In which the blogger criticizes the way other people raise their children

The kids and I went to a newly-opened McDonald's for lunch and playtime today. (Probably won't be back, as there's no door at the PlayPlace entrance, which means Eric felt free to race out into the restaurant proper where I had to chase him down, but Faith enjoyed the different playground.)

I rarely actually eat lunch at the McDonald's, but it's a great place for me to sit and read the newspaper or get caught up on magazines while the kids get to Play Well with Others. They're contained where I don't have to worry about crazy people or traffic, and it's all climate-controlled so it's an all-weather, all-season playground with reasonably-comfortable seats and free refills. What's not to love?

Plus, of course, it's the perfect venue for that perennial favorite parents' game, "I'm Sure Glad My Kid's Not That Much of a Brat." At our usual McDonald's last month, I enjoyed a banner day in the sport, when a four-ish boy came in dressed like a miniature sk8r-boi, complete with black T-shirt, baggy black jeans, and a curly asymmetrical haircut a la the late Heath Ledger circa "10 Things I Hate About You." His surly pose was spoiled by only one thing -- the baby blue pacifier that never left his mouth except when he ate.

Now, I know the pacifier habit is a hard one to break. We made Eric go cold turkey shortly before his 2nd birthday, and I felt so sorry for him. But given that your kid is running around with a pacifier not long before kindergarten, why dress him like a 15-year-old? It makes for a jarring juxtaposition.

Now you can probably go find the sk8r-boi's mom's blog wherein she criticizes something my kids were doing at McDonald's last month. The game goes on....