Is it right to make the kids pay for their own Happy Meal??

I can’t believe I’m actually confessing this to strangers. But other moms have done this, right?? I’ve dipped into the kids birthday/Christmas money envelopes to help pay for Happy Meals at McDs. (I have to stress I’ve only done this once.) Hey, times are tough, mom runs out of money, and for the sake of the family’s sanity we needed to get out! It technically is food for them and therefore could be paid for with their money. Will they ever notice the missing $3? Probably not, but the guilt is horrible. What kind of mommy makes the kids pay for their own meal? Why aren’t I creative enough to make a fun meal and find a fun activity to keep us occupied? Am I a bad mother because I can’t do these simple things….AND I make my kids pay for it?

OK, enough. I have to stop beating myself up about it. All moms reserve the right to loose their head from time to time and do something stupid, expensive, unnecessary or unfair. We’re only human. Besides, I’ve never duct taped my kids to the floor, left them on the side if the road during a backseat squirmish, or “forget” to pick them up at school (as tempting is it might be). So maybe grabbing a few bucks from their rainy day funds isn’t so bad.

This is a guest post by Jeni, a mom friend. Jeni has “Weddings by Jeni” and you can visit her on Facebook by clicking here or Jeni is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jenihemingson