Fess up -- how much TV and McDonalds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I have never seen anyone have health problems from NOT watching TV or eating fast food, but I know lots of examples of the opposite. So, if my child wants to find out if he is the type of person who can watch TV for hours on end without getting depressed or crabby and/or eat fast food regularly without getting fat, he is going to have to figure that out on his own as an adult: I am not going to be running that experiment on him as a child.

Just curious: what are your (and other no-TV posters) plans if when your child gets older starts asking to watch certain things on TV? You know how it is in school - especially middle school - kids feel like they just have to watch certain shows to fit in, etc. Will you allow it then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That being said, I find it odd that people are defending TV and fast food like it's the bald eagle or the Statue of Liberty or something. .

I used to wonder the same thing when I had a baby. Why so defensive? Then I caved in on McDs and trust me, after you get enough dirty looks and eyerolls from parents who think they are SO much better than you because you mentioned you dared to take your child to McDonalds (while their kid is sitting there eating junk food that they think is fine because its "organic") - you get a bit defensive.

It's silly of course. There things I find important that others don't. But just explaining where the defensiveness comes from.
Raise your child as you see fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have never seen anyone have health problems from NOT watching TV or eating fast food, but I know lots of examples of the opposite. So, if my child wants to find out if he is the type of person who can watch TV for hours on end without getting depressed or crabby and/or eat fast food regularly without getting fat, he is going to have to figure that out on his own as an adult: I am not going to be running that experiment on him as a child.

Just curious: what are your (and other no-TV posters) plans if when your child gets older starts asking to watch certain things on TV? You know how it is in school - especially middle school - kids feel like they just have to watch certain shows to fit in, etc. Will you allow it then?

This is a great and healthy way to take this thread. We're a no-TV family, but our kids are young. Any no-TV families out there who changed their tune after the kids got older?

[Anonymous]

Well, I guess I'm a crappy parent. My kids watch TV *and* occassionally eat McDonalds. I'd say my kids watch about 1/2 hr in my bed in the mornings if they wake up really early and then maybe 1/2 - 1 hour in the evening. We don't watch any TV commercials - only movies/TV shows that we have downloaded off of iTunes.

I don't think it is too much, but I do find we watch more TV generally in the winter. In the summer, with the longer days, we stay outside longer, eat dinner later and then don't have time for TV. Yet another reason why I hate the winter...

We also eat better in the summer...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I only have a baby, so as of now he neither watches TV nor eats McD's (or solid food of any kind). We have a TV without cable, and I watch several hours of TV a week on Hulu or Netflix (most of the time I prefer to wait for the DVD and avoid commercials, personally).

That being said, I find it odd that people are defending TV and fast food like it's the bald eagle or the Statue of Liberty or something. (I also find it odd that some people on here always become so defensive whenever someone says they do anything differently in their household, so maybe it's just an extension of that.) I think it's especially spurious to claim that kids are going to hate their parents for depriving them of crappy food. My family ate out nearly every night when I was in high school, and mostly fast food because that was what we could afford 7 days a week. I grew to hate it: my parents were obese, and the people working in all the fast food places in town recognized us. I wished we were like normal families eating at home, honestly, and I certainly didn't think that other kids not eating like this were deprived. And yes, I know most people on here are talking about a few times a month: I'm responding more to the attacks than to the actual frequency that people are talking about. I'm sure that age has a lot to do with it, as my brother who was in elementary school at the time is a total fast food addict and also dangerously obese; he spent his childhood watching TV constantly, too (we didn't have one when I was young) and now struggles with it and compulsive video gaming as an adult.

I have never seen anyone have health problems from NOT watching TV or eating fast food, but I know lots of examples of the opposite. So, if my child wants to find out if he is the type of person who can watch TV for hours on end without getting depressed or crabby and/or eat fast food regularly without getting fat, he is going to have to figure that out on his own as an adult: I am not going to be running that experiment on him as a child.

