So lately a lot of things have been driving me crazy. To the point that I can't focus on any one thing for longer that 2 minutes which make it next to impossible to write a coherent, thought provoking yet funny blog about any one topic. But today I am going to do it!
Starting with fat kids.
I know chubby babies are cute. The endless rolls of baby soft skin and triple chins and fat bulges are adorable on infants and toddlers, especially little girls in swimsuits. We pinch there adorably over flowing cheeks and gaggle along with our mommy friends about how we have to clean between their rolls of fat.
But not so much on the ten year boy old whose sitting on the bench at the park playing his Nintendo DS. Sweating from the 75 degree heat and red in the face because obviously the exertion of walking from the car to that bench, over-taxed his limited to non-existent endurance levels. And then his mother hands him a snack and I start seeing red, and not just his face. I mean I feel my head cloud over with anger and my eyes are unable to stay focused on anything else. The child walked 20 yards! And he sat his large rear end down and you gave him a snack! I'll grant you it is 3pm and he may just have gotten out of school and he might genuinely be hungry and we should definitely fuel our kids bodies. But somehow I think the Slim Jim and the Diet Coke are just not what Dr. Oz had in mind.
That my followers, is child abuse. Just as dangerous and just as traumatic as taking a right fist to his eye or swift kick to his groin. And ultimately just as painful. This child has been set up for failure. His Mother is over weight as are his two little sisters, but at least they are running around the park and climbing on the equipment.
In fact let's start with good 'ol Mom. When does the laziness kick in? Am I just not there yet? Have I just not reached the "I don't give a shit" place in my parenting journey? Because she definitely has. I normally would grant any mom the courtesy of it has been a rough day. But this is an ongoing occurrence at our park with this particular little family. I'm not trying to be mean and I can see the other side of the coin. Yes, she probably does not have any positive female influences, yes, she could probably use a friend, yes I don't know what it's like in her home. But that is not what my blog is about today and I will not be swayed by my self inflicted guilt over my own weight struggles.
I want to scream, "YOU ARE KILLING YOUR CHILDREN!" and "YOUR SETTING THEM UP FOR A LIFE OF FAILURE!" and "YOUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE ANY SELF CONFIDENCE!". But I don't. I won't. I'll probably never say anything at all. But it's not because I don't care. It's because I don't like confrontation. And things like that never go well. And maybe I don't care enough... that however is for another day.
So let me say this here instead. Who knows, maybe she's a friend of a friend of a friend. Enabling your children to become obese is just as abusive as beating them or vocally torturing them. Healthy eating habits start in the home as do healthy exercise habits. And study after study after study show that parents who exercise and eat healthy raise kids who do the same. No matter how much I want to eat fried chicken every single night, I don't. No matter how much I want to eat that half gallon of dark chocolate ice cream, I don't. And even though most days, I do not feel like walking to the park with my kiddos or even taking them outside really, I still do. I am their protector, their life style educator and it's up to me to make sure they realize that their bodies are their temples and that they must respect them. Because if I don't no one else will.
So fat kids piss me off. Because it isn't within their control. If a kid under the age of 12 is obese it's the parents fault. Simple as that. Someone enabled them to be that way and it's wrong and it's abusive and it needs to be stopped. But I'm pretty sure if I called CPS with the "She's making them fat" argument I'd get laughed at. So I'll rant and rave here.
As a former member of the "FKC" (Fat Kid Club), I understand your statement about low self confidence, etc. I agree that the majority of society's overweight children are due to unhealthy diets and non-existing exercise schedules. However, I will tell you that I was on my first diet at a very young age, in the second grade. I learned at a very young age that the way my body was growing was not healthy, and I was not allowed to have (even on special occasions) the sweets or fatty foods my friends were allowed. I was also quite active, and only allowed to watch 30 minutes of television a day. That has led me to my daily struggle with accepting my body and my self-image.
ReplyDeleteMy son is now a big child as well. I do not put him on "diets" per say, but we definitely exercise good choices and portion control. He is also as active as as they come. While I do agree alot of parents are contributing to the obesity of their children, I also think some of the weight issue is genetic. After discussing weight issues with my son's pediatrician, she assured me that he was a tad overweight, but he was just built like "a big boy".
For what it's worth, not all fat kids can help it ;)
Thank you so much for your comment. I completely agree with you. Genetics definitely play a large part in weight and is something outside of our control. I LOATHE the word diet. It seems to me that we should just teach everyone to eat healthy and exercise responsible eating habits. Lifestyle change.
ReplyDeleteThis has been something that is rubbing me wrong lately. I know the healthier the food the more expensive, I know that I don't know the story behind the family, I just feel like we've allowed are children to not be our focus anymore. Especially in this country. And this is one way it's really resonated with me.