What do you think about birthday parties at fast food restaurants? (McDonalds, Chick Fil A, etc...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vegetarian PP here. I did not know about Roy Rogers and the mac and cheese - filing that away. Sometimes we get side orders at KFC if we're desperate. We have done the cheese sandwich thing at every fast food place. They always look at us like we're nuts. Oh well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are vegetarians and there's not much except fries and shakes for my kids to eat at most fast food restaurants (except Taco Bell). So probably not, but I guess it would depend on the situation.

We are veggie too - taco bell, subway, roy rogers (they have mac and cheese), and a few others are fine. My kid if desperate will get a cheese sandwich.

Roy Rogers does but the small is really small so you may need two or a large (no kids meal). Noodles and Co is very veggie friendly and their mac and cheese is one of the better ones. Panera has good mac and cheese too.

I love how all you people turn your nose up at "fast food" without realizing that Noodles and Co. and Panera is "fast food" and their highly processed Mac and Cheese (the second-highest caloric item on the menu, BTW, with 1040 calories is somehow more virtuous than chicken nuggets. It always amuses me.

Its not the fast food issue - its having something your child can eat. A vegetarian child does not eat chicken nuggets. I don't care about the calories my child takes in. He is active and maintains a reasonable weight.

If your child has a special diet then you bring something your child can eat. You don't expect your hosts to plan an entire birthday party for 20+ kids around your kids diet. Allergy/religious concerns maybe special accommodations but even then it is your responsibility as a parent to make sure your child has something to eat. Or here is a novel idea, have your child eat before or after and just go to enjoy the party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Children don't choose to be vegetarian it's messed up that parents try to push this on children against their will.this is the definition of abuse.

Children also do not choose to eat meat. One could say eating meat is not only abuse to the child but also the animal. Then again the pink slim sounds like a great choice to feed your kid. My child can eat meat if he chooses. He refuses it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If your child has a special diet then you bring something your child can eat. You don't expect your hosts to plan an entire birthday party for 20+ kids around your kids diet. Allergy/religious concerns maybe special accommodations but even then it is your responsibility as a parent to make sure your child has something to eat. Or here is a novel idea, have your child eat before or after and just go to enjoy the party.

Aside from the food, what does a party at a fast food restaurant consist of? I am asking sincerely. I mean, if it were a birthday party at Hershey Park, and your child got motion-sick on all of the rides, would you tell your child to stay off the rides and just go to enjoy the party?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children don't choose to be vegetarian it's messed up that parents try to push this on children against their will.this is the definition of abuse.

Children also do not choose to eat meat. One could say eating meat is not only abuse to the child but also the animal. Then again the pink slim sounds like a great choice to feed your kid. My child can eat meat if he chooses. He refuses it.

Humans are not vegetarians moron, look at the teeth, and eating meat allowed our brains develop.

[Anonymous]

what do you do at a fast food restaurant bday party--just eat and play in the play area? or is there another organized activity? if the kids are just eating happy meals, ice cream cones and then playing, sure sounds ok to me. i bet the kids would love it and it's cheap and easy for the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Children don't choose to be vegetarian it's messed up that parents try to push this on children against their will.this is the definition of abuse.

Children also don't choose to be Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist. Is taking your kids to religious services abuse? Vegetarianism is part of some families' value systems. The kids can choose to eat meat when they are old enough to make that decision for themselves, just as kids can choose to follow a different religion (or no religion at all) when they are older.

[Anonymous]

If my kid liked the kid, we'd go. One meal of fast food isn't going to matter all that much, and the kids will probably have fun playing games, etc. I'd think it was odd, because I haven't heard of or seen such a party since I was a kid, but whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We'd go, but I'd be cursing the parents the whole time for choosing such an unhealthy venue.

As opposed to a home party with pizza and chips and juice.

I am not sure what kind of parties you all go to with tons of healthy options but just about every party we go to serves pizza. As I mentioned in a previous post my son does not eat pizza.
I feed him before hand. It is not uncomfortable. He will each whatever other snacks they have, fruit, chips or pretzels and then cake. Is it a healthy meal? Not at all. Birthday parties are not every weekend so a once in a while indulgence is perfectly fine.

I could only see this being uncomfortable if my kid complained he was hungry or I walked around sighing b/c there was nothing for my special child to eat.
Instead we are gracious b/c we were invited. Plus my kid isn't there to eat, he is there to hang out with his friends and celebrate the birthday child.

As usual there are so many selfish folks here. "I don't let my kids eat..." "My kid doesn't eat..." "My kid doesn't like..." Who cares?!?
Go to the party and let your kid have fun. Don't be a kill joy.
If 4 nuggets are going to lead your child down the road of a life altering addiction you need to rethink other parenting choice you have made b/c 4 nuggets or 40 nuggets a year does not an addiction make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't let my children attend a party at places like that either. No reason to start the addiction and draw to fast food so young.

My niece's nanny took her to McDonalds ONCE and she would cry and demand to go every time my BIL and brother drove her past any McDonalds for months after that one time.

