I recently watched a news clip about fast food chains not honoring the letter of the law. It seems San Francisco passed a law last year banning free toys from kids meals.
On the surface, it seems like a good idea, right? Let's protect our kids from lures to products that could hurt them. I mean, it's not too different from the laws they passed banning tobacco companies from using cartoon characters in their ads.
But news reporters are calling foul play as companies like McDonald's and Burger King are getting around the law by offering the toy as an add on for 10 cents. Oh my gosh, how could they? Those big bad corporate fiends!
This bothers me on a couple of different levels. Really, does McDonald's really advertise or lure kids's to their products using those toys? I mean really? Are there giant 20 foot posters outside posting the current toy? Are they blaring all over the tv sets what the current toy is? And is that really what drives kids to want their products.
I really don't think so. My kids sees the giant 20 foot golden arches and ask, "Can we go to McDonald's? Not "can we go get a happy meal toy?" In fact, in an effort to ban extra calories, extra non bio-degradable waste and to save money, I've stopped purchasing the happy meals, and order individual hamburgers (I draw the line at nuggets) and then one small order of fries is ordered to share amongst two people. Since I usually have water pouches in the car, I pay half as much and I am not throwing away useless toys in a week.
Does that deter my kids from wanting McDonald's? Absolutely not. They no I will not buy the toys now and yet still it's still a "treat" for them. (blecccckkkk!) So offering a toy for 10 cents more would do nothing to change my kids minds about wanting the stuff. I bet if they did a survey before and after that law was passes, they would find consumption didn't change. I mean, I don't know, but I would be willing to money on that bet. It's just a law in letter only.
Which leads me to my second point...why pass a useless law about toys? Why not pass a law that works with parents? How about restricting the number of calories or what type of food can be marketed to kids? Because in the end, the government, no matter how they may or may not try, cannot control what goes in our kid's bodies.
That responsibility lays solely with us parents.
Did you hear that? It lays with us. It's not the fault or responsibility of any fast food chain or restaurant. We can choose to give or not give our kids that stuff, or the "food" (I use that term loosely here) they serve at most school cafeteria's (cheese substitute anyone?) It's our choice.
Look, I'd be lying if I said I never let my kids eat that stuff, or that sometimes it just easier. Yes, and yes to both of those. Yesterday I overslept and didn't have time to pack a lunch, so I had J buy. None of us parents are perfect, we have our off days and of course life crap happens.
And that's OK. You can't shoot yourself because you let your kid have a french fry. The problem is if we let them have it once a week, or let's face it for some parents, once a day. I read an article in a parenting magazine when I was pregnant with J that said for 90% of toddlers, the number 1 vegetable they consumed was french fries. (Read another interesting article here)
Huh? (scratching head.....)
French fries aren't even a vegetable, it's really a starch. 90%?! Oh my gosh, that's insane, isn't it? I made up my mind then, that my kids would be in the 10% and I happy to report that today all three of my children are still in that same 10%.
Some people ask me how I do it. Really, you will laugh when you hear the simple answer. No, I don't grind up broccoli and hide it in brownies (oh my gosh, yes that is a real recipe by a celebrity mom and please don't get me started on that....) Here's my secret: I put it on their plates.
Yup, that's my secret. I serve them fresh vegetables and that's what's available to eat. If they choose not to eat? That's OK. After a couple of skipped meals, they get hungry and eat. No one ever starved in the presence of food. Just make sure the veggies are always available and nothing else. An old friend of mine once told me that her pediatrician said if a toddler gets one good meal in two days, they will be just fine. Just make sure they stay hydrated.
Am I saying starve your children or that I do mine? Absolutely not. I'm saying don't give them fast food and french fries, or potato chips or granola bars or mac n cheese.....whatever else they will "only eat." Look you are not doing them any favors by allowing them to eat only 3 or 4 foods. If you are being honest with yourself, it makes life easier for you. You have to be some place, you have to get them some place, it's been a long day etc etc.
But here's the thing, get them to eat all kinds of food, particularly fresh healthy food and life will actually get easier. Battles to eat go away, snacks are easy - I mean grab some apples, string cheese or handful of baby carrots and you are good to go.
You may ask yourself, but I ate this stuff as a kid and I turned out fine. Remember when I talked about food verses medication? The food we eat today is NOT the same food we ate 30 years ago. Want to pass a law? How about banning HFCS, not subsiding it's core ingredient....but I digress.
Kids are resilient...they learn to adapt to whatever is around them. Give it a try...you will see a difference, in their attitude, personalities even sleep patterns. They will have extra energy in the morning, be more alert in school after lunch and have stronger immune systems. As parents it's once of the best gifts we can give them - many many years of birthdays free from disease.
And that's just icing on the cake.
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