I ate lunch at McDonald's today. As bad as it sounds I eat lunch at McDonald's 2-3 times a week and blame it on their sweet tea. If I'm smart and order off the Dollar Menu I get a large sweet tea, small fries and a double hamburger, no cheese, extra pickles all for $3 plus tax. It's yummy and satisfying and I get my sweet tea fix!
When I waited in line to order today I listened to a little girl, all of 4-5yrs old, order her Happy Meal. She had an adult with her that I'd guess was her grandma who helped her make her choices...
Little Girl: I want a hamburger and apple slices and milk!
Grandma: Don't you want cheese, honey?
Little Girl: I don't like cheese!
Grandma: Are you sure you don't want french fries instead of apple slices?
Little Girl: Nooooo! I want apple slices!
Grandma to McDonald's Employee: Just give her the cheeseburger happy meal with fries and a milk.
What in the world is this grandmother teaching this child? The little girl made smart choices not because she knew apple slices, milk and sans cheese were good for her... but because the choices TASTED better for her. Go figure!
I nannied for two small children over 20 years ago in Michigan and they had the same attitude about McDonald's food then that this little girl has now. They didn't like it. I thought it was a treat to go to McDonald's but the kids hated the food. Sure, they wanted to go and enjoy the play area for hours on end so we snuck snacks in and compromised.
I'm going to listen to my inner child and try to make healthier food choices for myself. Not because I have to but because much like the little girl I saw today... apples really do taste better than french fries!
1 comment:
Wow! I really enjoyed this blog! You made your VERY profound point without beating it into anyone's head. What INDEED are we teaching children when we force them to acquire a taste for high calorie foods when in fact they naturally PREFER the healthy choices?
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