#MomLife: No More Happy Meal Toys

My son asked me to get him a Value Meal today instead of a Happy Meal. I almost cried. 

Is this the point where my 8 lb. 6 oz. baby magically turns into a big boy who no longer needs the toy in the Happy Meal to make him happy? I feel like we were just in the diapers and bottles stage, and now we are moving into the ‘tween’ stage. How did we get here? 

I remember when he was a baby, he was such a sweet, smiley little boy. He barely cried and was perfectly content just hanging out and watching the world move around him. The toddler stage with him was much different. I have blocked out much of the memories from that stage because of how traumatic it was. 

Nathan turned into a tiny tornado who left nothing in his path upright. We found out he was Autistic in the toddler stage, which explained many of the behaviors we were experiencing. We also learned a lot about ourselves, and how we cope with change and life. It wasn’t all bad, but it was still pretty painful. 

From the toddler stage we moved into the little boy stage. The stage where he was learning to become independent. Learning about things he liked and disliked, and teaching us to accommodate his needs as they came along. We were working diligently to help him navigate life with Autism, and he started to be able to do more things for himself. But he still needed some help. He still needed me. He still needed that Happy Meal.

This past September we hit a milestone that I wasn’t sure we would ever get to. Nathan turned double digits! We were finally moving in a direction of personal growth. He is able to dress himself, feed himself, express his needs, and don’t even get me started with the attitude he is developing. He moved from the 4-piece chicken nugget Happy Meal to the 6-piece Big Kid’s Meal. But it didn’t hit me like this latest move hit me. Two extra nuggets isn’t really a big deal, right? 

When he asked me for a 10-piece Value Meal it hit me like a truck. Wait a minute, was he telling me that instead of the dumb little Happy Meal toy he wanted four extra nuggets? Naturally I asked him why he wanted a regular meal and not a Happy Meal, and his response was one that I won’t forget. 

“Mom, I think it’s time I grow up and stop playing with Happy Meal toys.” 

Wait… what? Can you repeat that please? Did my 10-year-old just tell me it’s time for him to grow up? Nope, I don’t accept that. 

Navigating this world of Autism is filled with so many unknowns. Will he be able to do the same things other kids can do? Will he grow up and become independent, and be able to live on his own? Will he get married? Will he become a dad? Will he be able to get a job? As much as I want to see Nathan grow up into the young man he is becoming, I also want to keep him in a bubble and not let him grow up. He is still my baby after all, even though he would feel differently about that. 

It’s funny to me that a meal from McDonald’s triggered all of these thoughts this week. Something as silly as the number of nuggets means so much more than I thought it would. It means my son is growing older and sooner or later he will not need me as much. Soon we will move into the teenager stage. I don’t know what I’m going to do when he asks for more than 10 chicken nuggets.

How will I react? What will I do? I’ll probably cry a little, and then write a column about it, letting other moms know that they are not alone. I am feeling the same feelings that you are, and it’s ok to feel sad when your children are growing up. Who knew nuggets would be my tipping point?   

Steph Hightree is a hot mess mom who is fueled by stress and too much caffeine. She is a Three Rivers native who talks about the good, the bad, and well, everything else about parenthood.


Any views or opinions expressed in “#MomLife” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or