AIBU- 8 year old has never been to McDonald's?

[early30smum]

This is not a stealth boast. She has been to plenty of other places like Byron, GBK, pizza express, Nando's, Wagamama etc and I'm under no illusion that they're any better and actually some are probably worse for her. She's happened never to go to a party where the food bit has been at McDonald's. DH likes it and if he's grabbing food after work he might get a burger on the way home. I'm not fussed on it. DD (and DS but he's only 4) have never really been bothered about it, like if we stop at services they've never asked and like going into M&S instead and picking up picnic type stuff on car journeys. So the 'need' to take her has never arisen. But a few of my friends are a bit that she's never gone. AIBU to think it's not a huge deal?!

Mine haven't. We live overseas but there are tonnes of McDonalds here. However, I only go there when drunk at 2am never go so they don't either. They do however eat plenty of burgers, frankfurters and pizzas up the rugby club/ in Pizza express at weekends so I'm not claiming any sort of superiority.

My 13 year has never eaten in Macdonald's. He loves Five Guys, mind you.

We only used to get KFC when I was with my dad refitting/stocking shops at weekends ready for Monday opening so it always reminds me of being able to stay up really late.

To say nobody cares is wrong I think. Everybody who happens to come across the info of my children never having been into macdonalds always raise their eyebrows in disbelief and then go on to say 'oh we've only been a handful of times' etc.

Sorry my kids don't like nuggets or burgers and only eat fries if they are bordering on being burnt. We just don't eat that food as a family. We may do pizza express once a year, Chinese food 6 times a year, pub grub quite a few times a year as well restaurants. We don't do KFC or chicken places or subway. Well go to cafe if we need lunch out as it's usually better balanced and cheaper.

No I won't play date where it ends up having tea at maccy d's because it would be waste of money.

MY youngest thinks it's a toy shop anywAy!

If they want MD they can wait until they're teenagers!

Beebee I don't think I should get a medal? As I stated at the beginning of my OP, she's been to plenty of other places that aren't exactly healthy... I just wondered whether most 8 yr olds had been there at some point and if others thought it wasn't a huge sea that she hasn't... she's also never been to Lidl but what's the relevance of that?

Funnily enough I was thinking about this yesterday. I'm veggie so McD just not really on my radar although the children eat meat. We drove past one yesterday and I thought about the fact that none of my children have never eaten there. Eldest is 10. It does seem strange that they have never even been with friends or at a birthday. But there you go. They have had pic n mix, which seems more stomach churning to me 🤢

It would never occur to me to care that someone else's child had or hadn't eaten somewhere. My parents were obsessed with never taking me to Wimpy/Mcdonald's and it bugged me a bit, but then there was less choice then and they would never have taken me to any of the other nice places you mention either, I'm sure.

I'd never heard of this Byron place though, so Googled. It reminded me of this article www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/sep/20/charlie-brooker-fast-food

by Charlie Brooker. One thing, among many, that I like about McD's is that the stuff is all a sensible size.

How could it possibly be a big deal? People seem to use never having taken their children to McDonalds as some sort of peculiar badge of honour, and imagine other people admire them for it.
Why, I wonder?

My 8 year old has never been either. Until last year he thought it was a farm thanks to the nursery rhyme.

I stopped going there 20 years ago so I'm unlikely to take him. No doubt he will go with friends though. My kids haven't been to KFC or Burger King either, poor deprived mites.

I have only taken my dd once when she was 4. We had all left together in the morning. DH locked the door. I finished work to pick her up from nursery and realised I didn't have house keys ( or a snack). Solution was mc Donaldson for mc flurries 🍧. We killed 45 minutes, by which time we could go and watch my nephew swimming until time to pick up dh. Neither of us are that fussed over mc Donalds so it just doesn't get suggested. We leave it as a treat for nanny to take her to. Pizza hut and Harvester are another matter. Staff know her by name at our local harvester 😀

I don't think it's unusual. I would be a bit if you had banned it yet took her to other fast food places but it's just not somewhere you go. I'm sure there are plenty of food places your friend has never visited.

