alluring that I completely missed the facts that it gives me a stomachache and makes me tired, and sits in my belly like a rock for hours afterward. I wish I’d been taught to pay attention to all that 2 decades ago instead of fixating on the “bad” to the exclusion of all critical thinking.

    Hmmm . . . I’m going to have to post on my own about this. I have MANY more things to say, and this is getting long (and grammatically questionable) . . . 😉

  49. My thoughts are mixed. On the one hand, what I find “evil” is the insidious marketing (like McD’s recently “real fruit” smoothie…but it goes for almost all of the food industry [and yeah, remember that’s what it is]). On the other, I very much believe that when we get militant about anything, it’s usually not helpful. So yeah, educate AND lead by example and don’t freak out. I like what biobabbier said about her mother not being “emotional” about it.

    I haven’t eaten at McD’s or a handful of other similar places (actually my list is growing) in years and years, mostly because I know much of it is crap AND because I don’t like the way it tastes or makes me feel.In fact, I’ve been noticing that when I eat out, even at non-fast food or non-chains, the food just doesn’t agree with me. I’m not saying that from a snobbish point of view, just a factual one.

  52. Oh sunshine – I’ve spent my time at the play house and going thru drive through. And I kinda regret it – because for me it was about not cooking. Say what? Calories? Didn’t care…. Caring for myself or my son? Didn’t care and didn’t know how to do any differently. Your situation is totally different – it’s a choice – it’s an occasional cultural americana conversation piece. That’s cool.
    No worries though – I’m not drifting into morbid remorse – it’s not my style. I’m actually celebrating that I have chicken and veggies cooking even as we speak even thought I am STARVED and EXHAUSTED.
    And yes, I even used a knife 🙂

  53. i go to mcdonalds and though after reading _fast food nation_ i don’t think i will be able to eat one of their burgers again, i do get their salads and sometimes, chicken nuggets. i travel a lot and sometimes not so fancily and sometimes mcd’s is what’s available, so i make do. they actually do have some healthier choices that aren’t so terrible, and for a while i was hooked on their soft serve. it’s fun for me to see what kind of ‘wholesome’-ish meals i can create out of fast food. in general mcd’s is a ‘sometimes food’ kind of place for me, i guess.

  54. Although we do often avoid the fast food, usually only special occassions like road trips, I am not totally against unhealthy fair like that for many of the same reasons. For one, we eat mostly healthy at home so my kids don’t get that many opportunities to indulge in more junk except when they are outside the home with others. But yes, if gives an way to analyze what healthy choices are and why we don’t eat certain foods as often. Most of the time we get the apples instead of the fries or we get one meal with fries and the other with apples and the kids split the fries and apples. I try to get across that it is ok in small amounts as long as the rest of your diet is mostly healthy.

  55. It’s the parent’s job. As much as people would like to shift the responsibility, it falls with the parent’s. As it should.

  56. I never go to McDonald’s for the simple reason that I don’t like their food, so I haven’t been to one in years. I do hear they have good coffee now, though. 🙂

    I do like your approach though. When I was growing up my family pretty much never ate out, unless we were traveling. I don’t think that the odd trip to McDonald’s did us any harm. A steady diet of fast food would be a different story, obviously. I have been surprised, over the years, how little knowledge many people have of nutrition. I think educating kids at a young age is a good idea. Once children get older, parents can’t always be there to supervise their choices so it makes sense to build those healthy habits – with the explanations of why – from an early age. Not that I have kids, so what do I know?

  57. many a long year ago we too frequented the above mentioned fast food outlet. We purchased salads and a small drink (lactose intolerant) and played in the playground. Folks were all amazed and judgy when we choose those foods and not the ick happy meal. More choices there now. Good for you and yours.

  58. hold up one second..a stranger chastised you??

    does she not know just who you are? and more importantly, who WE are?

    i hope you followed her home.

    😉

    xo

  59. I had a post about McDonalds not too long ago and I shared that while I would love to admit “oooh McDonalds is the DEVIL!! THE DEVIL I SAY!!”…guess what…The devil tastes good sometimes. It’s all about the choices you make there. There are some nights when things are busy (and these are few and far between) and there happens to be a McDonalds right there…I have my “safe meal”…Their Southwest Grilled Chicken salad is loaded with protein and low in WW Points+ and I LOVE it. I dont care what anyone says or thinks about my loving it. I’m not too proud to say it and if you dont like it…kiss my you know what 🙂

  60. This is amazing. I love that you’re teaching her a “why” beyond the “because I said so” for things! And I love that you acknowledge that your dietary imperfections.

