The other night at the library-sponsored family book group that my daughter and I belong to, we were talking about a character in the book who kept a running list of each Big Mac he ate. The 11-year-old boy was up to 126 Big Macs by the end of the story.
Andrea, the librarian who facilitates the book group, turned to the kids, who are all 10 and 11 years old, and asked how many Big Macs they thought they’d eaten in their lives.
Most of the kids looked at each other blankly.
“Zero.”
“None.”
“I’ve never eaten one.”
“What’s a Big Mac?” asked a particularly innocent child.
Wow. These kids weren’t joking. Despite all of the advertising and corporate hype, they hadn’t been weaned on fast food.
It was evident to me that they are being raised by parents who value healthy food, and perhaps a slower-paced life, and the parents are walking their talk by not taking their children to McDonald’s.
Of course this may not be a representative sample of families in the Portland area, and those who embrace books (and family book groups) may be more likely to shun the Golden Arches.
It was reassuring to me, however, to be among a group of like-minded parents who are bucking the fast-food trend. And it made me realize that there is hope for change.
After seeing the film “Consuming Kids: the Commercialization of Childhood” on Sunday night, I was having my doubts that change is possible. In the face of corporate profiteers who don’t care about the mental and physical health of our children, what can a parent do to instill more positive values?
A lot, it turns out. (To be continued…) Click here to read Part Two of this blog.
Submitted by Anne
June 3rd, 2009 | Category: Metro Parent
When my son was born I read “Buy Buy Baby” and “Consuming Kids”. Both books changed how I raised my kid. I still get frustration and anger from relatives who think putting a limit on media and junk food makes me a bad parent. My mom didn’t understand that giving a 3 month old baby soda in his bottle is a Bad Idea.