I have a 7yo and a 4yo who have never been. We have never had cause to take them there, so they've never been. I wouldn't care if someone else took them there. They have eaten deep fried crap in many other eateries. We would generally take them to Wetherspoons if we wanted a convenience type meal out as there are several close to home. I don't think there is any great significance to an 8 yo having never been to McDs. Different families have different habits. We don't eat in McDs so the DDs don't either. I'm sure lots of people have never taken their kids to Wetherspoons. Who cares?

I don't get the point of this thread.

OP your child hasn't been to Mcd's.....and???

It does seem strange that they have never even been with friends or at a birthday. But there you go.

I don't think people do McDonalds parties anymore. It used to be all the rage. Still haven't forgiven by best frenemy for promising me I could do the kitchen tour with her and then thinning me out for a boy. Biatch.

I would love someone to be badass enough to do a mcdonalds party these days. Can you imagine the pearl clutching? Ds's friend's mum did a movie party once where she made them all cars out of cardboard boxes and they sat in them like a drive thru and watched a movie, then ate pizza whilst the parents had wine and canapés. It was awesome

I raise my eyebrow when a person I know boasts her 10 year old has only ever drunk milk or water but I wouldn't think anything of an 8 year old never having been to McDonalds. It can hardly be that unusual. I do find it odd though that some people almost fixate on McDonalds rather than just regarding it as one takeaway chain among many.

All my children have been to McDonalds. Its usually been a treat. They have been in a McDonalds in France, Switzerland and Italy.
I suppose it isnt the healthiest of meals but as a treat now and again, its no an issue. I suppose its because some people regard it as unhealthy and something that kids like is maybe why the OP has posted?

The first time I went to McDs I was 9 or 10yo at a friend's birthday party-we stopped off on the way back home.
I went, I think 2 or 3 times as a teen with friends.
I have never had KFC and only ever went to Burger King as a student.

I don't think there's anything particularly virtuous or depriving about not going. If it isn't somewhere you would normally go, well don't.

But I would say is don't make it forbidden fruit.

Dm was rather inclined to say "of course we wouldn't like to go there, the food is unhealthy/not very nice" and I'd think "actually I wouldn't mind occasionally/I'd like to try it". And it would become something I would hanker over, but never dare express that opinion as I thought she'd be disappointed in me.

She'd have said I never wanted to go, but that was because I knew I'd just have had a response of "oh you don't really want that horrible/overpriced/unhealthy stuff do you?"

I do find it odd though that some people almost fixate on McDonalds rather than just regarding it as one takeaway chain among many.

I think it's partly generational. I'm 40ish. When I was growing up, apart from the independents (curry house, Chinese, fish and chips- and those were predominantly takeaway) there were no other options for cheapish meals out apart from Wimpy of Macdonalds. Now there are tonnes of places, so people of around my age still fixate on mcdonalds, even though the stuff in Costa or Starbucks or Giraffe isn't much better

I don't think my two had been either at the age of eight. Maybe they had, I don't know . They did have the happy meals for many years of carrots, fruit, fishfingers and juice/water until they got wise to all the other many treasures. Now as tweens they get to go every school holiday and occasionally during term time but it's seen as a treat.

sorry- bold fail

I do find it odd though that some people almost fixate on McDonalds rather than just regarding it as one takeaway chain among many.

I think it's partly generational. I'm 40ish. When I was growing up, apart from the independents (curry house, Chinese, fish and chips- and those were predominantly takeaway) there were no other options for cheapish meals out apart from Wimpy of Macdonalds. Now there are tonnes of places, so people of around my age still fixate on mcdonalds, even though the stuff in Costa or Starbucks or Giraffe isn't much better

It's not unusual OP.

Our DCs have both been a handful of times (aged 10 & 8). But plenty of their friends have never been. I went into a KFC last year aged 40 for the first time. Have never eaten in Subway. It's really not a big deal.

This is almost something to celebrate or at least remember.

I've never been in a KFC or a Subway, but microwaved chips on cheap white bread is my favourite hangover snack. Swings and roundabouts

Yes that makes sense Cantseethewoods.

I don't really get subway. It's kind of neither here not there. It's not a great sandwich but nor is it proper junk.

It's the sandwich equivalent of carrot cake- stranded in nutritional no mans land