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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU or is this unusual?

134 replies

Mushroomflumps · 28/10/2010 18:54

I'm not judging any one else's parenting - I am not saying my parenting style is right and others are wrong.

I took out some children for lunch, said 'Who wants to go to McDonalds?', expecting a 'Yay' for a treat, and got from one of the children 'What's Mcdonalds?'

I wouldn't of been surprised if any child ever said to me 'I'm not allowed Mcdonalds', or 'Never been to McDonalds'.

But not 'what's mcdonalds?'

AIBU to think this is unusual, or is this common, and just not for my common kids

OP posts:

piscesmoon · 30/10/2010 09:44

It can't make a lot of sense to him then NotanOtter-you could point them out when you are passing and then he would understand the actions. (you don't have to go in).

lborolass · 30/10/2010 10:56

notanotter - don't know how old your DS is but I always tell my DCs not to sing songs if they don't understand the words - saves lots of embrassment when they start to look up lyrics on youtube

domeafavour · 30/10/2010 11:14

I have nothing against McDonalds, but DS hasn't been with me.
Recently Grandma wanted to take the granchildren. He kept insisting on putting his wellies on. I couldn't work it out until he said Old McDonald, he thought we were going to a farm!!!

BeenBeta · 30/10/2010 11:27

It is a bit unusual for a child not to know McDonalds because everyone has seen the adverts surely?

My children might have responded by giving you a 'judgey' lecturing though.

missmoopy · 30/10/2010 11:32

My dd is now 6 and has only known of the existence of McDonalds for a year. She doesn't eat junk - her choice - and so had no need for it to ever come onto her radar.

She only discovered it when she saw a friend with a McDonalds toy and now we have to go only for the toys!

ProfYaffle · 30/10/2010 11:47

I just asked my dc, 3.5yo dd2 didn't know what McDonalds is but 6.5yo dd1 did but we don't have a McDonalds in our town, the nearest one is 20odd miles away so it's unusual for us to even go past one.

I'm surprised that at 9/10 ish a child wouldn't have even heard of it.

piscesmoon · 30/10/2010 13:50

They would only give a judgey lecture because they were parroting mummy! I think it is much more refreshing not to know, than get the parent's opinion word for word.(which would be a bit rude if you were being a guest!)

mutable · 30/10/2010 22:52

My almost 5yo does not know what McDonalds is, though I imagine by the time she is 9 or 10 she will.

We have a fair few golden arches in our town- she just says 'M'

BeenBeta- not all children watch television, so may not have seen the adverts.

ZephirineDrouhin · 30/10/2010 23:36

You would have got a huge "yay" from my dd, op. She has heard about it from her friend at school (who apparently answers "we went to Macdonalds" every time the teacher asks the children what they did at the weekend), but has only been once - an emergency trip when it was the only toilet available and I felt we had to buy something having used the facilities. I've never seen such a look of delighted awe and wonder on her face as she ate her french fries. You would think we had just arrived in the Emerald City or something.

What is it about it that is so appealing to small children?

SE13Mummy · 30/10/2010 23:49

My 6-year-old DD has never seen a McD's advert and only knew McDonald's was called McDonald's once she could read. Until that time she thought it was called 'the M cafe' (so called because of the M, obviously). She's eaten in them occasionally when we've got stuck in motorway traffic and that was the only option available.

stickylittlefingers · 30/10/2010 23:54

depends where you live - it's pretty easy not to notice up our way (I had to think quite hard about where one would be). If they had parents like me who finds it all rather boakworthy, they wouldn't have been in one - go to a place with proper chips instead

Surprise · 30/10/2010 23:54

Reminds me of when DD was asked by a teacher what her favourite Pot Noodle flavour was. She had no idea what it was - she was the only one in her class who'd never had one. The only reason being that I don't like them, so had never thought of buying them for anyone else.

mippy · 31/10/2010 12:33

There was no Burger King or KFC in my home town (still isn't) but I knew what both of them were. I really really wanted to go to Burger King.

My then-12 yr old nephew had never heard of an avocado, so there you 'go'.

EveWasFramed72 · 31/10/2010 12:40

My children would have then asked if you were going to the airport, as we've said that where McDs is...we will only do McDs when we go to and from America once a year (only because it is the cheapest place in the airport to eat!)

maryz · 31/10/2010 12:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

piscesmoon · 31/10/2010 14:35

I don't see how a 9yr old, going to school or mixing freely at cubs, ballet etc could possibly not know what McDonalds was-even if they hadn't been to a party there.I would be a bit worried if they were so sheltered-they need to be a little streetwise.
I bought mine Pot Noodles once because they felt they were missing out. Luckily they never asked again-(in reply to surprise).

singarainbow · 31/10/2010 14:44

Bit unusual..
My oldest was baby signing at a very young age and at aged one signed the "food" sign as we drove past a set of golden arches. She had only had our food we had brought with us (and a few sneaky chips), but me & DP often went in there when she was a baby!!!

NotanOtter · 31/10/2010 19:58

I will admit to despairing at the lengths people will go to -to ensure dcs 'fit in'

I dont give a shit if my child gets to 97 with no idea what a mcdonalds is - less so a pot noodle

maryz · 31/10/2010 20:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

exexpat · 31/10/2010 20:16

My nephew has actually appeared in a MacDonalds advert, but I think it was the first time he had ever been to one (and it was a stage set...).

PinkElephant73 · 31/10/2010 22:17

I will get flamed for this I am sure but DS1 could identify a McDonalds by the time he was 18 months old - he would call out "sake, sake!" (meaning milkshake) if we drove past the Golden Arches. By the time he was 3 he had graduated to saying "look Mummy, a chips and nugget shop!" instead.

piscesmoon · 31/10/2010 22:43

I'm sorry, but unless you are going to HE and hand pick who your DC mixes with they need to fit in.
It doesn't mean that they have to go- but they should know what it is if they are 9 yrs old.
I was a very sheltered DC and I would say that mine are (but not that sheltered) and I don't think it is a good thing not to be streetwise.
The important thing is to let them make up their own mind and know that they don't have to follow the herd.
I let mine try a Pot Noodle because they asked, they asked because they realised that everyone else knew what they were, it was no big deal-I didn't say a word and they found out for themselves that they weren't missing anything.
We very rarely went in McDonalds and now they are older they never go in but they would have been at a disadvantage if they went with friends and hadn't a clue. They went to birthday parties there, or after bowling, swimming etc with friends.
I also firmly believe that if I had presented it a place to be avoided they would be going now. It is just a place to eat-one of many.
It doesn't really matter what you think NotanOtter-it is what your DC thinks that is important. Maybe they don't like to be the only one who doesn't know something.There are lots of things I choose not to do, but I still know about them.

rockinhippy · 31/10/2010 23:02

up until about 6/7, my DD wouldn't of known either, but she's vegetarian ...I might of polished my halo too..lol.....though she's made up for it since discovering she likes Burger Kings - bean burger

NotanOtter · 31/10/2010 23:05

pisces - of course... and of course it's about the child and not the adult

'fitting in' is over rated imo. There's millions of happy kids who are so far from this but manage ok. That's a nother whole thread

But does mcdonalds matter? My kids are not jewish but they know what a synagogue is. They know about a lot of stuff that is not part of our lives. I don't much care for Mcdonalds but it doesn't bother me. Just isn't part of our lives.

I believe kids should know about what is in the world and as broad and sweeping as that statement is - i really don't believe Mcd's needs to be part of that.

You truly believe a child would be 'at a disadvantage ' if they hadn't been to one before?

I don't know how old your chidren are or anything about your background but ime with regard to growing up as happy healthy individuals and the stuff that matters -THIS is not it.

NotanOtter · 31/10/2010 23:06

Rockin - oooh I used to LOVE those - years since I have had one ( swoon)

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