I very rarely speak out against other moms' parenting choices, but when I read multiple stories about British 17-year-old Stacey Irvine's health-threatening McNugget addiction, I was absolutely appalled. The web has been ablaze with Irvine's story this week, after the media picked up the story that she'd collapsed and was hospitalized after indulging in a MacDonald's Chicken McNugget diet for the past 15 years. Um. What?

Since she first tried the breaded, processed poultry treats at the age of two, she was totally hooked, refusing to eat anything but chicken nuggets and sometimes french fries. She further said that she's never tasted fresh vegetables or fruits. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Where the heck was mom? You can't convince me the toddler was buying her own chickie fix three times a day, seven days a week.

The articles did state that Irvine's mother tried depriving her of her beloved chicken nuggets to try to force her hand at eating a more normal, nutritious diet, but I couldn't help but wonder how long she held out. As a mom of three boys, I know kids can be stubborn, even the toddler variety, but come on. Unless little Stacey had a supernatural will of steel, the chances of her protest lasting very long--especially long enough to actually put her in any danger--are slim.

I've been in her mother's shoes, not with McNuggets, but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My eldest boy would eat a PB and J for every meal of his little life if he could, but that's not a healthy option. It's unhealthy. Kids need to eat a variety of foods to get the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow and develop properly. I've had to dig in my heels and say “when you're hungry, you'll eat before.”

The stalemate may last several hours, but eventually, that tuna casserole is going to look mighty appetizing--even to the most stubborn of toddlers. There's a difference between a child who doesn't like peas and one who refuses to eat anything but junk. Allowing an alternative food to what's on the menu is cool on occasion, but making it a regular practice, especially with such an unhealthy choice is absurd.

I really don't like to criticize other moms, but this story just gets under my skin. This girl has developed an addiction so strong that her very life is in danger, yet she can't stop herself. That's a sickness 15 years in the making.

There are times when we have to do the hard thing, whether our children like it or not, because we love them and it's our job to protect them. If the child was so absolutely hard-willed that she would rather starve than eat a strawberry, her mother should have sought out professional help. That degree of obsession and addiction in a two-year-old begs to be looked into.

I know it's not easy to do things you know will upset your children and most likely make them angry with you, but it's a mother's duty to protect her child. Safe outweighs happy every day of the week. Children don't have the life experience to make major health decisions and diet is part of that.