I remember the stories that my family would tell me about how much I would beg to stop at McDonald’s on our long road trips. As soon as I would see the McDonald’s sign, I would call out for a stop at ‘Nobody Cans’!
In 1979, McDonald’s ran an ad campaign with the slogan ‘Nobody can do it like McDonald’s can’. I guess my interest in adverting started at 2-years-old. It an easy connection to make. In a one-minute commercial, I think they say ‘nobody’ over 25 times. (see below)
When I was about 8-years-old, I used to walk around the house with a tape recorder hosting my version of a variety show. I would interview family members, describe random things around the house, and inevitably record the flushing of a toilet. (What 8-year-old boy would not think that was funny?) However, whenever I cut to a break, it was always a McDonald’s commercial that I made up. I would sing a jingle or recite the latest slogan. I actually think the commercials had the most content because they had a clear focus.
Well, my relationship with McDonald’s has continued into fatherhood. I will take the girls over every once in while on Saturday mornings while Katie runs her own errands.
You may be thinking ok, so what? The insight for me is recognizing how precious and meaningful these mornings are for us. We have a blast and the girls recognize it as our thing. We eat and we play. We aren’t in a hurry, we order the same thing, and we have some of the funniest conversations. It’s in this environment that I really feel like a dad. It’s a father-daughter experience and it’s part of our foundation.
And I don’t think I’m alone. The funny thing is that I see a lot of dads and grandparents taking kids to McDonald’s. (You actually don’t see too many moms.) There are definitely the regulars and the older couples that have made Saturday morning at McDonald’s their thing for years. It makes sense, I think this was the place to be back in the day before coffee and bagel shops stormed every corner and created a ginormous market for premium coffee. (I mean, they call it a Latte because it costs a Latte and takes a Latte time to make!)
Anyway, I know it won’t be long before the girls grow out of the McDonald’s Play Place and I’m not sure how long this will be a tradition. That is also why I am counting on creating our own thing at home that I wrote about in Why I asked Santa for a Crepe Maker. I think the McDonald’s experience has highlighted that Saturday mornings are the perfect time to connect with the girls (at least until they are teenagers).
P.S. The latte joke was from a Bud Light radio commercial that was part of the Real Men of Genius campaign, where they saluted Mr. Fancy CoffeeShop CoffeePourer
Also, if you are feeling retro, you can see the 1979 McDonald’s commercial below: