Be forewarned: This is a rant. As a mother of two girls, I am soooo sick and tired of going into restaurants (basic AND fine dining) where the kid’s menus only offer the pathetic, unhealthy choices of chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, or a burger! Why is it so “dumbed down”? I understand that kids can be finicky and maybe those options are considered comfort foods of some sort, but come on! We’re talking fried, over-processed and/or frozen foods here. How are these even remotely healthy for our children? Oh, and when did FRENCH FRIES become a healthy vegetable?

My children have been raised with diverse palettes and, therefore, are not very picky and, in fact, will choose to eat things like sushi, bruschetta, and seafood bisque. I’m ashamed that restaurants ASSUME that they could not possibly appreciate anything more than the bland, tasteless, unhealthy crap on the kid’s menu! This may get a little “ranty”, but it must be said. My kids are older now and the kid’s menu is really no longer an issue, but even when they were younger, I had to opt to split adult meals with them because healthy options were (and still are) just non-existent and, really, how can this be? In a day and age, where health has practically become a religion, I should be able to walk into any restaurant and have a reasonable menu presented to my children. I happen to know that there are kid-friendly, healthy meals out there, as I make them on a daily basis! Are they just trying to keep it quick and cheap? If anyone on this planet needs nutrition for growth, it’s children. And, don’t even get me started on lunches offered in our schools…ugh!

Now, I’m not saying that eating at a restaurant is necessarily healthy, but there are healthier OPTIONS. Eating natural (organic) foods at home is best, of course, but we DO go out on occasion. I’m no Julia Childs! I mean, personally speaking, I know that if I choose the fettuccine, it’s going straight to my *ss, but at least I know that I can choose a chicken caesar salad or a tuna sandwich on wheat, you know? And, quite frankly, I would be willing to pay a higher price for a child-sized meal that my kids enjoyed and I felt good about giving them. I’m their mother, it should be a priority.

One last thing. Going out to eat is should be considered a “treat”, so it doesn’t really make sense that your kids’ menu options are dwindled down to something you can whip up at home…when the whole point was to get something different and tasty; something extra special, something that you probably DON’T know how to make at home. Just sayin’….