THIS! I totally agree. I also think people are really jumping from topic to topic - the alcohol and binge drinking example were weird. Just because we don't eat fast food doesn't mean I don't take a moderate approach around alcohol. We do, and I will approach it just as my parents did. And I am not some crazy food regulator. We just are not in the habit of eating fast food. We do have treats, but I don't think McDonal's is a treat. Krispy Kreme is a treat to me. Not McDonald's. My main concern is just teaching my children that food does not always come perfectly prepped from you, out of a box. I just want to do what my folks did and emphasize prepared meals at home. It's not really extreme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look people, it's possible for a child to grow up without fast food and be normal. I promise. I'm the one who said I'm against McDonald's as a corporation and I love how people are telling me Starbucks and Chipotle are no worse. First of all, I've never eaten at Chipotle, and second, having a chai latte or a cup of coffee from Starbucks is not the same as eating a hamburger from McDonald's.

I am against McDonald's because of how they have changed farming practices in this country. As the largest purchaser of meat, they really created industrial farming or at least greatly contributed to it. All of our meat comes from four main factories, and if you think the steak you order at a nice restaurant is any different from the quality of meat at McDonald's you are fooling yourself. Not to mention, it is full of crap and sodium, and it is so processed it does decompose. YUM.

I'm a food snob, and we don't eat very much meat, and the meat we do eat is from a few particular sources. I never at McDonald's as a kid so why would I start when I have kids? My kids eat junk food. We eat cake, ice cream, cookies, in moderation etc. but that to me is very different than eating a fast food meal. This is how I grew up and my husband too - it wasn't weird, we just didn't go to McDonald's as a family very often.

It's sad that eating dinner at home is considered weird or abnormal.

ITA. Well Said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TV... probably 4-5 hours total, per week. More if he's sick. I don't think TV is inherently evil, but I HATE how obsessed and sucked in he gets. He's like an addict. One episode of Zoboomafoo (or Thomas, or Mama Mirabelle - he's into animals and trains right now) and he's begging for more for the next 6 hours. I honestly might let him watch more if it didn't turn him into a TV-seeking zombie.

My DS (3.5) is the same way. He's not a kid who will play while the TV is on. He just sits in front of the TV slack-jawed. But I still have a tough time turning the TV off.

Yes, my 2 year old is like this with Thomas or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. One episode and she is begging over and over for more. Now it's the same thing every night "Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas. Minnie Mouse. Minnie Mouse. Minnie Mouse." I have to distract her with - gasp! - a book! Everything in moderation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:dad here. my wife doesn't get McDonalds for my 3 year old daughter but I get her a hamburger there at least twice a week. She loves it. I think McDonalds is way better now than in the past - they have smoothies, oatmeal, all kinds of good stuff.

tv - at least 45 minutes to an hour a day. Dora or Wonderpets or something like that. Seems educational to me.

Get ready for a teenager who cares about nothing beyond brand names, boy bands and suburban shopping malls. You're raising a real intellectual.

People like you make my skin crawl. You're SO much better than everyone else, aren't you? Your kids are so much smarter and healthier and better at everything aren't they? The guy was being honest and you have to take a dig at him with how much better of a parent you are. I would rather have the poster above as my parent than you any day. At least with him, I would have a little bit of fun in life. It is childhood after all.

And BTW, my parents never limited the amount of junk food I consumed nor the TV that I watched as a kid and I am fine. Went to grad school at a top 20 school and graduated with a 4.0. And, I am 5'9" and weigh 135lbs----and I had a baby 3 months ago.

In fact, I was in McDonald's today---IN THE SUBURBS---and didn't order the apple dippers or the oatmeal. But I still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans tonight.

Don't be so hard on yourself; it's only been 3 months. Just keep -- or start-- exercising, stay out of McDonald's, and that excess weight will eventually come off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have never seen anyone have health problems from NOT watching TV or eating fast food, but I know lots of examples of the opposite. So, if my child wants to find out if he is the type of person who can watch TV for hours on end without getting depressed or crabby and/or eat fast food regularly without getting fat, he is going to have to figure that out on his own as an adult: I am not going to be running that experiment on him as a child.