I'm sorry but this is not normal. Many parents I know take their kids to McDonald's occasionally & ,while their kids might sometimes ask to go other times (& are told no), none of them "cry & demand to go" every time they see a McDonald's. Either your niece is a brat used to getting whatever she wants from her parents or her parents are feeding her such horrible tasting food that she has become obsessed with McDonald's & is desperate to go back there because that was the only time she can remember eating something that tasted good to her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children don't choose to be vegetarian it's messed up that parents try to push this on children against their will.this is the definition of abuse.

Children also do not choose to eat meat. One could say eating meat is not only abuse to the child but also the animal. Then again the pink slim sounds like a great choice to feed your kid. My child can eat meat if he chooses. He refuses it.

Humans are not vegetarians moron, look at the teeth, and eating meat allowed our brains develop.

Of course humans are vegetarians. There are hundreds of millions of humans who are being vegetarians right now, at this very moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If your child has a special diet then you bring something your child can eat. You don't expect your hosts to plan an entire birthday party for 20+ kids around your kids diet. Allergy/religious concerns maybe special accommodations but even then it is your responsibility as a parent to make sure your child has something to eat. Or here is a novel idea, have your child eat before or after and just go to enjoy the party.

Aside from the food, what does a party at a fast food restaurant consist of? I am asking sincerely. I mean, if it were a birthday party at Hershey Park, and your child got motion-sick on all of the rides, would you tell your child to stay off the rides and just go to enjoy the party?

No. I'd give him some dramamine and tell him to have fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children don't choose to be vegetarian it's messed up that parents try to push this on children against their will.this is the definition of abuse.

Children also do not choose to eat meat. One could say eating meat is not only abuse to the child but also the animal. Then again the pink slim sounds like a great choice to feed your kid. My child can eat meat if he chooses. He refuses it.

Humans are not vegetarians moron, look at the teeth, and eating meat allowed our brains develop.

Obviously some humans are vegetarians, "moron". Just because we have the ability to eat meat doesn't mean we have to eat it in order to be healthy in modern times.There are plenty of healthy vegetarians. Isn't evolution wonderful?

That being said, I would still take my kid to a party at McDonald's. I would just feed her something beforehand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If your child has a special diet then you bring something your child can eat. You don't expect your hosts to plan an entire birthday party for 20+ kids around your kids diet. Allergy/religious concerns maybe special accommodations but even then it is your responsibility as a parent to make sure your child has something to eat. Or here is a novel idea, have your child eat before or after and just go to enjoy the party.

Aside from the food, what does a party at a fast food restaurant consist of? I am asking sincerely. I mean, if it were a birthday party at Hershey Park, and your child got motion-sick on all of the rides, would you tell your child to stay off the rides and just go to enjoy the party?

No. I'd give him some dramamine and tell him to have fun.

Fun and dramamine don't go together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We very rarely eat fast food. But my kid went to a friend's party at McDonald!s. Four chicken nuggets ain't gonna hurt nobody.

This would be how I would handle it. Its a party to show appreciation to your friend, if its at McDs or a park with paper plates you go and teach your children to be gracious.

+1 to this.

+2 I'd probably think it was a little retro but in a fun and casual way! I think I'd want to be your friend and we can laugh about how we are giving our kids the same bday parties we had as kids! Do they still give out plates or glasses to the bday kid with the characters like Hamburglar, Grimace, and Mayor McCheese on them? Those were awesome!

Remember that orange drink that McDonald's used to serve at parties? What was that stuff?

Oh yeah! Totally! Who knows what it was, it was guuud!

From Urban Dictionary:

"A fantastic, almost magical drink supplied by McDonald's for public functions. Usually indicative of a long, drawn out, poorly prepared and funded school event (orange drink=suck). It tastes like orange, but only not really. More like you mixed frozen orange juice, rain water, and paid a hobo a Twinkie to piss in it."

Yes! It was totally served often as weird church or school group events, often in a big cooler with a spigot and teeny little McDonald's cups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh, not a big deal. It's a party. Kids have fun at those places. We don't frequent fast food joints, but once in a blue moon it isn't going to hurt anybody.

We are vegetarian too, like a few PPs; like always, I just have my son eat something before we head out. If he decides he wants to try something with meat (extremely unlikely), that is his decision to make -- not mine.

+1, exactly. The point of the party isn't the food, but to be a gracious guest. If you think or know you can't eat the food, eat before going to the party. It's not a big deal.

If the party is sitting at a restaurant watching other kids eat, that is no fun for our child. A gracious host is concerned about a child having something to eat. Of course, we eat before we go, but then just to sit there serves no point for my child. Fortunately no parent we know would do this option and has always had a mix of foods to please everyone.

I don't think a party at McDonald's would just be "sitting at a restaurant" eating chicken nuggets & hamburgers. There's probably also some activities or at least playing in the play area. A lot of young kids are don't eat much at parties anyway. They just enjoy being with their friends.