How much of these things do you consider a treat?

[LajesticVantrashell]

Person A has done/given/bought her DC the following this weekend. Person B thinks this is excessive and that they're all treats which should be given rarely and sporadically.

1. McDonald's
2. Soft play
3. Swimming
4. A new book
5. A small bag of jelly sweets
6. A magazine

This is in between an afternoon in the park, a walk up a hill and some down time playing at home.

How often do your DCs do/have the above?

I would say a book and the sweets aren't a treat as such. And swimming lessons no, but splash Park yes. The other 3 I would consider a treat.

My DD has had 2 of those and a sleepover with one mate and that's considered a treat here.

1. McDonald's treat occasionally or in school holds for health reasons
2. Soft play - weekend treat or school hols.
3. Swimming - necessary part of life to keep healthy.
4. A new book - necessary part of life for reading learning.
5. A small bag of jelly sweets - weekend treat
6. A magazine - weekend treat

Swimming is not a treat, it's an activity, and a very healthy one. New books I'm all for at every possible opportunity.

The rest are treats.

McDonald's would be rarely here, the sweets once a week, the rest I don't consider treats and would do as I /we pleased. Swimming and soft play are exercise of sorts and the books are reading- all good for children in my mind.

This sounds completely normal to me except for the McDonalds

Hmmm it would be a lot for me for one weekend but I don't think its massively excessive as a one off. Personally I would probably do the McDonalds, soft play and magazine one weekend and the swimming, book and sweets the another weekend or a similar split! Intrigued to see what others think....

I'm with person A

I’d probably only do swimming or soft play in a weekend.
And a new book or a magazine.
We don’t like McDonald’s but do eat pizza or fish and chips so if you substitute the meal I’d only have done max 4 out of those 6 in one weekend. And not every weekend.

Food and magazine is a treat the rest are learning and keeping active and would be normal activities.

I'd be wondering why person B feels they have a right to judge person A. As long as person A isn't expecting person B to foot the bill what business is it of theirs?

When mine were younger the book and a few sweets were fairly regular. The rest of it would be occasional. McDonalds maybe a couple of times a year? Same with a magazine. Soft play or swimming a few times a year.

I'd be exhausted and skint if I had done all those things every weekend.

We might do all of that on a weekend but then none of it for a month so I guess I would say it’s all a bit of a treat and isn’t excessive unless it’s every weekend. I don’t think of swimming and soft play as a treat so much as an activity to do.

McDonald’s a treat
Jelly sweets can be had once a week
Magazines I try to avoid these days

All the activities and books etc I’d do regularly ie once a week or so.

I would say the McDonalds, sweets and magazine are treats.

Sounds like a lovely weekend (not into macdonalds though) but one that happens rarely.

Well...

1. McDonald's : I think DC have been there about once a yr on avg, but we go to other chip shops close to once a week
2. Soft play: could be weekly when they were little
3. Swimming tried to go 1-2x/week
4. A new book rarely, used the library instead!
5. A small bag of jelly sweets no more than once a week, less if preschool
6. A magazine never until I got DC4 who wouldn't read anything; he got Beano weekly since about age 7yo

I'd say not excessive

But I don't class swimming as a treat, even though my two love it

Mcdonalds and soft play sound like punishment

The rest sounds like normal life

I'd class them all as treats but not extravagant. An expensive weekend if you have more than 1 dc though....

I'm with person A as long as the dc is deserving of said treats and the treats are appreciated rather than expected

I wouldn't consider soft play or swimming a treat as those are standard indoor activities. The others I would though, a magazine is sometimes a reward for stickers on the sticker chart for our DC. Small bags of sweets etc are small treats, which my DC does get weekly, but only for "being good".

I would happily give all those as a matter of course over a weekend. I might also give any one of them as a treat on a weekday. We like lots of treats at my house.... Life's too short!

I don't think it would be unreasonable for a weekend to include all of those things. Mcdonalds would be the only thing we don't do frequently.

1. McDonald's - treat for school hols etc
2. Soft play - we used to go weekly as children need activities
3. Swimming - essential life skill.
4. A new book - definitely not a treat. Books are staples.
5. A small bag of jelly sweets - no. Lots of children have sweets.
6. A magazine - treat every couple of weeks

My kids have done none of those this weekend! Just had a very chilled one but they’ve had some fun playing with their cousin.

1. McDonald's - very rarely only really if travelling so maybe twice a year.
2. Soft play - quite rare, maybe once a month on average, sometimes it’s a party as well rather than something we go to.
3. Swimming - they have lessons every week and we tend to take them in the school holidays. We do have a hot tub set up in the summer which they love to go in.
4. A new book - quite rare, birthdays or similar but we do get library books often and occasionally buy them from charity shops.
5. A small bag of jelly sweets - only if they get them at a party.
6. A magazine - hardly ever these days as they are expensive and contain plastic tat!

So I’m probably classed as a mean mum by some but I think my kids are happy and not spoiled! They are also young (5 and 3) so easily pleased with a trip to the park or seeing family. I’m sure this will change as they get older.