Just curious: what are your (and other no-TV posters) plans if when your child gets older starts asking to watch certain things on TV? You know how it is in school - especially middle school - kids feel like they just have to watch certain shows to fit in, etc. Will you allow it then?

We have no TV and my kids are 10 and 8. They sometimes watch TV at other peoples' houses, but other than that, it just isn't on their radar screen (so to speak). They've never said they wished that we had one, or that they wanted to watch X show on TV.

It's not a question of "allowed." It's just the way we do things in our house. Some people don't have whatever, or play certain sports, or eat red meat, or whatever. We don't value and therefore don't have a TV.

It's not an issue here at home. The only place it's an issue (apparently) is at DCUM. LOL

For the record, I'm a SAHM.

[Anonymous]

To those of you who say you don't eat McDonald's - do you ever eat out? Where?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those of you who say you don't eat McDonald's - do you ever eat out? Where?

We eat out occasionally. For lunch, we go to Potbelly or Subway (say, 2-3x/year). For dinner we go to a local place, depending on what we all want to eat (Tex-Mex, Italian, Indian).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, who are you people? "My mom let my kid watch Nemo once" and the mom who only ever set foot in McD's for a science project.... are you all living on some commune of hypercompetitive parenting? All this sanctimony would be funny except that you all take yourselves totally seriously don't you? I'm sure you PPs who fessed up to 15 minutes per day of TV are feeling suitably chastened and have swapped out the television for a stack of practice SATs for the kids to enjoy.

amen. pass the fries. I'm sitting here watching FoxNews and guessing that isn't too common here either, despite the highest ratings on cable.

[Anonymous]

To those of you who say you don't eat McDonald's - do you ever eat out? Where?

we eat out usually only when we go out with our parents (they always insist on paying, bless them), but we don't eat out otherwise because we are really strapped for cash and it's less of a PITA for me to cook a meal (even with a toddler trying to climb my leg) than try to deal with a toddler at a restaurant.

on the few occasions when it's been just the three of us, we've gone to a local restaurant. and yes, DS usually has fries or something that i would not cook at home. i'm not a crazed lunatic about keeping him away from mcdonald's, i just think that if he is going to eat crap, it may as well be slightly better prepared than the sh*t they serve at mcdonald's, which i don't consider real food. Have you ever actually LOOKED at the inside of a McD's sandwich as you're eating it?! It's hardly got any meat in it at all, just additives. Blech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That being said, I find it odd that people are defending TV and fast food like it's the bald eagle or the Statue of Liberty or something. .

I used to wonder the same thing when I had a baby. Why so defensive? Then I caved in on McDs and trust me, after you get enough dirty looks and eyerolls from parents who think they are SO much better than you because you mentioned you dared to take your child to McDonalds (while their kid is sitting there eating junk food that they think is fine because its "organic") - you get a bit defensive.

It's silly of course. There things I find important that others don't. But just explaining where the defensiveness comes from.
Raise your child as you see fit.

I get it if people are being rude to you in real life, and I also get that there are people who think organic processed food is better than non-organic processed food when it's nutritionally the same. What I don't really get is the way that people just answering the question truthfully are accused of being sanctimonious. People simply doing something different does not have to mean they think they're better or are judging others. Really. And even if they are secretly doing so in their heads, they didn't SAY so and I (personally) only have so much energy to get defensive about what others might be thinking in their heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get it if people are being rude to you in real life, and I also get that there are people who think organic processed food is better than non-organic processed food when it's nutritionally the same. What I don't really get is the way that people just answering the question truthfully are accused of being sanctimonious. People simply doing something different does not have to mean they think they're better or are judging others. Really. And even if they are secretly doing so in their heads, they didn't SAY so and I (personally) only have so much energy to get defensive about what others might be thinking in their heads.

This needs to be a principle of DCUM - "Simply saying that they do something different does not have to mean that that person thinks they are better than you or that they are judging you."