There comes a point when children will break away from their parents and make their own decisions. Until then, parents, you’ve got to stop working so hard to appease and befriend your kids and realize that being a parent means molding and shaping your children into healthy, wise adults.
And, that’s why I assert if you’re the parent of a 100-pound 7-year-old, as the lady in this Associated Press/Charlotte Observer article is (snippet below), you should be charged with child abuse because you are fucking failing as a parent and obviously need an intervention … for your child’s sake.
I further assert that you’re part of a giant problem in our society that we refuse to pay attention to, and partially to blame for rising health care costs, drags on government services and more. In other words, get the hell out of our wallets and take control of your household.
Now, take the doughnuts away, invest in some oatmeal (it’s cheaper anyway), take away the electronic screens and make your kid play outside. Trust me, after awhile they’ll figure out what an imagination is and stop whining. The bonus: When they grow up, they’ll thank you.
Yet another obese child came into the doctor’s office – 7 years old and over 100 pounds. As he, his mother and his doctor looked at his growth chart, they saw his body mass index soaring over the 97th percentile line. According to his mother his taste runs to junk food; according to his school, it runs away from physical activity.The child poses two dilemmas. The immediate one is how to help him. That’s hard enough: counseling about better food choices, less TV, more physical activity, healthier habits for the whole family and referral to a dietitian.
The second involves the entire community: how to address increasing childhood obesity so the children of the next generation are unencumbered by excess weight and the accompanying problems of sleep apnea, Type 2 diabetes, joint pains, low self-esteem and so on. This dilemma is even harder than the first. But you don’t have to read the recent obesity series in the Observer to figure out it’s easier for people to avoid gaining the weight in the first place.
Read the rest of the article, by Jessica Saxe, here.
Further reading:
Heart disease costs to triple in U.S. by 2030 — MSNBC.com
Rhiannon “Rhi” Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes snarky commentary on Creative Loafing’s CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.
This article appears in Jan 25-31, 2011.
I think there’s probably a bit more to it than just the diet alone, as you hinted at. A lot of parents don’t cook (for a variety of reasons) and eat unhealthy foods such as junk food or drive-thru. It’s really not that difficult to cook *if* you can get over that initial hurdle of getting in that mindset.
The excuse of not knowing what healthy food doesn’t apply to the majority of people. I would guess that most people know that an apple is a healthier snack than a candy bar, but don’t make that choice because the candy bar is cheaper, or more convenient.
And a lot of parents take the easy route (yeah, I’m going there) when it comes to eating. Getting my two young children to eat is a battle a lot of the time and they do enjoy fries. However, I make sure that we have oranges, apples, or bananas in plain sight as well. They help cook. They go with me to the store. Yeah, it’s a pain to try to cook with them helping, but it’s up to me to make sure they know that food doesn’t just appear at a drive-thru.
Tina,
First, thanks for your comment.
Second, I take issue with the idea that an apple is more expensive and less convenient than a candy bar — I find the opposite to be true. It may seem more expensive if it’s purchased and then rots on the counter, though.
Third, when I was growing up if I didn’t want to eat what was put on my plate then I didn’t eat. There was no special meal as a reward for being a brat.
Forth, I agree that once you’re in the habit of cooking you realize that the drive-thru isn’t cheaper, easier or better. Kids love to be with their parents and help them with things (at least before the hormones hit). I love the idea of getting them to help cook. Seems like a terrific way to instill some good, healthy habits.
Best,
Rhi
P.S. See you on Twitter, Lady!
I grew up a fat kid and didn’t get my weight under control until my mid twenties. I completely agree with you. Children who are severely obese will lose out on some of the coolest moments of their childhood. That is such a pain to look back on. Most the parents are simply uneducated and some don’t care. There has to be some type of intervention or it just spirals out of control.