For several weeks, Burger King has been airing its ad for a kids’ meal deal. I don’t normally watch commercials if I can help it, but this one is hard to avoid. While I thought the whole thing was pretty dumb, I was quietly amazed to discover that it was marketing a kids’ meal.
Naturally, the ad has caused plenty of controversy, which was probably Burger King’s goal to begin with – more talk = more sales. You’ve got people on both sides crying out their points of view: “Get over it! Your kid has seen worse!” or “I am never going to Burger King again.”
My question is, what do you do when your kid sees this? Do you discuss it with them? Turn it off as quickly as possible? Explain to them in pre-school vernacular about the objectification of female bodies and using sex to sell hamburgers?
As a rule, we generally don’t watch t.v. when our kids are awake. It only comes on after they go to bed. But when they get older, this will inevitably change. I don’t look forward to seeing that line be pushed even further in a mere couple of years. Sure, we won’t allow them to have their own televisions, and yes, we’ll be monitoring what they watch as much as we reasonably can. We’ll be big supporters of reading books for entertainment and cultivating hobbies that exercise creativity. Bottom line, though, it’s pretty exhausting, trying to let our kids be kids in a culture that wants to make them grow up so fast.
I don’t normally watch the morning news shows. But yesterday, I was doing my routine search for the day’s weather and I saw a segment on the Today show about a New York mother who was arrested for endangering the welfare of her daughter. Did you see that?
Madlyn Primoff, a lawyer from Scarsdale, NY, reportedly got so fed up with her two bickering daughters (ages 12 and 10) while driving that she booted them from the family car at an intersection 3 miles from home. Primoff then drove off. She stopped and allowed her older daughter to get back in when the girl ran after her. But the younger daughter was left alone to fend for herself.
What astounds me most about this incident is what happened next: Primoff went home and reported her younger daughter missing.
That is when she learned the girl was already in police custody, thanks to a responsible citizen who took her in. Mom was then arrested for endangering the welfare of a minor.
Today hosted a psychologist and a parenting expert from Momlogic.com to discuss this matter, and they acknowledged that all parents have high-stress moments, and that handling bickering children is inevitable. They also agreed that this was not a good method for dealing with anger. Instead of totally losing it and doing something reckless, parents should
take deep breaths/count to ten
stop the car to take a “mommy time out”
have a plan in advance for how you will handle those high-tension, breaking-point moments with your children
Primoff made a mistake, no question about it. My goal in this post is not to judge her harshly, but to elicit suggestions and techniques that have worked for you. This is a cautionary tale. Let’s take advantage of it.
The floor is yours, mom crowd! What do you think? How do you keep your anger in check when dealing with unruly kids?
A friend of mine recently had her second baby. She is beautiful, calm, and quiet.
Baby’s older brother, Joe, is struggling. He is nearly 3, and the family adjustments are taking their toll on him. My friend shared with me how Joe tends to throw tantrums on a near-daily basis, taking out his frustrations on his dad (since dad is spending more time with Joe than usual).
Joe’s tantrums include yelling, throwing things, excessive crying, and to their dismay, biting. My friend is understandably concerned. Joe is a sweet boy. She knows that this is most likely a phase – but it’s a difficult one to endure. She said she’s been reading everything she can about how to handle tantrums, but she still finds herself at a loss sometimes. I have suggested that they share the issue with their pediatrician, and I’ve tried to encourage her that Joe will eventually get used to their family’s new dynamics.
Here are some other resources on the topic of tantrums:
Happy Easter! This picture of my daughter Lucy was taken two years ago when she was just 1. I remember that morning like it was yesterday; she had never seen a plastic egg before and had no idea what she was doing with it clutched in her little hand. Now she’s a rambunctious little girl running around saying, “I want more Easter eggs!” I know she is going to love the annual Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning – and the candy inside them even more so.
As with other holidays, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with all there is to do. Do my kids have good outfits for Sunday morning? Are we going to make a special meal? Did I get everything I need for their Easter baskets? (Will I be able to find their Easter baskets?) My hubby and I decided to take this year easy, since the kids are still pretty young and we’ve had a busy couple of months leading up to now.
Recently I heard about a simple bread that is easy to make with children that symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus. After it bakes, it becomes hollow on the inside to represent the empty tomb. This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy some family time, make a yummy treat, and remind the kids what Easter is all about! Here are a couple of recipes should you decide to try it:
For several weeks, Burger King has been airing its ad for a kids’ meal deal. I don’t normally watch commercials if I can help it, but this one is hard to avoid. While I thought the whole thing was pretty dumb, I was quietly amazed to discover that it was marketing a kids’ meal.
I don’t normally watch the morning news shows. But yesterday, I was doing my routine search for the day’s weather and I saw a 
Let’s take advantage of it.
A friend of mine recently had her second baby. She is beautiful, calm, and quiet.
Happy Easter! This picture of my daughter Lucy was taken two years ago when she was just 1. I remember that morning like it was yesterday; she had never seen a plastic egg before and had no idea what she was doing with it clutched in her little hand. Now she’s a rambunctious little girl running around saying, “I want more Easter eggs!” I know she is going to love the annual Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning – and the candy inside them even more so.
