“Not the flex you think”: Mom who made her kids use their own Christmas money for McDonald’s fires back at critics

A mother found herself at the center of a heated TikTok debate after sharing that she had her children use Christmas money to buy dinner at McDonald's.

TikToker Katie King (@katehomelearns) recorded her two kids sitting down for their meal with a text overlay that read, "Yes they eat McDonald's. Yes I made them pay for it with their own money they got for Christmas." In the caption, she noted, "This is home education."

The video reached more than 1.2 million views. Some commenters were judgmental, while others accused King of poor parenting and questioned her motives. 

Critics slam mom for having kids pay for their meals

Soon after the video was posted, folks passed judgment on her parenting style in the TikTok comments section. One viewer asked, "Girl you wanted them in this world but now you don’t want to pay for their damn food?" Another wrote, "This is so wrong."

Others echoed similar reactions. "'Why don’t my kids come to visit me anymore?' Food is a basic essential thing, it’s a necessity, not something they should pay for at that age," one person commented.

Then another added, "Not the flex you think." One critic also argued, "As their parent you should be providing then, not making them pay."

"Do people think this is normal? genuine question," one more curious person asked King. "This is so sad in my opinion, taking them to buy a small toy or a small sweet etc will also teach them the value of money, making them pay for there own food? That's a teenage lesson no?"

The mom said the meal was a lesson, not a punishment

When responding to the criticism, King stressed that the choice belonged to her kids. "Why is there an age on learning the value of food?"

She asked. "This was their choice. They had the freedom to choose between a home-cooked meal 'free' meal at home, or McDonald's paid for by them. What’s the issue?"

King said her family practiced home education. Because of that, she tried to incorporate real-life lessons daily.

"Teaching value of money and money management is very important and this was one of those times," she told the Daily Mail.

Additionally, King shared that her children received a weekly allowance for chores, and so they were already familiar with managing money. "We teach them the importance of saving some, spending some, and in the future investing some," she said.

She also shared an example involving her son. When he asked for Pokémon cards or candy, she often reminded him he could buy them himself. Then, she said, he frequently paused and decided not to spend the money.

Although the comments upset her, King admitted the criticism was hard to read. "It’s okay to not agree and ask questions," she said. "But personally attacking someone and name calling will never be okay."

In the end, she added, "Them spending $4 and $7 on a meal really isn’t a big deal for them."

@katehomelearns did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.