Elementary school teachers

Eric Rogers17 said:Seriously, that teacher is a total weirdo. Since when do you lend money to a ten-year-old? You’re basically handing cash to a mom who isn't even there and definitely didn't agree to the loan.
By trying to claw that money back now, she just completely trashed whatever good intentions she supposedly had.

Exactly...

It's like her moral compass is spinning in circles.

If she's having trouble talking to the mother, you don't go through the kid. That's just shady.

It’s like when you’re driving down a highway in the middle of nowhere and suddenly realize the GPS just completely cut out—you're basically flying blind without that connection to the world. kaže:
I’m not really one for getting into heated debates on these forums, but hey, sorry if I'm stepping on any toes, but do you actually know what that word even means?I don't have anything to say right now.
It’s kind of like what someone else already pointed out—it just goes without saying. $6.75 Wealth means different things to everyone, but I honestly feel like any mother would give her kids the world if she could. I totally get where that mom was coming from because I grew up constantly hearing the phrase "we can't afford it," and it always stung seeing other kids with stuff I just didn't have. As someone who hopes to be a mom one day, I can only imagine how heavy that weight feels—that gut-punch feeling when you have to send your kid off on a school trip knowing they don't have any pocket money. It’s not like she’s choosing to struggle; she’s just doing her best with what she's got. At the end of the day, you can't just go out and have kids whenever you want, so you just have to make it work. Thank God I won't have to carry that specific kind of guilt.

I’m totally convinced my mom didn't have those kinds of thoughts, you know? It's just like how some people can see right through a situation while others are still trying to figure out the basic setup. $6.75I'm just sharing what I'd probably do if I were actually standing in her shoes for a second.
I’d probably take a completely different approach to this, honestly. Like, I'm just struggling to see where we're not on the same page—what part of this isn't clicking for you?
Even if that whole mess actually went down, I’d be right there at her place that same day to get everything squared away, because honestly, I wouldn't even dream of starting some massive drama online without having all my facts straight first.

I honestly couldn't live with myself if I ever let my kid end up caught up in something like that.
Honestly, you could’ve just pulled the teacher aside before everything kicked off that night and let her know the situation—like, tell her the whole holiday feast was already paid for and there was zero cash left over for a trip to McDonald's.

Honestly, we don't have a clue what was actually going down over there or why she decided to hand him that cash; I mean, it’s not like she was covering his losses if he had already completely blown through his savings, so maybe she just figured Mom hadn't seen the notification yet?

Honestly, all this chatter about hitting up McDonald's and those school field trips is totally off the rails; it feels like we're drifting into a completely different conversation altogether.

We’re just hanging out waiting for Mom to find a free minute to swing by the teacher's office so we can get the real scoop on how things are going.☕

This topic really caught my eye, mainly because I found myself in a situation very similar to what the author’s child is going through, so I’ve been playing the whole scenario back in my head.

Back then, I was in second grade, and I had English classes at school; they would be either first thing in the morning or right at the end of the day. One time, out of nowhere, the teacher announced that we were all going out for ice cream. Since I had school in the morning, I had already blown my lunch money during the break; my grandparents weren't exactly handing out cash either—they’d give me exactly five bucks for a sandwich—and my grandma would have dinner waiting for me at home anyway, so I didn't have any extra money to spare.

I went up to the teacher and told her that I’d honestly rather just go home, since I wasn't really in the mood for ice cream (truthfully, I just felt awkward about the whole thing). She started in with this lecture about how she couldn't just let me go home because she was responsible for me and blah blah blah, insisting that I essentially had to come along. So, reluctantly, I finally told her what the actual issue was. She just told me not to worry—she was paying.

We ended up at the local McDonald's for that tasteless ice cream that cost about three bucks back then. I remember being incredibly bored there. 🤷 There we all were, sitting around licking our ice cream, while I was thinking about the computer waiting for me at home. Oh, the joy. 🙄 Basically, I kept thinking the ice cream ordeal was over, only to worry that during the next class, she might call me out in front of everyone over those three dollars, which honestly made me quite defensive. It wasn't even about the embarrassment in front of the class, more about the sheer absurdity of the whole situation; it's hard to put into words even now. 🤷

I felt awkward telling my parents what happened, so I tried to justify asking them for those three dollars, since I always received the exact same amount of allowance. Naturally, that didn't fly. When my mom realized what was happening, she lost it and wrote a letter to the teacher (essentially asking who she thought she was, leading us around like that...) and included $2.25, the price of a cone. The teacher didn't say anything after that, but she didn't return the change either.