  61. I have a blog that focuses a lot on food. The pictures wouldn’t be pretty, lol. I am also not a fan of a lot of their business practices, but total elimination is virtually impossible.

  63. OH MIZ!!

    While we don’t go to McDonald’s we, too, have our own “happy meals” to contend with in our house. I would love to be able to make a “home cooked, from scratch, nothing from a box or jar” dinner every night of my life for myself, my husband and our daughters, but… I am a working mother.

    There are nights when our dinner does come from a box. It may be quinoa pasta with organic frozen vegetables, but it still comes from a box. And we also enjoy the Annie’s organic bunnies!!

    Thank you for reminding me that judging isn’t my job…teaching is. 🙂

  64. My darling Miz. I love your fantastical way of tackling the difficult minefields of parenting. I want to live next door. Then we could hate each other while simultaneously loving each other.

    I agree with many of the above comments. Most especially the non-emotional ones, the occasional treat ones and the feeding tube issue.

    As for your armchair mother attack. I’d like to either give her a wedgie or relieve her from one.

  65. Oh to have been a fly on the wall of the McDonald’s experience.

    I love what you’ve written here.

    In my home growing up, there were so many things that were “forbidden.” And while I certainly don’t think that is the WHOLE of my problem with food and weight, what it DID do is teach me to attach emotion to food.

    I don’t forbid any foods. What we eat at home is whole and healthy FOR THE MOST PART. We, too, occasionally indulge in the Magic Shell. We also occasionally indulge in the fast food.

    And my kids can do their Tornado impression – because I say the same thing about why other kids can do things that mine can’t.

    Love the post. Mad at myself for missing it yesterday.

  66. I guess I’m part of the first “raised on McDonalds” generation. My first word was “fries” and my mom still talks about how I could recognize the golden arches when I was 3.

    Now that I’m older, I still love those fries. Although we don’t have children yet, we want to and we’ve been taking steps to get healthy inside and out. We still eat at McDonalds, especially when traveling, but we make healthier choices, like a grilled chicken honey mustard wrap for lunch or oatmeal for breakfast.

    However, our big treat right now is stopping in to McDonalds for a 49 cent reduced fat ice cream cone. It’s got pretty good nutritional stats for ice cream, and we still get to feel like we go out like everyone else. Most of all, at least for us, we no longer keep ice cream in the freezer since we were really, really tempted by it. Driving to the McD’s for a cone means making the choice to do so and keeps us portion controlled.

  67. McDonalds is great and so addictive.. I love their shakes and sandwiches, but try to limit visits to few times per year.

  68. I did a comment about fast food on another blog a few weeks ago and this reminds me of the same issues. McDonalds is not fast food. An apple is fast food. A sandwich made out of canned tuna, peanut butter, deli meat is fast food. I was trying to check if I was overreacting, and so I checked the nutritional info on something as simple as a grilled chicken sandwich. 460 calories, about twice what a comparable protein-and-bread meal at home would look like (if we used the same small piece of chicken and a more proportionate roll, mustard, and extra veggies). To me, pushing the nutrition envelope – is eating a raw carrot without bothering to peel it first. If you ever saw jamie Oliver’s video on chicken nuggets, I doubt you would feed it to a child again.

    I was a child, and we ate out mostly for pizza, and it still holds an emotional grip over me, in a way that is Not Useful. It’s why McDonalds offers free playscapes and AC and happy meal toys, because it creates an emotional bond with their junk food. And I’ve had two niece / nephews who went through those phases of not eating anything. And you know what, giving them two days worth of calories in one fast food meal doesn’t fix that see-saw. Feed them bread, feed them rice with butter, even mac and cheese is closer to food than the majority of what McDonald’s sells.

    The truth is, i have no idea what leads one kid to binge drink and another to try crack and another to mainline pizza (hint: I chose pizza), but I think of the reason my BIL agreed with me about not giving my niece some of my Godiva chocolate – it gives her something to look forward to.

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