I love to take my son on occasion to have a Happy Meal or a Kids Meal. Of course, they come with toys. I remember when I was young that it was a real treat as we did not have much money. However, I also remember that I would not be able to play with the toys until I finished my meal.

I still carry this concept on with my son. Less than 2 years ago, it was hard to get him to try anything. He prefered to eat chicken. Now, I can at least get him to try things. It was this issue that I decided to not allow him to play with his toy until after he ate. I would snatch the toy and put it aside.

On occasion, I have seen other parents tune into my conversations and have had mixed reactions with it. Some thought I was a little mean. Others thought it was a great idea because they were having issues. Of course to those who thought I was a little mean, some accepted my reasoning. Others did not and I did notice their children were not eating their meals. In fact, the parents were on the verge of yelling if their child did not eat their food.

My question is… what is your policy…that is, for those who have occasionally taken their children out to eat? Do you take away the toy if your child is showing more interest in the toy rather than eating? Or do you let them have it?

I came across the twitter topic recently asking about ways parents could get their children to go green. My immediate response was to make a fun activity. Now, some parents have reward systems at home for their children putting paper, glass, and plastic into the recycle bins, but here are more.

1. Take your kid to the nearest science center and try the hands on activities that involve the environment. Help them understand the concept of going green while playing.

2. If you love to garden, involve your children and teach them how to plant. Let them touch the plants and ask questions.

3. Pick up children’s books from the library on the subject of anything dealing with nature and the environment. Take the time to read with your kids. Children’s books do not take very long to read anyway. And if your child can read… have them read to you.

4. Go on a camp out and talk about nature and how important it is to keep clean.

5. If it is a nice day, do not let your kid waste it by plugging into the internet or their games. Encourage them to go out for a few hours.

6. Do a neighborhood block cleanup and encourage telling your children that not only does it make their neighborhood look nices, but it is important to not throw garbage on the ground.

7. If a place (like the library) that you need to go to is within 1-2 miles, take your child along to walk. Of course, if you need to lug a lot of things home, this would not be a good idea, but if it can be done…do it. It is great exercise, you save gas, and you are teaching your child that you do not always have to use a vehicle to get everywhere, especially if it is close.

What things would you suggest in teaching your children the importance of ‘going green’?

Well, my son came from his father’s home with a Webkinz. For those who do not know what a Webkinz is, it is a plush-type animal that you can buy at the store and it comes with a code that you can sign up for a virtual version of that Webkinz. You can go to Webkinz.com and put that code in to register your toy and play games with it.

However, what Webkinz does not tell you until you sign up, is that it is only for a year your kid can play and then you would have to pay a renewal fee to use it once the year is up. To me, it kind of sounds like I am buying the toy twice over, right?

Of course, I could just buy another Webkinz and my son could enjoy another year, plus have another toy. I understand the upkeep it takes for servers, but is it necessary for Webkinz to charge a renewal fee? It is great that the site is safe for kids to use, but I would just rather buy him a challenging computer game for his age that does not require a yearly renewal fee.

What do you think?