I know I've written a novel here, but my advice to the author is to try to shield her son from this story as soon as possible. There's no sense in him bearing the consequences of someone else's assumptions and unknown motives. Just sit down, talk to the teacher, and settle this once and for all.

Sarah James4 said:So basically, if I pull you aside, hand you cash, and tell you straight up it's a loan, and then you never even mention it or ask about it...

If she was "lending" it to protect him from bullies, then she shouldn't be asking for it back. It was a kind gesture. The kid never asked for a gift or a loan in the first place.

If she's sending "life lessons" to the mom, I'd be the first one to fire her. It's just not decent or moral to settle disputes with a parent by using a child as a messenger. It's totally unprofessional.

Sorry... but she basically overstepped by making decisions that aren't hers to make.

Either she should have just given it as a gift and kept quiet, or she shouldn't have given it at all. What she did was a complete mess.

We’re clearly talking past each other 😁.....

What I’m trying to get at—and yes, the kid was practically begging on his knees for a loan—is that a sane, rational adult wouldn't involve a child as a messenger to relay money-return requests to their mother, let alone make it a recurring thing tomorrow. Based on what was said, any reasonable teacher would be arguing the same point, so....
You mentioned the boy didn't pull on her sleeve—well, he shouldn't have had to!
I mean, who would just stand by a kid who's been isolated and not step in to help? Certainly not me.

So basically, I pull you aside, hand you cash, and explicitly tell you "I'm lending this to you," yet you don't even bother to follow up or ask...

.

Look, neither you nor I are ten years old, and we certainly don't have any burning desire to blend in with the 99% of our peers.
You can offer, and I can decline.
End of story.

Absolutely disgusting behavior from a teacher.

Picking pockets, showing zero empathy, and clearly lacking any basic upbringing...

Pathetic.

I am genuinely curious about that meeting this Monday; if it’s true that the teacher actually demanded the money back, then we have hit rock bottom.
I was incredibly mature and responsible even at ten years old, and I remember always being mindful of the price tag and whether I truly needed something whenever I picked out a gift, but not all children possess that level of restraint—especially little boys at that age. It is frankly idiotic to pin any responsibility on a child whose mind is solely occupied by the smell of french fries and burgers. All those previous agreements just fall apart, particularly when you realize that might be their one chance to grab a meal at McDonald's in ages.
The teacher is entirely at fault, not because she bought a small meal for a student, but because she had the audacity to ask for the money back afterward.
If it were some toy that everyone else was grabbing, I wouldn't have bought it for him, but for a meal? I would have. It is honestly quite pathetic to think that kids are so hungry for food, sweets, or McDonald's😢 because those things mean something to them at that age, and it truly disgusts me sometimes to see how much candy my nephew and relatives collectively hoard.
I would have bought it and left it at that.

And now I am absolutely incensed that the mother handled the situation this way; it's that classic "poor thing will always pay you back" mentality, which I have seen proven wrong far too many times in my professional life. If I were being rude, I'd say it plainly, but if I were playing it polite, I would look her dead in the eye with a cold stare and tell her, "You know, I can't afford to pay you back right now, things are really tight this month, which is why I packed sandwiches." Then, about two weeks later, I would drop those $7.00 off in cash just to make her feel awkward.🙂 And now, if anyone dares to tell me the teacher doesn't have the money either—then what was she giving in the first place if she's broke? Whenever I gave money, I always had it to spare, and I mentally wrote it off from the start: if they pay me back, great; if not, so be it.

I have to admit, I’ve been following this thread pretty closely—not really because of the stuff about $6.75 and McDonald's, but more because of all the bickering over teachers who are constantly dragging their students out on field trips.
My own students have been begging me to take them to the theater for an entire semester now. I keep promising them we'll go, and honestly, my conscience is eating me alive because I keep putting it off. But reading your comments? You guys have actually managed to quiet that guilt down quite a bit. 😁
Organizing a trip to the theater is something I do entirely on my own dime and in my own free time. If I'm choosing to spend a precious evening with a bunch of teenagers at a show instead of relaxing with my own family—basically playing the role of a chaperone and a bodyguard—then I expect that effort to be respected by both students and parents. If parents reacted even half as reasonably as you all have in this thread, I wouldn't feel so discouraged about going the extra mile.

hiddendriver34, since you mentioned teenagers and evenings, I'm assuming we're talking about high school.

