Taking the "Happy" Out of that Happy Meal!!!

Remember when you were in elementary school and it was your turn to celebrate your birthday in class? If you were like me, your mom would bake homemade cupcakes or cookies and send them with you to school, so your classmates and you could enjoy a treat and celebrate your big day. Well, it looks like your kids may not be able to celebrate the same fun way you did. It seems that it isn’t enough to simply discourage students to eat or bring sweets to school; now, various State Boards of Education, like Pennsylvania, are attempting to limit the number of birthday celebrations in an all-out effort to combat sweets in the classroom. Is it just me, or does this sound absolutely outrageous? But wait a minute because the madness does not end in the confines of your child’s school. The City of San Francisco is going to extreme measures by attempting to stop McDonalds from selling Happy Meals. I kid you not.

I never thought I would see the day when parents would lose their role as parents. The majority of parents across the country are good parents who want the best for their children. When did it become okay for schools, cities and the government to dictate what a child can and cannot eat? The answer is simple: NEVER. Instead of combating against teacher layoffs and budget shortfalls, school districts are more worried about whether or not students should get to have cookies on their birthdays. Instead of worrying about being on the verge of bankruptcy, cities like San Francisco are more worried about confiscating Happy Meals. Instead of worrying about the high number of individuals who are losing their jobs each day, our government is more worried about dictating what our children should weigh and eat. While I am all for healthy eating, regular exercise and living a good lifestyle, individuals do not need to be educated on how best to raise their children.

I find it ironic that, although schools and cities are going to the extreme of cutting junk food from students' diets, they have no problem cutting down the amount of physical-education time students receive on a daily basis. That doesn't make much sense, now, does it? Instead of allowing parents to parent, the government is taking over this role. It is time for the government to step aside and let parents do what they were created to do: parent.

The 2010 mid-term election results signify that people are sick and tired of what is going on in our country. With all the problems going on in America today, it is pretty petty and ridiculous to remove sweets from schools and Happy Meals from fast-food chains, but I have a feeling this is just the beginning as those in charge attempt to control as many aspects of our lives as possible. They better watch out because it is crystal clear that we, the people, have had enough. If they are coming in between parents and children today, what will they do next week or in the months to come? At what point is the line drawn? It leaves me wondering if our children- the future generations of America- are going to grow up in a world of excessive rules and regulations, a world that is unrecognizable to their parents.