I have neighbors whose kids' "dinner" consists of a Lunchables packet. Or a frozen burrito. Not once in a while. Almost every night. Heck, I've been know to throw in a pack of mini-corn dogs for the kids, but it usually includes a side of broccoli or cauliflower or one of those "Garden Mix" packs. I'm all for the OCCASIONAL trip to Mickey D's, but not every stinkin' day. Not once every stinkin' week even.
I was raised on the Mandatory Dinner Composition rule [Meat, Starch (potato, rice, noodle), Vegetable] and we pretty much stick to it. Our kids love spinach. They beg us for more carrots. They're not "weird" kids; they still hate brussel sprouts (and really, who doesn't?).
So what am I bitchin' about? I am sick and frickin' tired of other people's kids showing up at our back door, every freakin' night, at about 5:15 -- "Hey is Kyla here? Can I stay for dinner?" Spoken as one as-if-the-punctuation-wasn't-there thought.
The first question being superfluous. I am not surprised.
I swear on my family name that I am not making this up:
One little girl (age five) had NEVER seen cauliflower or real pears or broccoli or canned peaches and, I'm guessing, a host of other natural foods before being served them at our house. Had NO IDEA what they were and didn't want to eat them. We related our rule of "You have to take at least one bite to try it." With my kids saying "Try it; it's really good" (particularly as concerns the pears and peaches) she did.
Her mother says she "doesn't like vegetables."
They're the first thing she polishes off on her plate at our house.
But this new advertisement just goes too damn far. And it yanks my chain hard enough that I am glad that Digby covered it and saved me the rant.
Well, a longer rant anyway.
So what to do about the kids? I can't feed every damn kid in the neighborhood. And I hate consigning them to nutritional hell. And you KNOW it wouldn't be easy bringing it up with the parents.
SAMPLE CONVERSATION
"Hey Bob, what's up?"
"Nothing much. How 'bout them Braves?"
"Hey they looked great last night. Damn bullpen is going to kill them though. Speaking of the Braves, I went to a game last week and had a microwave burrito and a fistful of fries. That's the same thing you guys feed your kids every night for dinner, right?"
(insert stunned, angry silence and hateful, stinkeye glare here)
I'm stymied.