And I doubt they'll be handed a quiz or an essay the very next day about whatever play you all went to see.

The issue here—and I’m throwing some shade at the elementary school teachers and the whole district in general—is that parents are getting increasingly frustrated with how often kids are being taken on trips. It feels constant (and just to reiterate, one of my kid's classmates had two field trips in a single week), whether they are necessary or not, and the parents are the ones footing the bill.
Then, on top of everything else, they end up being taken to McDonald's 🤷

Back when we were in high school, our teachers certainly didn't take us to McDonald's after a trip to the theater. 🤣

Again, I want to be clear: I don't think the teachers are being lazy or negligent. Usually, these rigid ideas about specific field trips—whether it's nature retreats, city tours, museum visits, or trips to Hershey Park—come from the top down. From the administrators, principals, and so on. I assume they are the ones reviewing agency proposals and deciding where and with whom the students will go.
My apologies if I got the hierarchy wrong, but that's just how it works in our preschool. We teachers don't decide on the trips or the shows; the director and the principal make those calls.
It's not like we design the curriculum ourselves, either. It's just handed to us. I get the feeling it's the same way with the K-12 schools.

So no, I don't hold the teachers responsible, which I've already noted in previous posts. But honestly, nothing is going to change as long as parents just keep pouring money into every single field trip and McDonald's run throughout the year.

So, what did she end up deciding? Did she actually sit down and have that talk with her teacher?

mellowtiger66 said:So, what did she end up deciding? Did she actually sit down and have that talk with her teacher?

It’s not even Monday yet! ☕

**

Like I said before, we used to go to the movies, the theater, or take school trips back in the day—and there wasn't a single McDonald's or anything like it in sight. But we had community service days, which is just unthinkable nowadays. During the school year, I think we had about four of those sessions. We'd be out cleaning up local parks, working in the woods, doing reforestation, or tidying up around the school grounds. Once we hit the upper grades, we were even doing actual labor for a local metal fabrication shop—welding, drilling, bending iron... you name it. And yeah, we had to lug our own shovels around, and I had 3.7 miles. all the way to school! Did anyone ever stop to ask us if we felt like doing it? Not a chance. You either showed up, or you took an unexcused absence.

Fast forward to today, and suddenly a school trip isn't complete unless it includes a mandatory pit stop at McDonald's. 🙂

It all sounds lovely on paper... but when I compare my upbringing to how my kids are being raised, I can only say one thing: they might be more advanced academically—because, Lord knows, the curriculum is massive now—but they lack any real work ethic. They don't respect what their elders do for them; they don't grasp the weight of it. Plus, they're being insulated from that reality entirely. That’s not good for the long run, because while they're just kids right now, one day they'll be adults, and parents themselves.

Kimberly Robinson2 said:It’s not even Monday yet! ☕

**

Like I said before, we used to go to the movies, the theater, or take school trips back in the day—and there wasn't a single McDonald's or anything like it in sight. But we had community service days, which is just unthinkable nowadays. During the school year, I think we had about four of those sessions. We'd be out cleaning up local parks, working in the woods, doing reforestation, or tidying up around the school grounds. Once we hit the upper grades, we were even doing actual labor for a local metal fabrication shop—welding, drilling, bending iron... you name it. And yeah, we had to lug our own shovels around, and I had 3.7 miles. all the way to school! Did anyone ever stop to ask us if we felt like doing it? Not a chance. You either showed up, or you took an unexcused absence.

Fast forward to today, and suddenly a school trip isn't complete unless it includes a mandatory pit stop at McDonald's. 🙂

It all sounds lovely on paper... but when I compare my upbringing to how my kids are being raised, I can only say one thing: they might be more advanced academically—because, Lord knows, the curriculum is massive now—but they lack any real work ethic. They don't respect what their elders do for them; they don't grasp the weight of it. Plus, they're being insulated from that reality entirely. That’s not good for the long run, because while they're just kids right now, one day they'll be adults, and parents themselves.

