It was probably inevitable.
At some point after I had children, I'd decided that I would never take them to McDonald's.
I knew they would be ushered though the Golden Arches at some point in their young lives—this is America, there's one on every block—but I wasn't going to be the one to do it. Not their mother.
And it's not like I've never enjoyed a Big Mac and fries. I have. Many times. But that was before I saw movies like Supersize Me and read Michael Pollan and learned more about what kinds of questionable ingredients are put into the high calorie, high cholesterol food that they serve.
It's one thing for me to dine there if I so choose, but to get my own kids hooked on the nuked burgers, squishy buns, addictive fries...that place would have them at "Happy Meal".
And it wouldn't be their fault because the place is a child's dream; a destination that serves both cheap plastic toys and dunkable fried foods. As a kid there was no better birthday party invite than one that included a meal at MickeyD's.
But one can only imagine the reaction I'd get at the bus stop if, instead of throwing a disco tea party for Belle's upcoming 6th birthday party, I hosted the event at the McDonald's in the strip mall down the road...I'd be a pariah.
(And do they even have birthday parties at McDonald's any more??)
But then came yesterday.
I picked Conor up from pre-school at midday (where he is supposed to eat lunch, but sometimes boycotts the menu) and we went on some errands, and it was pouring rain out, and he was saying he was hungry, and I had exhausted my supply of fruit leather snacks.
His pleas for food were getting louder and louder, but we were a half hour from home.
And then I spotted it: across the puddled parking lot, only a few paces from my new favorite place--Michael's craft emporium (where I was searching for a pumpkin carving kit).
No one would need to know...
We went inside and Conor immediately spotted the Happy Meal display, which he ambled over to and then started tapping on the plastic bubble case, trying to get to the toys inside.
I ordered him the Happy Meal with chicken nuggets, apple wedges (healthful option!) and a chocolate milk.
I got fries and a Coke.
When we sat down I could feel the first pangs of a guilty conscience ("what are we doing here?!") and considered hustling us through the meal in an attempt to pretend like it never happened.
But then I had a change of heart. I decided to embrace the experience-: "we're here", I thought, "so let's do this!"
Conor held up a pale nugget , calling it a "baby chicken", and "cute" and then dunked it into some ketchup and gobbled it up.
Then he drained his chocolate milk.
Ate a few apple wedges.
And located the Astro Boy action figure with the spring-loaded dart. It was love at first sight. He proceeded to aim the projectile at his eyeball ("Conor, not at your face!" "OK Mommy, no face.") before shooting it across the room. Do they even test these toys for safety?
Once we had satisfied all that is unholy in our gullets, Conor leaned back in his plastic chair, turned to me, and said, "Mommy, this place perfect."
Then I cleaned of his ketchup stained cheeks and we got the heck out of there--Astro Boy came with us.
So I need to know: Do you take the fam to McDs? What is your guilty fast food destination? Should I never take him back?—Caroline
4 comments:
I recently had a conversation about this topic with two of my colleagues, who are also both Moms of young children. One was recalling her horror when reading "Supersize Me" and affirming she would *never* take her kids to McDonald's. My other friend, whose father was previously an executive at McDonald's, said she ate there twice a week as a kid for eight years, and had no regrets about that, and still eats there now. I suddenly felt that my own "never" stance somehow seemed a little out of whack and slightly pedantic.
I liked and respected both of these women as individuals and as parents. Why was I elevating an occasional food choice beyond a simple difference of opinion, as thousand other parenting choices are? I love Michael Pollan, but somehow reading him had made me more judgmental, not just more informed. To be sure, I am not hustling my kid into the car seat to hit the drive through, but someday, I bet we'll end up there, and I think I'll feel a lot less guilty about it than I would have before that conversation.
I do hate to age myself, but I remember the first McDonalds to open in my home town. A really LONG time ago- my kids were still little. The place was jammed and they were famous for their birthday parties. So while we didn't go all the time, we certainly went enough and it does not seem to have harmed my kids (who are grown with their own kids now) nor has it harmed me.
The only time I go myself now is if I'm on the road traveling and am starving to death! It's the calories I worry about!
Somehow for me, that's the line I draw in the sand: we don't do McDonalds. I'm not completely militant about it. When we've been visiting with friends and they want to go, we go, but that's maybe once or twice a year.
I think if my kids were better eaters all the way around, an occasional trip to McDonalds wouldn't be the end of the world, but God forbid it became a regular routine and they started demanding it.
The closest McDonald's is an hour away from us in a town with very little to offer as far as kid-friendly restaurants. My 2-year-old daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs and peanuts, and so most kids menus are off-limits, and I can't or don't always pack a complete day of meals when we go down there for a shopping trip. So yes, we do eat at McDonald's on occasion when we're "in town" to run errands. The nugget Happy Meal doesn't trouble her allergies, and she enjoys playing in the indoor playground (another option we don't have nearby - great during the winter). I don't like doing it, but I long ago let go of the guilt associated with it. I'm just glad we don't have one in our town, as it would be really difficult to avoid getting her hooked if we had to drive by every day.
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