Sue Your TV!

I hate being in the position of having to defend fast food, so before I do, let me just clarify exactly where I stand on this issue in general:  DON'T EAT FAST FOOD!  IT WILL KILL YOU!  And here's what it's doing to your kids, in case you didn't notice:

If your kid looks like this, you are abusive / neglectful.
OR, maybe it's not your fault at all.  Maybe you try to feed your kids healthful, well balanced meals, but they won't let you.  Case in point:  Monet Parham, who along with the Center for Science in the Public Interest is suing McDonalds in an effort to get them to stop marketing toys to children.  She says, "I can tell them 'No' all day long, but then they see commercials that convince them you've really got to have this," and "I object to the fact that McDonald's is getting into my kids' heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat."  I've read several articles on this topic, and here's the one thing that nobody else seems to be saying:

STOP LETTING YOUR KIDS WATCH TV!

McDonald's isn't getting into your kids head without your permission.  You're letting your kid watch TV!  You decided to file a law suit instead of saying, "Turn off the TV and eat your broccoli!"  My four-year-old daughter has no idea what McDonalds is.  She watches programming that does NOT contain advertising, such as PBS programming and Netflix Watch Instantly.  She generally watches under 5 hours a week and NEVER EVER SEES A COMMERCIAL.  Not only does she not bug me about wanting fast food, she also doesn't bug me about wanting expensive toys, sugary breakfast cereals, or Toyota Highlanders. 

You have to say "No" to your kids all the time, for all kinds of reasons.  It's not fun.  It's not easy.  It's a major part of the  job description, though.

And get real, people.  If you can't stand your ground when a six-year-old decides she wants to watch seven consecutive hours of lame TV or eat something that doesn't even taste very good, how on earth are you going to manage it when she's sixteen and interested in things that are legitimately awesome, like getting stoned and having sex with the cute new history teacher?