TV and McDonalds Is Good For You Too

Posted on 07 06, 2006 under Stuff by gregoryng | View Comments

There is an 800 pound gorilla in the noodad.com headquarters and it"s about time someone addressed him. I"m talking about the topic of kids, TV, and fast food. Now before everyone gets up in arms about how there are studies that show this, or research that shows that, let me save your breath. The fact is, a kid that grows up without watching TV or eating fast food, will be a social misfit destined to binge themselves to obesity.

 

Let"s back up for a minute shall we? Of course eating broccoli is better for you than french fries. Of course running around outside is better than sitting on the couch. But there is a new movement in parenthood that troubles me. You may know the type or be one yourself. It"s the self-righteous that say, "I never needed TV and I am intelligent and find entertainment reading books and making up fantastical stories in my head." It"s the type of person that says, "Do you know that a cheeseburger has a blah blah blah amount of sodium and fat and blah blah blah." Those people are doing a disservice to their children.

MODERATION. NOT ABSTINENCE.
Moderation is the key, not abstinence. When I was 10 years old I remember asking my dad if I could try a sip of his wine that he was drinking during Thanksgiving dinner. He said yes. And after I tasted it, I realized I didn"t want anymore wine for a long, long time. Eventually, curiosity will trump parenting every time.

The kids that don"t experience any fast food or TV are the same kids that go to college, experience freedom for the first time, and gorge themselves with food and television. Those are the kids that will grow up as adults, play Trivial Pursuit with their friends and not have a clue in the world what anyone is talking about. And those are the people who will continue the trend with their kids, denying them the simple pleasures of having a friggin french fry every once in a while.

BABYSITTING AND A QUICK MEAL
All of those parents that plopped their kids in front of the TV because they are lazy asses themselves gave all the rest of the responsible parents a bad rep. They blame TV and they sue McDonalds because their kids are severely obese all the while they are ordering their kids around, sitting on the couch, and tipping the scales themselves.

Yes, TV is a good babysitter. Yes, fast food can mean a quick meal. Sometimes that is ok. Sometimes it is necessary. It just doesn"t mean you rely on it. It means you use it as an option or you play it as a reward.

IT"S ALL IN THE PACKAGING
It"s not the bad food that appeals to me. It"s the experience of going to a place where other kids go. Where it"s casual and you fill your own drinks. And where you sometimes get a toy. More and more fast food joints are offering healthier options now. At McDonalds you can substitute apple slices for french fries. At Wendy"s you can get a Turkey and Cheese sandwich and a yogurt. But you still get the experience.

And your kids can learn a lot watching TV too. Take Little Einsteins on Playhouse Disney, for instance. My daughter is learning about famous painters, classical composers, and musical instruments. Sure, I could dig up my art history book from art school and show her some stuff, but that would last 30 seconds. She is learning and being entertained. A couple of months ago she heard a song on the radio and she said, "Listen Mommy, it;"s a flute." That"s learning my friends.

So if you still decide to completely cut your kid off from 2 great things about being a kid, go for it. I respect your decision even though I disagree with it. But if you are riding the fence, give it a try. It will teach your kids that it is ok to do things sometimes for the sheer enjoyment of it. Plus, you might learn something in the process too. Good luck noodads.

Now for some disclaimers so you all don"t jump down my throat:
1. I, nor anyone in my family is obese or currently involved in any lawsuits with TV or McDonalds
2. I like books and so do my kids
3. I love TV and so do my kids
4. I enjoy the occasional McDonalds French Fry and so do my kids
5. I can beat anyone in Trivial Pursuit because I watched TV growing up.

 

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  • onechicmama
    Thanks for reminding us that moderation and balance are important in raising our kids. I sometimes get too caught up in what\'s good for my daughter and forget that a McDonald\'s happy meal every once in a while is not going to make her obese, or create a lifelong problem.

    onechicmama
    www.onechicmama.com
  • qsmama
    I agree completely! Fast food is everywhere now. Chuck E Cheese \"sponsors\" Sesame Street on our local PBS station.

    No matter what you think of TV and fast food, they\'re here to stay. That\'s why we need to raise our kids to make good decisions as consumers.

    I just started a web site on exactly this topic--well, the fast food part, not the TV part.

    www.quickservekids.com

    I was the founding editor of a magazine for fast-food industry executives. I know more about fast food than I EVER wanted to. Far more. But now I just consider that strange body of knowledge a tool I have in raising my daughter as a smart consumer--of fast food, tv commercials, everything she and her generation will have to deal with every day.

    My two cents...as a mom. Love that dad are talking about this, too!

    - L
  • redhawk
    I group people who say TV is bad with people who say the Internet is bad. There is good TV and bad TV. Most can be considered bad, but there are certainly shows worth watching. That said, we don\'t plan to do any TV for our kid before age 2, but will practice moderation after that for the reasons you mentioned.

    Same deal with McDonald\'s - certainly don\'t want to make it out to be more than it is.

    Remember, though, to keep your kids off the computer and game console until 2nd grade. [Reference to an old discussion.]
  • wahoodad
    I agree with not making these things taboo. I\'m sure the experts would say that I let my kid watch too much television, and there are probably too many Happy Meal toys in our toy bins. I\'m happy to report, however, that my older son will often walk away from the television to draw, squeeze some Play Doh, or ask to go outside to the sandbox or swing set. He\'ll also ask for carrots, raisins, or an apple for a snack. He\'s not a junkie for the idiot box or the Golden Arches, so I guess I don\'t see it as a problem.

    I also send him to an early reader enrichment program where he goes for two hours two days a week to expressly work on developing his reading skills--and he loves it. He\'s heading to full-time Kindergarten in the fall, and he\'ll be armed with both pop culture AND book smarts equal to (or greater than) his peers.

    I agree with the others that it is all about balance, and only you can figure out what\'s best for your kids.
  • dadagain
    Balance is key here. Too much of anything is a bad thing. I think sensorship (parental) is important on the TV front. There are some great shows for kids to learn but also a lot of crap...and unfortunately the crapola outweights the non crap.

    on the McDonalds topic...all I know is I am having a serious Big Mac craving as I type...
  • harry
    I think the key to such a discussion is to determine how we want/need to define \"moderation\" in tv watching. To some people a kid watching an hour of tv each day is entirely too much, to others it\'s barely anything. Is it excessive to let them watch 2 hours a day? Is it cruel to ONLY let them watch an hour? There are extremes to this discussion, but it can be a fine line between them.
  • noodad
    That\'s one. Ok. Who else is with me?
  • wingnut
    I have to agree with you on everything except trivial pusuit. I can kick your butt. That\'s why my wife calls me the vat of useless knowledge.
    :grin
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