You can take the happy out of a happy meal and they will still come.
Let's just go ahead and take the accountability away from parents, why don't we. A county in California has banned TOYS in happy meals at McDonalds. Not Happy Meals, mind you. Just the TOYS. Because TOYS are a "tempting lure for children"
I will say this first, it is THE PARENTS responsibility to NOT feed their kids garbage. A toy in a meal is not going to change that. What needs to happen is a broader change. A change in thinking all together. And it needs to go beyond toys in meals. I mean, look at it this way... White Spot's food isn't entirely healthy (the kids choices, in any case) Do they ban Pirate Packs? What about Burger King and every other fast food spot that sells meals targeted at families and children? Are you going to ban fun there too? I mean, really. What the world REALLY needs is an inexpensive, healthy option for family dining. But wait, isn't that what a HOME COOKED MEAL IS?????? Hmm. GEE.
It seems silly to me that people would focus on the only fast food place that actually offers apples and milk as an option. Not that I am a fan of McDonald's for children. All I'm sayin' is that when I was growing up, there were no healthy options at all. You got a cheeseburger or a hamburger, some fries, a coke and a toy. That was a happy meal. A very very happy meal. But the times have changed. Oh have they ever. Back then, there wasn't an obesity epidemic. Or at least, no one saw it as an epidemic. But back then, it didn't cost a billion dollars to put your kid in sports. Back then, governments actually gave schools the funding they needed to get all kids into active lifestyles. Back then, we got a hot breakfast and an aerobics session before school even started. Remember that. The eighties/early nineties sure were good to kids in my province.
I think that in this whole thing, no one is asking parents: WHY are you feeding your kid that crap on a regular basis? The sad thing is... taking happy meal toys away will not deter people from taking their kids to McDonalds. All it means is that they will get all the same crap without the happy part. ANd I think that's a shame. A little innocence was lost there.
Parents need to educate themselves. If we allow the fast food industry or the government and their lobbyists to dictate to us what is healthy and what is not healthy, we are in for a heap of trouble. According to the government, right now, what we all need is a little more CORN in our diets, so... that tells me a lot. In the end, it's all about money.
So I say, take control back of your health and your life and your child and do the right thing. Research healthy alternatives. READ. WALK. PLAY. Let your 4 and half year old OUT of his stroller and get out of the fast food joint. Go home, cook some lunch and take it to the park. Trust me, he will thank you in 10 years when he's in high school.
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