Rules

As I was wandering around the internet this afternoon, I came across a discussion going on about wearing socks in McDonald's Playplace. A blogger by the name of Kerrie was apparently going all "Mama Bear" on some McDonald's employees over a policy which states that children using the Playplace must wear socks. She muses, "Look, I get that a policy is a policy. I’m just saying it’s stupid. I’m also saying that a lot of policies are stupid and should be challenged. No breastfeeding in certain restaurants, anyone?!"

As someone who very much supports breastfeeding, I just don't understand how anyone can put these two issues in the same category, or even the same area code. Babies need to eat. Breastfeeding is not a public health hazard. By contrast, children do not need to play in Playplace at all, much less barefoot. And barefoot children are a risk. What this blogger fails to realize in her Mama Bear, screw-the-man rant is that this policy protects her children as much as anyone else's. Bare feet are far more likely to be injured on play equipment than bare hands, and America is also an extremely litigious country. While socks don't offer a whole lot of protection, they certainly offer some. Further, even if the rule is "stupid", as she so eloquently put it, it's McDonald's Playplace, for Pete's sake. No one is forcing parents to take their children there, and McDonald's will happily welcome anyone who doesn't care to follow their rules (which are required by the health department) to locate the nearest exit and use it.

Such was the case when, also according to Kerrie's blog, a group of moms went into the Playplace barefoot to prove some point (that they have nothing better to do?) and refused to leave when management asked them to. Kerrie posted a very indignant, "...so the MANAGER CALLED THE POLICE. The police came and KICKED OUT THE MOMS AND KIDS!!!" Um, what would you expect when you blatantly walk into a place and defy the rules? And what is that teaching your children when you ignore the rules, regardless of why they are in place, and mouth off disrespectfully to people who are just trying to keep the peace and do their jobs? What that whole display comes down to is shooting the messenger; the McDonald's franchises don't make those rules, and the weakly-paid targets of this asinine sock harassment certainly don't. Perhaps she expected him to say, "Oh, well, ma'am, you're absolutely right. It is a ridiculous rule. Go ahead and let your children violate health department policy, because allowing them to play in the Playplace barefoot definitely trumps the possibility of fines or even being shut down for non-compliance with state health regulations."

I have a humble suggestion for those who feel the need to take up a cause to go all Mama Bear about it; how about tackling the bullying issue? Advocating for human rights in some way or another? And I mean real rights, like for people with autism or Down Syndrome? How about fighting for marriage equality? Better rights for homeschooling families? There are so many good causes out there to get passionate about. Making an issue out of something as banal as socks in McDonald's Playplace does nothing but create a stereotype about groups of moms hen-pecking about things that don't really matter so that you won't be taken seriously when something actually does.

(Note: While I disagree with this blogger on this particular issue, I can't say she seems like a bad person. In fact, it seems we have some things in common, like homeschooling and attachment parenting! And her blog is cute. I believe issues can be debated without hating each other, so that's my message for the day - don't hate :)