Mary - posted on 07/20/2012 ( 161 moms have responded )
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There has been a huge hullabaloo this past week after the CEO of the fast food chain Chick-Fil-A, Dan Cathy, responded to questions about the company's support of anti-Gay, Christian organizations. While it has never been a secret that the founders of Chick-Fil-A were very Christian, and it was public knowledge that the company had made millions of dollars in donations to organizations such as The Family Research Council, the company had never really made any straightforward, public proclamations about it's stance on these topics until now.
In the past few days, Dan Cathy has addressed his family's (and, therefore Chick-Fil-A's) unabashed support of the"traditional" family:
"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that...we know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."
"...I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,' and I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17...
The backlash from this was immediate, with widespread calls for those who support gay rights and marriage equality to boycott the company. It makes sense - if you are eating there, you are indirectly supporting their causes.
Here's my quandary: If I were still childless, I would have no problems never darkening their doorstep again. Despite their popularity, I pretty much never went there unless I was with someone who had small kids. However, once my daughter hit about 20 months, that all changed. I wouldn't say we were there on a regular basis - maybe once every other month. However, there is no denying it is one of the most parent AND kid-friendly places on the planet. They have a great indoor play area that is always clean. There service is simply remarkable, and no other fast food chain can compare. They will set up a high chair at your table, bring your tray out to you, and fetch whatever condiments or utensils your need. For the preschoolers, you have the option of getting an age-appropriate board book in place of the toy. Actually, even the "toy" for the over 3's is often a book (I loved when they doing some of the classic Little Golden Books).
There is also no denying that the taste and quality of their food is, while still fast food, certainly the least unhealthy option out among the genre, and also the most tasty. My 3 y/o's standing order is the 4 count grilled chicken nuggets, fresh fruit cup, and apple juice. Every other fast food chain is pretty much inedible in comparison.
As I said, I don' take her there often; it's only if we are travelling and have to eat on the road, or as a rare treat to break the monotony of everyday life. As much as I'd like to stick to my moral guns on this one, I'm really struggling with denying my preschooler this infrequent little joy over an issue that she is (and at this age should be) blissfully unaware of.
Thoughts?
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