First... Happy Meals... Seriously, what the heck is going on? How can anyone possibly wage war on an icon that we all grew up with? It's a "HAPPY MEAL"! It makes kids happy and isn't that what we're always trying to do anyway? You have these parents that are suddenly so concerned about their children and their weight. I hate to break it to you, but this whole country is a whole lot fatter than it used to be and it's not because of Happy Meals. I also urge mom and dad to look in the mirror because it's pretty likely the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. People are lazier and less healthy than ever and that is because we're demanding that lifestyle all the time now. We want everything to come to us and be done for us because it represents intelligence and wealth. It represents how far we've come. We complain if we don't' get our money's worth when we go to restaurants so now we get these HUGE portions and feel compelled to eat all of it lest we waste any food and money. TV and video games have taken over. We are so afraid to send our kids outside because of all the horrible people out there and God forbid, we go out with our kids to get some fresh air and exercise, so now you have couch potatoes budding at a much younger age. It's really disturbing to see overweight kids. I wonder how it's even possible to be so heavy at such a young age. Shouldn't it take a lot longer to pack on those kinds of pounds? So mom and dad, stop trying to pass the buck and blame everyone else in the free world... no one is forcing you to buy your kids Happy Meals and as long as they're not eating one every night, it's not going to kill them. Take some responsibility and teach your kids how to live a healthy lifestyle.
Next, let's address this story about the little boy who dressed as Daphne for Halloween. I thought it was adorable and I was glad to hear that the other kids enjoyed it as well, so when I heard it was the other parents who were making fun of the little guy, I was appalled. Once again, kids learn by example. No wonder we have all these cases of bullying and ridicule for being different from the "norm." How dare a grown person tease a little boy for wanting to dress up for Halloween. As the mom pointed out, that's the whole point of the holiday... to dress up and make believe for a night. It's just fun. Stop reading so much into everything and if someone thinks a little boy dressing up as a girl for Halloween will "make" him gay... then they are even more ignorant and asinine than I could have ever imagined.
I feel like instead of trying to do the best thing for our kids, we're destroying the very idea and joy of childhood. We are taking away any opportunity for them to be kids. The adults are so concerned with being PC and producing these perfect little people, that they're missing the mark entirely. We used to be able to celebrate Christmas and Halloween and all other holidays in school without worrying about who we might offend or leave out. We actually called it "Christmas Break" and we would exchange gifts. Now it's "winter break" and you can't decorate or have gifts for fear you might offend someone else's beliefs. I'm tired of having to work around everyone else's demands. Live with it and let the kids enjoy themselves. I just can't believe there are people who actually think about these things in these terms and then make such a fuss that the whole regimen has to be reworked to please such a small percentage of people and everyone else suffers. It's all getting so old. What has happened to this country?
So there we go... let kids be kids. They need a chance to make decisions and choices for themselves. You need to set a good example and stop expecting everyone else to raise your child and stop blaming everyone else and look in the mirror. Oh and let's also address the fact that if you're not able to handle one kid, then having more is definitely not the answer. People may think I'm selfish or that I'm robbing my son of a built in friend by not having more kids, but I'll tell you one thing... he's an amazing little boy who's so affectionate, sweet, smart, funny, and intelligent. His dad and I like that we can be with him one on one and we're not trying to hide the world from him and force him into a certain way of life. I want him to experience all there is out there. We are far from perfect, but we address each situation as we come upon it and so far it's turning out pretty well.
