Waitress calls out 'lazy American' parents for feeding kids unhealthy meals 3-4 times a week

It’s widely believed that children need to develop healthy eating habits early to carry them into adulthood. A server at Applebee’s sparked a discussion on this matter when she expressed concern over a family visiting her restaurant several times a week and ordering their children the same unhealthy foods. The woman felt that with a little effort, the parents could make better choices for their children. The server, known as @rissrora on TikTok, shared her thoughts on the issue.

"Two kids' meals I gave out at work. Stop feeding your kids literal trash." the server wrote, sharing a photo of a plate with a corn dog, mozzarella sticks and onion rings. She continued, "We offer yogurt, grilled cheese, mac n cheese and so much more but you feed them…pure cholesterol?” She added, "Lazy Americans." Her caption read, "Like, is this not an insane-looking meal for a 5-year-old? There is a lore here. A family of seven comes in three to four times a week and orders *food pictured* for their kids every time." The post quickly gained attention and critisicm, prompting the woman to disable the comments section.

In an update, the woman elaborated on her viewpoint and addressed accusations of "food shaming." She clarified that the children were over the age of five and under ten, so they were not toddlers. "They can be picky, sure, but they order the same food every single time," she explained. The woman also referenced statistics showing that two in five adults are obese. "Because I have a comments section full of people disagreeing that five kids shouldn't eat the same type of food four times a week as their parents just sit there and drink," she said. She further stressed the importance of instilling healthy eating habits early on, noting, "People don't understand that when you're raising your kid, especially when they're younger... you're helping your kid develop eating patterns, and those eating patterns stay with them until they're adults."

"This is why people become obese. Because you're teaching your kid [crappy] eating patterns, and you're not teaching your kid how to eat in moderation and now they don't know how to eat," the woman emphasized. "Am I wrong for pointing out that the parents clearly don't care about those kids? I really don't think so." She captioned the video, "People were threatening me and my job over me pointing out that it isn't a good thing to constantly feed your kid fried food?" Supporters flooded the comments section, expressing their agreement with the woman’s perspective.

@janne.lewis46 wrote, "You are correct; they are either lazy and don't care or consider the unhealthy diet they are feeding their kids, or they are too stupid to realize their kids will pay for it in the future." @bowieluvr1 commented, "Nah, you are valid. Even if they all are picky, as a parent, you can't just give into that at the detriment of the child's health. You are supposed to encourage them to gradually try new foods." @switchprincekyro6 remarked, "We need funding for more education for parents. I feel people don't think of the long-term consequences. But also, at least we know they're getting something to eat and the portions weren't unreasonable."

You can follow @rissrora on TikTok for more lifestyle content.