I agree. Times have changed, and people have too. Instead of focusing on character, everyone is chasing prestige. Everyone is just scrambling for status. I hear you.
Polazeci from my own perspective, I wouldn't expect a teacher to give me a gift for a $3 charge, but I also wouldn't expect them to casually swing by McDonald's whenever they feel like it... we have access to the student directories and teachers put all notifications in there, especially if money is involved.

It’s actually a relief to see a few Teachers in this group.
So, I’m looking for some straight talk here—give it to me straight.
When those workbooks and activity packets are being ordered for the kids at the start of the school year, do you guys get a kickback from the publishers?
To be blunt—in a situation like ours where we’re paying for all the materials, if we’re looking at $57supplies for 27 students, the Teacher ends up pocketing roughly $167.

And please, don't even try to tell me otherwise; I work in a school, so I know exactly how the gears turn.
Specifically, in my school, that extra cash is supposedly funneled toward the kids whose parents can't afford the supplies, acting as a sort of unofficial fund.
Is that how you all handle it??
Is it the same setup as when kids sign up for various magazine subscriptions??
I’m dying to hear what you have to say about this...

Charles Murphy6 said:It’s actually a relief to see a few Teachers in this group.
So, I’m looking for some straight talk here—give it to me straight.
When those workbooks and activity packets are being ordered for the kids at the start of the school year, do you guys get a kickback from the publishers?
To be blunt—in a situation like ours where we’re paying for all the materials, if we’re looking at $57supplies for 27 students, the Teacher ends up pocketing roughly $167.

And please, don't even try to tell me otherwise; I work in a school, so I know exactly how the gears turn.
Specifically, in my school, that extra cash is supposedly funneled toward the kids whose parents can't afford the supplies, acting as a sort of unofficial fund.
Is that how you all handle it??
Is it the same setup as when kids sign up for various magazine subscriptions??
I’m dying to hear what you have to say about this...

Of course they get a commission—whether it's for workbooks, Scholastic materials, or any other publisher... I actually know of a case at my school where a Teacher organizing a summer camp trip let her preschooler grandson go for free, and she told us herself. Besides, I used to work at a publishing house, so I'm not just guessing. What a teacher decides to do with that commission is entirely up to them. Whether they buy extra supplies for a student whose family is struggling or keep it for themselves... that's their call. But I also know that publishers always provide an extra copy or two, specifically to help out the kids who might not have the funds.

wiredwalker14 said:Of course they get a commission—whether it's for workbooks, Scholastic materials, or any other publisher... I actually know of a case at my school where a Teacher organizing a summer camp trip let her preschooler grandson go for free, and she told us herself. Besides, I used to work at a publishing house, so I'm not just guessing. What a teacher decides to do with that commission is entirely up to them. Whether they buy extra supplies for a student whose family is struggling or keep it for themselves... that's their call. But I also know that publishers always provide an extra copy or two, specifically to help out the kids who might not have the funds.

Must be nice being a Teacher.🙂
It's been a while... honestly, she should have just asked the students if they wanted McDonald's and organized it that way.☕

Do Teachers decide everything themselves?
I honestly find this whole situation completely baffling.
In my case, the worksheets don't exactly cost me extra out of pocket $57 because the final bill just ends up being lower overall.
The teachers collect the cash and then hand it over to the accounting department, but they keep a little cut for themselves.
Isn't that basically just stealing from parents???

wiredwalker14 said:Of course they get a commission—whether it's for workbooks, Scholastic materials, or any other publisher... I actually know of a case at my school where a Teacher organizing a summer camp trip let her preschooler grandson go for free, and she told us herself. Besides, I used to work at a publishing house, so I'm not just guessing. What a teacher decides to do with that commission is entirely up to them. Whether they buy extra supplies for a student whose family is struggling or keep it for themselves... that's their call. But I also know that publishers always provide an extra copy or two, specifically to help out the kids who might not have the funds.

Honestly, looking at all this, one could easily conclude that being a Teacher is a truly blessed profession. It’s practically all commissions and complimentary trips; you're constantly receiving little kickbacks left and right. It honestly seems like a much better gig than working in Congress or sitting on some corporate board of directors.🙄

I’ll say it again: I am genuinely baffled. If everything is supposedly so wonderful and rewarding about being a professor or a teacher, why aren't we seeing a mass exodus toward those careers? It makes no sense. Instead, we see people with minimal specialized training pulling in significantly higher salaries, yet nobody seems to want to discuss that discrepancy. Of course, the narrative shifts to how difficult it is to be a city bus driver, which conveniently justifies why they might earn more than an educator. It's a convenient excuse, really—as if the fact that they didn't need a four-year degree from a university like Yale or Stanford somehow validates the pay gap.

