It is rare but at times I do find articles from CNN writers that are worth sharing for their positive traits.  Roland Martin offers such an article entitled "Parents, don't blame Happy Meals".

In the article Mr. Martin notes that the Center for Science in the Public Interest is promoting the idea that the state of California should ban toys from McDonald's Happy Meals.  They suggest "that the toys in Happy Meals are inducing children to eat burgers and fries, thus contributing to the obesity epidemic in America".

Here is an excerpt from the article:

For example, in a story in the Chicago Tribune, parent Monet Parham said her 6-year-old daughter was so enamored with toys offered in partnership with the movie, "Shrek Forever After," she pestered her mom to collect every toy. That would mean going to McDonald's every week, since the promotion was a giveaway each week. And that's not something Parham wanted.

So instead of being a parent and telling her child, "no," Parham decided to become a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Instead being the grownup and not giving in to the demands of a 6-year-old, Parham thought it made more sense to sue McDonald's to make her job as a parent easier.

I've long maintained that the problem today isn't children or the world changing. It's punk parents changing. Yes, I know that's a strong phrase, but when a parent can't control a 6-year-old, then we have some issues.

Mr. Martin asks the question "But at what point do some folks use common sense?"

Alas, "common sense" is no longer common... and it is hurting our children and our nation.

At the conclusion of his article, Mr. Martin offers this:

Parents, buck up and be the adult in the family, and stop blaming everything on an outside agency or corporation. Maybe McDonald's should think of suing sorry parents for not doing their job.

To that I offer a hearty, "Amen", sir!

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