Comments on: The Jesuits have nothing on these guys

By: Jan

Jan — Wed, 24 Sep 2003 18:13:20 +0000

McDonald’s is very kid-friendly, and I think that might be what the kids respond to. There are cartoon characters on the walls, there are special kids’ meals that have toys in them, and in many McDonald’s, there is a play area where you can climb and slide and jump in a ball pit. Come on, what kid wouldn’t love that?

The commercials are also very kid-centered. I don’t know how much TV your kids watch, but if they’ve ever seen a McDonald’s commercial, that might be playing into it as well.

Personally speaking, I always said that when I had kids, we would never get fast food, because it’s so unhealthy. Reality: we get fast food lunch about once a week, usually at Wendy’s. I don’t feel particularly guilty about it, either. Maybe I should, but I don’t. Fries and nuggets once a week isn’t going to kill the kid, particularly when he gets a really healthy diet for all the rest of his meals.

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 23 Sep 2003 15:51:23 +0000

Argh. I hope this isn’t what I have to look forward to in a couple of years! We’ve been purposefully avoiding fast food as well, even though Vic is only Simon’s age.

By: Kevin Drum

Kevin Drum — Mon, 22 Sep 2003 00:53:43 +0000

Resistance is futile. Besides, they make pretty tasty fries.

By: Rebeca

Rebeca — Sun, 21 Sep 2003 22:06:20 +0000

“Is it the toys? The colors?”

I need to know the answer to this too. Like you, I have rarely taken my kid there. Maybe twice in the last year. Doesn’t matter though: she’s crazy about it. Actually, her brand recognition skills in general are disturbing. We don’t even have TV but she recognizes Hot Wheels, Barbie, Blockbusters, etc. The Man is winning.