I'm going to preface this by saying I'm only venting and don't mean to come across as overly harsh.
My daughter's friend (she is) is on her cheerleading squad, and the friend's mom has a son who is 9 and plays football. Both kids are seriously overweight/obese. Friend's mom tells me today she took him to the dr. to get a physical before playing sports and his cholesterol came back 260. The kid has asthma as well.
Seriously, am I the only one who gets a bit annoyed with parents about things like this?? I mean, I know, some people don't understand or know any better, some kids have medical problems etc. But this truly drives me crazy- parents are in control of what their kids eat, and to do this to their kids- cause health problems because they can't figure out not to feed their kids crap and to get them out from in front of the TV... I just find it completely unacceptable. Its all very easily preventable.
I don't mean to come off as insensitive, and my reaction was supportive and I was respectful and tactful and suggested some things that might help (reducing fat, reducing packaged foods, more veggies/fruits, less sugar, and more exercise), but seriously on the inside I was really annoyed.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
Well, from the opposite side of the spectrum, I constantly fight my weight, I'm 5'6" and weigh 130. I was anorexic in high school, when I graduated, I weighed 90 pounds. No doctors, no therapy, my parents believed I'd outgrow it.
I have a family member who, though an adult, is mentally challenged, and is like a child. She is 5'0" and weighs about 200 pounds, easily. She is given anything and everything she wants, milkshakes, fries, cookies, sodas, etc. Why? Because she throws a fit if she does not get her way. I guess it's easier to let her eat herself into a fat/sugar coma than try to exact a little discipline.
I mentioned that, and got, "Well, we just can't do that way with her."
Sometimes I think parents let their kids eat junk food so they shut up. Not trying to sound harsh either. I was at a rest-stop a couple years ago and it had a Wendys and Baskin robbins in it. I saw a girl, she had to be about 8 or 9 with a huge sundae and she was obese for her age. I'm sorry but her mom and dad need to be slapped a couple of times. A girl her age and her weight does not need a huge sundae, which I might add has NO nutritional value.
When I have kids: TV will be restricted to an hour each day, READING will be encouraged, and they will have no fast food unless under some unforeseen circumstance. Definately no soda either...
Those kids are just a couple years away from diabetes and possible heart ailments.
iwhen reality bites...having said that I was the same as you and my kigs didn't see TV until they we're 2 1/2 cos selfishly I couldn't bare a years mat leave with kids telly, still they have clicked on well...but the good thing is that they can wonder away and play, I have been in the US only 6 weeks and I an horrified by the food, even if you try to do the right thing you are hit with high fructose corn surup it every where..start a campaign do something, its killing your children even meat and bread have it! I am struggleing to find food without it and I try to cook from basics... go on I dare you check your shopping next time.....
I will never forget the time I was waiting for my husband at the grocery store and saw this woman walking to her minivan followed by her son, who was about 9 or 10 yrs. old. I wanted to slap his mother. This kid was waddling out to the car with a big bag of M&M's and was wearing slip on shoes, I imagine because he was too fat to tie his own shoes. Sad.
iwhen reality bites...having said that I was the same as you and my kigs didn't see TV until they we're 2 1/2 cos selfishly I couldn't bare a years mat leave with kids telly, still they have clicked on well...but the good thing is that they can wonder away and play, I have been in the US only 6 weeks and I an horrified by the food, even if you try to do the right thing you are hit with high fructose corn surup it every where..start a campaign do something, its killing your children even meat and bread have it! I am struggleing to find food without it and I try to cook from basics... go on I dare you check your shopping next time.....
You're absolutely right, most of the convienient foods are loaded with fat, suger and preservatives. We switched to organic milk and I try to cook as many whole,non processed foods as I can.
I've seen people put soda in baby bottles. I try to inform my family about these types of things but they usually think I'm the one who's crazy or I think I'm better than them.
