To think letting kids eat McDonald’s weekly is borderline neglect?

[BeAlertBeaker]

It’s not “a treat” if it’s regular.

We do something similar after an activity. We're limited to McDonalds as it's somewhat coeliac friendly if we take our own buns. In an average week, we have no other takeaway or freezer meals other than this.

DD (12) has a McDonalds once a week on the way back from one of her 4 hour dance classes (she has 2 of those per week plus another 2.5 hour). She eats perfectly well every other day, plenty of fruit, veg and protein. She's 5'4, size 6-8 and made of muscle. Totally neglected though obviously.

PP said weekly, fast food on a weekly basis.

I think it's a beard for "hideous working class families who clearly all lack education and finesse"

There's such a misconception about "working class" people on here.

I'm working class (but live a middle class life if you like) professional senior job, home owner who's mortgage was paid off in my 30s (no inheritance thankyou) enjoy canoeing and country walks with my lovely family. But you know what : I am WC from a WC family.

But according to people like the OP and some other snob up thread, WC= chav from the estate with a kid named Jayden (under 'the social ') who's so uneducated that they feed Jayden (and his 5 rough louty brothers and step brothers) nothing but UPF chicken nuggets. Poor souls, that's who McDonalds was designed for in their eyes. Such elitism.

It's not "borderline neglect" though.
No parents are perfect, it's not a problem.

No, it isn’t. For context we rarely have UPFs in the house and my 8 year old go to Costa often weekly. Costa is no better than McDonalds but over the week her diet is probably better than the average child her age.

You'll be reported to Social Services!

It's not even necessarily "bad parenting". There are many reasons why someone might give McDonald's weekly, you have no idea.

Well clearly you have no idea because you think it's neglect 🙄

Not everyone parents like you do, stop being so judgemental.

Judging others becsuse you dont approve isnt great parenting either.

You say you're not calling anyone who does this abusive, but you are, neglect is child abuse.

I'm not a McDonalds fan but you are being ridiculous. It's once a week!

'Our weekly family treat after church is to share some nuggets and fries to keep us going until Sunday lunch.'

You have chips and nuggets as as morning snack before lunch?

Judgy or what? My child played at National level when he was young which meant coaching, tournaments and sometimes we had to eat on the hop. If I had to go home and cook I wouldn't have time for all that. My son is grateful he has been able to add playing at this level onto his UCAS forms.

Who cares a McDonalds is fine!

going to order myself a breakfast

It’s a good point and I get that not every meal needs to be home-cooked from scratch. But I’d argue there is a meaningful difference.

With freezer food at home, parents usually have more control over portion sizes, sides, added salt/sugar, and drinks. A plate of nuggets and oven chips with some veg or fruit still isn’t ideal every week but it’s not engineered in the same way fast food is to be addictive, hyper-palatable, and brand dependent.

McDonald’s isn’t just about what’s on the plate - it’s a whole experience designed to create lifelong customers. That’s what makes it more concerning when it becomes a regular fixture for kids.

Once a week is fine if they eat healthy most of the time. Food is about nutrition but it's also there to be enjoyed. You're either being inflammatory or you're very naive. But either way, you are wrong.

All of this 👏🏼

No it's not. Possibly if it was every day, IF that child would otherwise eat a healthy diet if offered (I.e. no SEN). But IMO it's no worse than pizza, white bread ham sandwiches or lots of other foods that are considered standard.

Wow through working alongside social services and seeing cases of actual neglect I'd say no. It's unhealthy but it's not neglect no 😵‍💫

Oh dear - my DC used to get a happy meal weekly, at the drive through on the way home from a surf club. Sometimes they even got McFlurrys! Poor neglected little things.

It’s not healthy but it’s not the worst. No worse than frozen chicken nuggets and chips that are served to kids every other night in some homes.
Once a week is fine

We share a box of 9 nuggets and a large fries between us after Church at about 1pm, and then Sunday 'lunch' at about 4pm.

I was neglected as a child, never had enough to eat but McDonalds was banned because it was unhealthy 😂

Now, DS is obsessed and although we don’t go weekly, probably a few times a month. But his choices (not mine!) are a fruit bag instead of the fries, veggie dippers and orange juice. And the happy meal toy, which is basically why we go! Still not as green as I’d like but definitely not terrible in the long run.

I actually think it’s really harmful to slap the word neglect on any parental behaviour we don’t agree with. It’s your opinion that’s not the best thing for a child, so that’s how you raise your child/ren. It’s not the same as neglecting a child.

'A jacket potatoe and salad is also rather dull and not a treat'

I didn't say it was a treat. A pp suggested some people can't afford 'Middle class culinary experiences' and I was merely saying loads of healthy/Middle class culinary experience food is cheaper than MacDs.

We eat fast food. Occasionally, not weekly.

I think you need to look up what neglect is!!
Feeding a child macdonalds once a week is not neglect. Not feeding your children that is neglect!!

I’d say 6/7 day healthy(home cooked meals, fruit, yoghurts, egg etc etc), McDonald’s at the weekend, find. Crap food daily then McDonalds weekly then yes- they actually brought someone to court over child neglect because the child hadn’t had any fruit veg or anything nutritious and had extreme deficiencies not seen in years, was living in pizza chips sweets and fizzy drinks