Happy Meal.
The dreaded words that cause my toddler to ecstatically grin ear to ear. My two-year-old is obsessed with the golden arches and the contents of the child crack. I knew this day would come especially since some late night chicken nuggets and fries have always been my husband’s guilty pleasure. It was only a matter of time before they shared the father/son bond of dipping those warm crispy nuggets into BBQ sauce and chasing it down with a handful of salty addicting french fries.
It started as a special treat with Grammy and Pop Pop and then Dada thought that he was taking Mason for a special treat as well. I was in the dark until these random yellow emoji toys started to appear around the house. I knew we had a problem when my son would walk up to random strangers and electronics and proceed to name the following in a demanding way…. french fry, chicken nugget, toy, milk, apple….
At first, I didn’t realize what he was doing until I put it all together that he was trying to order himself a Happy Meal.
My little guy is smart…too smart. He likes to play a mean trick on me where he whispers and mumbles the words happy meal. When I curiously ask “Did you say happy meal?” he lights up and says “OK! Thank you mama!” Dang, he got me.
How do I get outsmarted by a two-year-old tyrant every time?
So I did a little research and the contents of his nuggets, fries, milk, and apples really aren’t as bad as some of the other food options we have. My theory is everything in moderation. A “special treat” once in a while is okay and who doesn’t love to see their child overcome with happiness.
You can judge me for giving in from time to time but he doesn’t always finish the whole thing. I think he just enjoys the idea of everything coming in a special little box. My husband blames marketing. He says that his childhood happy meals have now caused him to crave a Dada Dada Happy Meal (as my child calls it). If that’s the case then we are doomed.
Some additional information I found on the nutritional contents of your Happy Meal options.
http://news.mcdonalds.com/getattachment/86dedb8a-9b9b-4376-b682-a79e7464360a
Have you succumb to the golden arches??