I have quite a few close friends working in the school system, and I simply cannot remain silent when I see comments like these—even if I know this isn't strictly the topic at hand. When I read these remarks, knowing firsthand what these educators endure from parents on a daily basis, I feel compelled to say that we ought to be erecting monuments to our teachers and professors. Personally, I wouldn't be able to finish my degree if I were subjected to the level of disrespect, condescension, and sheer rudeness that many students and their parents exhibit toward faculty today. It’s a cycle, really; after all, behavior doesn't just manifest out of thin air. No child is born with such a disposition; it clearly starts at home.🙄

Let’s get back to the point. It seems quite obvious that every student and their parents were perfectly happy to support McDonald's as long as there was cash being handed out to sweeten the deal, wasn't it? Honestly, I had no idea the Teacher was so intimately acquainted with the OP's financial struggles. If she truly noticed that only one child was short on funds and her intention was genuinely to perform a good deed, she could have simply given the money to him directly. $3.25 The strategy should be subtle. You buy something small—maybe just a scoop of ice cream or a side of fries—to test the waters. It’s about seeing if Mom will send some extra cash back your way without making it obvious. You don't want to be too blunt with the kid about it; that's bad form. Instead, you wait for the right moment at a Parent-Teacher Association meeting to bring it up casually.

I'm all in on Mirottu.

First off, Mom already knew the night before that we were hitting up McDonald's for the trip, so even after all the money we blew... $2.00 For a snack, she really could've thrown in a little more. $6.75 She should've slipped him five bucks, or even just a couple of singles, for some ice cream. She knew exactly what was happening—that kid was staring at his shoes while everyone else was digging in. I mean, if I recall her mentioning it in another post, she wasn't short on cash or anything, so there's really no excuse.
Second off, if I don't have... $6.75 Honestly, if I were in that position, I wouldn't even let my kid go on that trip. It just isn't worth it to put them through that kind of awkwardness or discomfort.
Honestly, the thing I resent most about my mom is how she handled everything after that incident. She basically let the kid sit there for days while his Teacher interrogated him about the money, all while she was busy trashing the school, the Teacher, and the whole trip count on online forums. If she actually cared, she would have walked into that school the very next morning, handed back the cash, and had a real conversation with the administration to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. But no, that’s not her style. Instead, she sent him off to the movies a day or two later just so he wouldn't feel "isolated," which is hilarious because she’s the one who caused the mess in the first place. It’s fine if he feels left out at McDonald's because of her mistakes, but God forbid the Teacher is held accountable. And yet, she still makes sure he goes on every single field trip, even that summer program. $400Even if you try to hide it, it’s still gonna show. No point in pretending otherwise. $1.75 Even if he knows all those kids are heading straight to McDonald's, he's still going for the ice cream.

Is the Teacher actually at fault here?🙄
The Teacher did the right thing by letting the kid have that cash for a Happy Meal, but I’ve gotta say, I’m not a fan of her asking for those 21 bucks back.
Honestly, I’m seeing a lot of double standards here. You guys are all over this Teacher for asking for a measly couple of bucks, but then you turn around and act like the mom is totally justified in her position. It's pretty hypocritical if you ask me. $7.00 Look, we’re talking serious cash here. How on earth do you guys actually know that Teacher has that kind of money? $7.00 And it's not like we're talking about a massive fortune here, right?

wiredwalker14 said:Of course they get a commission—whether it's for workbooks, Scholastic materials, or any other publisher... I actually know of a case at my school where a Teacher organizing a summer camp trip let her preschooler grandson go for free, and she told us herself. Besides, I used to work at a publishing house, so I'm not just guessing. What a teacher decides to do with that commission is entirely up to them. Whether they buy extra supplies for a student whose family is struggling or keep it for themselves... that's their call. But I also know that publishers always provide an extra copy or two, specifically to help out the kids who might not have the funds.

