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?

1- no way, my kids would think they were being punished for something (pizza or fish and chips would be acceptable alternatives to them)
2- soft play a treat for them that I would never ever take them to at the weekend. Hell on earth.
3- swimming, life skill, exercise, fun but not a treat
4- depends on what they're into, a book couls be a treat for my dsd, but not for my youngest
5- sweets are a treat, but my kids aren't fussed, they'd rather have a packet of crisps, or a small chocolate bar
6- magazine, a very rare treat for long car trips, as we don't support throwaway culture.

It's all about perspective really. Some kids might see those things as treats, others wouldn't. If we want to treat ours we go to the café after our daily beach walk and they can choose a cake or packet of crisps.

I'm with person A and then some. Add on zoos, days out, museums, stately home playgrounds too. And other parks and playgrounds. Sometimes cinema bowling trampolining.
Soft play weekly.
Mcdonalds regularly
Books and magazines regularly / weekly
Swimming weekly.

B should stop judging A for being a better parent than B

😂 To answer thw actual question though, it's entirely up to you what activities/food you and your kids enjoy in your time together.

Sounds 'normal' to me.

I came here for the smug McDonald's comments and I have not been disappointed. We go every 2-4 seeks roughly and buy my children fish finger happy meals with fruit bags and water. The absolute horror of the place.

Thanks crustycrab, who doesn't love a book for a pound! We are past the Happy Meal stage now but we had a large collection of those books at one point, happy days

This weekend, DD 7 went to Softplay on Saturday, swimming today and lunch out, got a book the other day, and had some sweets...

Soft play for friends birthday £0. Swimming... It costs £5 for an adult, both DDs are free due to swim lessons. Lunch out, £5 each. Books were free with their voucher.

Macdonalds - maybe once a week, sometimes more often if Dd is swimming at galas away from home.
Swimming - 5 x a week (competitive swimmer)
Soft play - Dd has outgrown the local ones
New book or magazine once a week bought during the big Saturday shop.
Sweets/crisps Saturday evening treat

I came here for the smug McDonald's comments and I have not been disappointed

It's great, isn't it. Really amuses me! I do find myself getting irrationally irritated by people who spell it MacDonalds though. There's no bloody A in the Mc.

I'm off to get some Mcds chips on the back of this thread.

All treats in our house. Maybe if we had more money some of them would be a regular thing.

I'm with person B. Those things are occasional treats because I prefer to do outdoor activities, don't like the plastic tat that goes with magazines, avoid sweets/McDonald's where poss.

Tell your sil to sod off. We all parent as we see fit and it is none of her business the choices you make as long as those choices aren't abusive (which clearly they aren't in this case). I'd have just replied that I enjoy being able to give my dc such things and experiences and that if I wanted advice I'd ask for it. Some people need to learn to think it, not say it.

If it’s your sister in law I’d also assume she’s jealous. Does she have kids? It’s very odd she’s trying to stop you doing these things with your child.

The only thing we'd do on a regular basis is sweets. Only go to McDonald's every couple of months, ours have tons of books already. Soft play is a noisy nightmare so would only be every now and again. Swimming is a faff of getting changed and I have issues with public pools so not something we would do. Magazines they would get for travelling/ holiday.

McDonald's as a rare treat, sweets a more regular treat. Everything else pretty normal things.

McDonald’s- they’d say it was a treat, I’d say it’s if I’m very pushed for time or we’re travelling.
Swimming/ soft play- rainy day activity (though only when I can afford it so not every weekend)
Book- treat. Yes it’s educational/ good for them, but still a treat.
Magazine- waste of money. Only when ill to take their mind off it.
Sweets- occasional treat, but I try not to label it as one if that makes sense?

Blimey this is making me feel stingy! None of those I’d consider real ‘treats’ that I’d make a big deal out of but all of those things (except swimming) are things we do infrequently so the chances of us ever doing all on the same weekend are very slim.

McDs - once or twice a year
Soft play - usually only for a birthday party, maybe 3-4 times a year
Swimming - most weeks
Books - maybe once a month
Sweets - never buy them, get them at parties
Magazine - a few times a year

For us, swimming and a small bag of jelly sweets every week would be be normal.

McDonalds once in a blue moon
Soft play occasionally, but with friends as a treat. Wouldn't be an activity we did as a family alone just because.
New book, rarely. We borrowed 8 per week from the library. Would only have bought one if it was really, really loved and was going to be endlessly reread.
Magazine - waste of money with loads of plastic tat on the front. Tried to avoid at all costs.

Plenty of other "treats" weekly though - splashing in puddles, trips to the park, walk in the woods, visiting friends, making papier mache, cooking brownies, visiting Grandma's chickens, walking Nanny's dog, going to the beach, having a picnic, having a friend over, collecting pine cones, painting a picture, going crabbing, playing in the mud kitchen etc, etc.

B should stop judging A for being a better parent than B
A spends tons of money. doesn’t necessarily make her a better parent. not a worse one either, but spending money and being a hood parent are not correlated

I came here for the smug McDonald's comments and I have not been disappointed

But WHAT smug comments? People who just don't like it?

I've been on MN for nearly 13 years and it's ALWAYS the same. If anyone dares to say that McDonalds food is shit and tastes bloody awful, then the McD lovers are all over it, telling posters that they're 'judging', 'smug', even 'virtue signaling' ffs.

I don't give a shit what you all eat. I just happen to think McDonalds tastes awful.

McDonalds lovers on MN are the most defensive eaters on the bloody planet.

It's not necessarily 'tons of money' though? It's around £30 for the whole weekend, from what I can work out. That might be tons to some people, but I don't think it's that outlandish for a whole weekend of activities, if you have disposable income to cover it. Given a single trip to the cinema can cost in excess of that, I think it's pretty good value, really, for a fairly busy weekend!

Yes but in terms of cost - presumably you didn't pay for him to get in and then stand outside waving through the window? If we go to McDonalds as a family it costs nearly €30 and that's if DS2 doesn't get his own happy meal but nicks bits of everyone else's meal. And I guess swimming was probably more for your own entrance fee as well.

But I am out of touch with how much these things cost in the UK, soft play in particular is insanely pricey where we are and adults have to pay to get in as well even though obviously you have to be there to supervise the kids and aren't playing.

Wow. I think that sounds like a very treaty weekend.

My kids had sweets on Friday. Then ds has had a rugby match. Dd has played at home and in the garden. She's 5. They did also spend their £1 book voucher on the free book on Friday after school.

We have a McDonald's maybe once every 6 months.

Magazines are maybe once every 4 months and a Massive treat. They are £4.50 a pop!! For my two that's an hours work to buy plastic tat.

I wouldn't consider swimming at th local pool a treat - that is good exercise in the winter.

Wow, no wonder people can't afford stuff if this Is considered a normal weekend. There's the best part of £100 spent there - Times that by 52!!!!!

@BertieBotts around ours it would be a minimum of £30, assuming the adult doesn’t eat at macdonalds, no food/drink at softplay, choosing the cheapest softplay and the book was from the charity shop. otherwise more £50. unaffordable for one weekend!

Soft play here is £2 if you go before 10am, £4.75 otherwise. If it was just OP and her child at McDonalds, I'd say under a tenner, depends what you get. Happy Meal is only £3. Swimming, council pool here isn't that expensive, I think it'd be £12 for two adults and one child. If it was just me taking DD, under a tenner. Book, maybe £4/5 then a couple of quid for a magazine and sweets.

If you're taking 10 kids then obviously it's more expensive! But if it's just activities for one kid, I don't think it's that expensive, really, compared to a lot of other stuff, given how much they actually did.