Giving the child soda, etc is stupid and clueless, yes. As the parent of an overweight child, however, I would like to say that it is often more complicated than you might think. Believe it or not, I do not cram junk food down my child's throat. Is our diet perfect? Of course not. But we do not keep junk food in the house as a rule. With a toddler or young child, yes you do "control what they eat." But with an older child (mine is 10) it gets a little harder. They eat a lot of snacks and meals away from home and away from parental supervision. They often have their own money and buy things for themselves.
I have three children and only one of them is overweight. They all have access to the same refrigerator and the same pantry. They have the same meals at home. One of them just tends to eat more than the other two. Two of them obviously do not take in more calories than they can burn each day, and the other one does. We do what we can to encourage physical activity but the one who is overweight gravitates to more sedentary activities. When left to his own devices, he will lay on the floor of his room, reading. He has coordination issues and dislikes a lot of games and sports and even playground equipment. (He has had PT and OT.)
I do try to encourage him to eat less and move more, but constant nagging is unpleasant for both the nagger and naggee. I have also heard many overweight adults say that their parents' nagging just made them feel bad and want to eat more. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, I just would like everyone to realize that it might not be as simple as it looks. It's not always just a matter of "well, if the parents would just get a clue and stop feeding the little chunk Twinkies and Doritos for breakfast, the problem would solve itself."
Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med surg, oncology.
I personally think that allowing young children to become obese is akin to child abuse. The child is being set up for emotional, physical and sometimes mental problems (reduced IQ according to a Time mag article).
This is an interesting thread for me. My DH is a football coach for the 8 and under league. There is a little boy who is 5 and weighs close to 100lbs. This poor baby looks like he's ready to drop doing even the most basic exercises. The DH is afraid to push him too hard because there may be underlying health issues, but the parents insist on pushing him back out onto the field. Our concern is that when the boys start practicing in full pads and helmets (in this heat) that something is going to happen.
There is also an issue of pushing these overweight kids so hard that they quit, which is what a lot of coaches believe (not us). So where do you draw the line in "helping the child vs refusing to risk his health?"
Sorry if I'm rambling..it's been a rough morning:smilecoffeecup:
It's all about balance. Snacks don't have to be soda and chips or candy all the time, TV can be watched, video games can be played. I say this with three children who are not sports-team athletic, but spend a majority of the day riding their bikes and running around outside. I don't think that many parents give their children enough opportunities to just run around anymore, and so many kids just don't know how to simply play without their being some adult-organized activity involved. My only evidence to this theory is the sheer amount of my sons' friends who expect me to entertain them when they come over to play. (These kids are between 7 and 12, so as I tell them, "I'm not a clown and I don't juggle or make balloon animals. Go outside.")
I'm very lucky to live in a place where my immediate neighbors with children have the same feelings about this, and our kids run essentially loose in a pack of 9 or 10, so the bigger ones look out for the younger ones, and they know how far they can go without having to get permission. (or file a "flight plan"..)
Blee
PS - OK, so one of them just came back in and turned on the idiot box as I'm typing this...
Well, from the opposite side of the spectrum, I constantly fight my weight, I'm 5'6" and weigh 130. I was anorexic in high school, when I graduated, I weighed 90 pounds. No doctors, no therapy, my parents believed I'd outgrow it.
I have a family member who, though an adult, is mentally challenged, and is like a child. She is 5'0" and weighs about 200 pounds, easily. She is given anything and everything she wants, milkshakes, fries, cookies, sodas, etc. Why? Because she throws a fit if she does not get her way. I guess it's easier to let her eat herself into a fat/sugar coma than try to exact a little discipline.
I mentioned that, and got, "Well, we just can't do that way with her."
I gave up.
My oldest daughter has autism and my mother treats her the same way. She buys her candy everytime they go to the store, fast food ( which we don't do), ice cream etc. At home my daughter eats the same healthy foods as the rest of the family but once she's at grandma's she suddenly doesn't like anything but junk.
My daughter has a slight weight problem and we've been working on it. She is proud when she makes healthy choices and loses a pound or two. Then she goes to grandma's, sits in front of the tv all weekend, and comes back 2lbs heavier !
:banghead:
:no:
Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN
11,305 Posts
The coach should forbid anything but water or something with electrolytes.
I've never seen a coach allow soda . . .
steph