Back when there was actually some real competition in the market, they used to give away massive amounts of freebies. Don't even get me started on the laptops for school that would mysteriously vanish from teachers' homes... and of course, everyone conveniently "forgot" about them. Honestly, if you ask me, the whole entire situation is just nauseating.
I've personally seen kids lending each other money during field trips; it happens all the time. My kid came back from Central Park after some silly mishap and lent a friend this much, then that student lent her this much in return. It's just small change, and I don't make a big deal out of it, but still.
What else can I say?? At the school my child attends, they actually charge the students for photocopies of tests.
They run the copies in the faculty lounge, and a single sheet costs $0.67.
Look, it's not like I'm being stingy over a couple of bucks—I'll happily drop four dollars if it's needed—but please, don't treat me like an idiot.
First and foremost, they aren't allowed to charge children for this stuff; they already receive funding for school materials (just like the funds provided for things like hand towels and soap)—the whole thing is completely illegal. Parents always end up being the ones getting squeezed.
And then, to top it all off, I get a newsletter stating that my little girl needs to bring in $0.67, and it literally gives me hives. Since when does it cost $0.67 to photocopy one single sheet of paper??
I should probably just stop talking about this before I lose it...🙂

I’ll go on record right now saying it’s a much easier gig than people give it credit for. If anyone actually cares to verify my claim, just grab a calendar and do the math on their days off—both the single days and the long stretches. You've got 30 days of vacation, plus winter break, plus spring break, and let's not even get started on summer vacation, where nobody actually shows up based on some official HR decree; they just drift back in for the first semester session.

Now, if you want to argue that kids these days have absolutely zero discipline, fine, I'm with you there. And if you think every generation is sliding further down the gutter, yeah, I agree with that too. There’s just no respect left in the world—not from the parents and certainly not from the kids—it’s all gone downhill.
That being said, we shouldn't be underestimating anyone's profession or title.
A bus driver carries the responsibility for their passengers just as much as a Teacher carries the weight for their students.
At the end of the day, nobody forced anyone into these careers; the choice was entirely up to the individual.
And look, if there are massive flaws in the system—well, they're flawed, plain and simple.

Joshua Parker11 said:I'm all in on Mirottu.

First off, Mom already knew the night before that we were hitting up McDonald's for the trip, so even after all the money we blew... $2.00 For a snack, she really could've thrown in a little more. $6.75 She should've slipped him five bucks, or even just a couple of singles, for some ice cream. She knew exactly what was happening—that kid was staring at his shoes while everyone else was digging in. I mean, if I recall her mentioning it in another post, she wasn't short on cash or anything, so there's really no excuse.
Second off, if I don't have... $6.75 Honestly, if I were in that position, I wouldn't even let my kid go on that trip. It just isn't worth it to put them through that kind of awkwardness or discomfort.
Honestly, the thing I resent most about my mom is how she handled everything after that incident. She basically let the kid sit there for days while his Teacher interrogated him about the money, all while she was busy trashing the school, the Teacher, and the whole trip count on online forums. If she actually cared, she would have walked into that school the very next morning, handed back the cash, and had a real conversation with the administration to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. But no, that’s not her style. Instead, she sent him off to the movies a day or two later just so he wouldn't feel "isolated," which is hilarious because she’s the one who caused the mess in the first place. It’s fine if he feels left out at McDonald's because of her mistakes, but God forbid the Teacher is held accountable. And yet, she still makes sure he goes on every single field trip, even that summer program. $400Even if you try to hide it, it’s still gonna show. No point in pretending otherwise. $1.75 Even if he knows all those kids are heading straight to McDonald's, he's still going for the ice cream.

Is the Teacher actually at fault here?🙄
The Teacher did the right thing by letting the kid have that cash for a Happy Meal, but I’ve gotta say, I’m not a fan of her asking for those 21 bucks back.
Honestly, I’m seeing a lot of double standards here. You guys are all over this Teacher for asking for a measly couple of bucks, but then you turn around and act like the mom is totally justified in her position. It's pretty hypocritical if you ask me. $7.00 Look, we’re talking serious cash here. How on earth do you guys actually know that Teacher has that kind of money? $7.00 And it's not like we're talking about a massive fortune here, right?

Exactly. I'm pretty sure the little guy learned his "lesson" and is going to remember that trip—and especially McDonald's—for the rest of his life😢.