Sunday, August 8, 2010

McDonald's

The other day I saw a young mother feeding her toddler a cheeseburger from McDonald's.

When I was a kid, I used to love McDonald's. Going there was a real treat for me. But the older I got, the less appealing McDonald's was to me until finally I came to find it repulsive. But I'll always remember how cool it was as a kid.

Since I'm making the decisions about food for Baby J, she's never had McDonald's. And as long as I'm making the decisions about food, she probably never will. It's not that Im trying to shield her from gross, unhealthy food. It's just that I find it unappetizing so I why would I take my kid there.

But I know from being a kid once myself, raising a kid of my own, and teaching kids as part of my job, such behaviors of avoidance can create a sort of desirable forbidden fruit for kids. The more I shy away from McDonald's, the more Baby J will be interested in it. I guess at some point I'll have to take her there and give let her order what she wants. Otherwise, she'll probably grow up and go binge on Big Macs. Besides, McDonald's is just cool to kids.

And I have to admit, they make a good shamrock shake.



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