Fess up -- how much TV and McDonalds

[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?

I won't allow shows just to fit in, but I plan to allow TV in minimal and age-appropriate amounts when my son is older. We have Schoolhouse Rock on DVD, and I plan to allow some Sesame Street (might get the older ones on DVD) and some cartoons. What I do plan to do is mostly watch TV with my kid and talk about it and avoid commercials. I'm open to movies and PBS programming (my friend's kid really likes the travel shows, for example). I am not inherently opposed to watching programs for the sake of the program, it's watching TV to kill time (and having that glazed look come on) or having it on in the background that I really don't like. My husband (like other people in my own family) is prone to playing video games for too long and having fits when something goes wrong, so I'm going to be pretty alert to that dynamic.

I grew up watching some programs with my parents (Little House, The Muppet Show, Kate & Allie -- just off the top of my head) but I learned a way of watching TV that was to turn it on for a specific show, mute the commercials, and turn it off at the end of the program. That will be what I'm trying to teach.

Most of my objection to TV for kids is the marketing that goes along with it. It is not worth it to me to have 1/2 hour of silence in exchange for requests for all kinds of products in the ensuing weeks (both things advertised and with the characters of the show on them). I don't want my child to be a walking billboard for Disney. Which is not to say that I don't think some of that is cute or that I think other people shouldn't do xyz. I know that I have non-mainstream attitudes about marketing and corporations, but I'm the one raising my kid and he is going to learn what we do in our family. When he's older he can be free advertising for whoever he likes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

because of comments like this from above: "Get ready for a teenager who cares about nothing beyond brand names, boy bands and suburban shopping malls. You're raising a real intellectual."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is us, exactly.

My DH will stop at McDonalds but I don't order anything. If we want fast food, I go to Burger King, they offer better fish sandwiches and a veggie burger (and it's yummy). As a non-meat eater, I find McDonalds repulsive for the exact reason you stated - farming practices. It's disgusting how farm animals are treated; kicked, punched, crated (gestation pigs, veal), debeaked - chickens aren't able to see the light of day. Pigs are slaughtered at 6 months, and are fed so many growth hormones, it's no wonder 10 yr. olds are having their periods. Male chicks born in egg producing farms are put a conveyer belt and SHREDDED alive. Male baby dairy cows are taken away from their mother at birth and taken to auction; most can't stand or lift their heads but are crying for their mothers; they are considered worthless and trash. These are just SOME of our farming practices - there are too many to list but are just as sad and horrific

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/conklin-dairy-farms-animal-abuse-video-mercy-animals-2621337.html

We do watch TV, at night while I'm putting something together for dinner, and in the mornings while we're getting ready for work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The problem is that many people don't just say "we don't watch TV or go to McDonald's." They say that watching TV is a total waste of time, you are a lazy parents if you let your kids watch it, and you cannot possibly be an intelligent person if you watch sitcoms. And McDonald's is disgusting and will make your kids fat and lazy. That's why those of us who like TV and McDonald's get defensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This.

[Anonymous]

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

LOL! Wayne's World Alert!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:well christ, if you are using the internet to watch tv, then you still watch television programing. that was not my point. I think it bizarre to not watch ANY television.

are these all chinese tiger moms? seriously, I'm curious.

How many hours a day do you read? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

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

Is this a real question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are working mother, of course your kids don't watch television during week! If you work a full time job, you pick your kids up around 5:30-6 from daycare, right? You might get home by 6:30. If you can throw supper together quickly you might eat around 7? (I'm guessing here....I'm a stay-at-home mother.) Your children are in bed by 7:30-8pm, right? That leaves barely enough time to give them a bath and put them to bed.

Let's be honest, during the week, you might see your kids for an hour or two in the evening. And most of that is taken up with cooking, cleaning up, and bedtime.

Why are you guessing? You don't have a single working mom friend who has mentioned her household's schedule? Huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Confession: I think parents who let their kids watch more than a show or two a week are lazy. Seriously, your kid can't occupy himself for 20 minutes while you get ready for work in the morning? And yes, I work full-time and have two kids under 4. Neither of whom have watched more than a show or two at a friend's house.

They don't watch television because they don't spend any time at home. They spend their lives in a daycare center.

What about elementary age children? By that time, it's the kids' schedules that rule, not whether or not the parents work. You'll find out.

[Anonymous]

To answer the question about where we eat out: generally local places or sandwich shops. For local places we like: Middle Eastern places (falafel or schwarma sandwiches, hummus, rice and chicken kabobs), Ethiopian, Chinese take-out, Indian take-out, or pizza. For chains, we like: Panera, Jimmy Johns, Baja Fresh and Noodles.

We don't eat a lot of meat and dairy, and for the reasons already mentioned about farming practices I prefer to cook those things at home and buy the ingredients myself. So we lean toward restaurants with more vegetarian options. It's very true that the chicken, pork, and beef is all the same at most levels of restaurants (something I sometimes conveniently forget). The cut of meat and the amount of salt or additives may vary, though, which is a small improvement.

[Anonymous]

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

We eat out in higher end places, even with the kids. Morton's. 2941. Sushi places.

[Anonymous]

Too much of both, but they're generally happy, healthy kids who would far prefer to play outside than watch TV and far from overweight, so I'm not going to spend time worrying about what you all think. It works for us.

[Anonymous]

Maybe we should differentiate and ask how many hours a week do you let your kid just take the remote and watch broadcast TV? (Seriously, I'm not trying to be snarky.)

Turning on PBS for 1/2 hour for a specific show is not that different from putting on a DVD or using Netflix. Any time that the parent is vetting the program and there aren't commercials, that doesn't seem that bad to me. It sounds like the aftermath really has a lot to do with which direction parents lean (and also the style of TV-watching that they do themselves).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much of both, but they're generally happy, healthy kids who would far prefer to play outside than watch TV and far from overweight, so I'm not going to spend time worrying about what you all think. It works for us.

Ditto this. 3 year old DS watched 1-2 hours of TV a day, in the mornings and evenings. We eat out/bring in food at least once/week from a variety of restaurants/fast food places. DS' favorite activities include running and jumping, anytime, anywhere. It works for all of us.