Yes, a fun commercial can be very persuasive to children. But is it enough to legitimize the lawsuit against McDonalds? Most definitely not.Happy Meals could be considered an equivalent to pure trash (cocaine for kids) and lacking in any nutritional value, but let’s take a look at how children are introduced to McDonalds and who is actually spending the cash on the trash.
Even then, McDonalds has taken major strides to improve on the “Crappy Meal”. Milk is an option to replace soda and apples are easily substituted for French fries.
Furthermore, a seven-year-old doesn’t have a driver’s license, nor are their sprightly legs able to reach the gas pedal. A visit every once in a while won’t turn your toddler into a lard bucket, but we all know that frequenting fast food joints will most definitely do the job.
Parents of the obese children make the choice to frequent McDonalds. Therefore, they are the ones to blame – the ones ‘too busy’ to cook their kids a healthy meal. A parent can try to put the blame on fast food companies, like McDonald’s, but it's common knowledge that fast food products represent health food's opposition. Where would Jamie Oliver be without poor parenting and fast food?
Moderation, education, and healthy eating habits are what need to be taught. If a parent is too lazy to cook their child a decent meal, they shouldn’t blame the product they’re serving. McDonalds NEVER advertised the “Happy Meal” as a “healthy meal”. Moreover, McDonalds DOES offer healthy substitutions.
To simplify:
- As a parent of a child under 16: If your child consumes fast food, like McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Jack in The Box, or any other nastiness, it’s YOUR responsibility to moderate their intake. None of these fast food restaurants promise a balanced diet. Your kid eats what you choose to feed them.
- As a parent of a child under 16: Ensuring regular exercise and an active lifestyle for your child is your responsibility. If you can’t do that, maybe your parenting skills should be revisited.
- As a parent of a child under 16: You are responsible for your child’s wellness. What they eat, how they exercise… If you have an obese child, stop feeding them junk food. Instead of feeding your child crap and sitting them in front of the teli to play video games all day, make them a salad and take them on fun outings, like hiking, biking, nature walks, swimming, and pretty much ANYTHING that gets their blood flowing. Do this and you won’t have a fat kid.
In other words: A Child’s obesity is on the parent and what they feed them. If they choose to feed their child a Happy Meal, then a fat child is what they have. A child is a reflection of their parent.
(Period).
