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.
I have a cousin who has two children, one is 2 and the other is 9 months old and she is adament that they not have large amounts of sugar. She only lets the 2 yo watch an hour of t.v. and keeps him active but when that t.v is on he is glued to it. She only gave him healthy foods even from an early age peas, blueberries, yogurt,etc. I think she is raising him well. She did become upset at the daycare where she takes her son because they gave him waffles and syrup
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."
I beg to differ.
We are the parents, we make the rules and set the boundaries. Of course you can't control everything outside of you home, but you can control what goes on inside. Why are people so afraid of telling their kids "No", or "You don't need to eat that", or "You've had enough".
We are the parents, we make the rules and set the boundaries. Of course you can't control everything outside of you home, but you can control what goes on inside. Why are people so afraid of telling their kids "No", or "You don't need to eat that", or "You've had enough".
Really????? I just need to learn to say "no" and all my problems will be solved???? Thank you so much, I never realized!!!!!
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...
While I agree with you, in principle, MichiganRN. Get back to us 5 years post children :wink2:
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.
Well, I never had soda growing up, it was always juice or milk. And even though juice is higher in sugar it's not the same as soda.all.the.time. like today's kids.
Also, I NEVER watched TV when I was young, and only moderately when I was a preteen. I was too busy playing outside all day until the sun went down and until the street lights came on.
And then we could even play 'kick the can' at night as long as it was right in front of the house. The whole neighborhood would play.
And no obese kids in sight.
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."
Well, yes it is. If the kid is obese, AND you are feeding them Twinkies and Doritos for Breakfast, then I'd bet that removing the junk and replacing it with even cereal would help. And they may not lose weight, but you can't argue that it wouldn't be a healthier option.
While I agree with you, in principle, MichiganRN. Get back to us 5 years post children :wink2:
Oh I dunno. My parents never had problems telling me "NO".
we do have to acknowledge however, that there are many families who live in apartment complexes, and children playing outside (unsupervised) is not realistic.
sure, i can say that many of us were busy playing outside when we were kids.
but i didn't live in the city, where we had to worry about crime, gangs, and traffic.
ultimately, it is up to the parent(s) to say no-
to set parameters and institute guidelines.
and just as important, our children need to see that we are making the same choices for ourselves.
i'll be darned in denying my kid a tonic as i'm guzzling down a pepsi.
i wouldn't do that.
so if i'm going to set rules and habits for my kids, i will be their role model.
so if i'm going to set rules and habits for my kids, i will be their role model.
most of it is within our control.
leslie
Bingo. Because kids can spot a hippocrit. If mom and dad watch TV everynight eating junk food, smoking ciggarettes and are obese (like 50% of us are) then the point is moot. You can say no and raise healthy kids that don't watch TV or eat junk food, but you loose any semblence of authority and respect if you're not the role model. I remember my mother telling me that smoking was bad for you in between puffs. Guess what? I started smoking when I was 16.
It's so easy to talk the talk and control our kids, but to walk the walk and earn respect isn't so easy.
Of course, what do I know I have nieces and dogs. LOL
If it helps your plans any.....I'm 14 years post-children and my kids still don't watch very much TV, play video games, or sit around the house doing nothing. Our entire family gets involved in physical activities, and we constantly have a herd of kids running through the house. Love it that way!
I don't harp on them about what to eat. I just provide choices that are always acceptable. By not buying junk food and soda for my home, it saves me the worry of governing their diets 24/7. I do my governing at the grocery store. That way, whatever they grab out of the fridge or the cabinet is always okay. We take off for an ice cream, and have pizza/movie nights, too....I just don't keep it on hand.
I'm sure they eat junk outside my house. My son, for sure. :) My daughter doesn't really like sweets. Luckily, they spend most of their time here, and their level of activity allows for some unhealthy days.
I just wanted to add....that I'm not referring to a kid who is a little "chunky," has a bigger body type, or hasn't grown out of their baby fat, yet. I'm talking about kids who are obviously obese, who are already struggling to catch their breath and have to wear adult clothes at 6 years old. Barring some kind of medical issue, I find it to be abusive.
Bingo. Because kids can spot a hippocrit. If mom and dad watch TV everynight eating junk food, smoking ciggarettes and are obese (like 50% of us are) then the point is moot.
and the other 50% are addicted to their computers/laptops.
RN1982
3,362 Posts
I have a cousin who has two children, one is 2 and the other is 9 months old and she is adament that they not have large amounts of sugar. She only lets the 2 yo watch an hour of t.v. and keeps him active but when that t.v is on he is glued to it. She only gave him healthy foods even from an early age peas, blueberries, yogurt,etc. I think she is raising him well. She did become upset at the daycare where she takes her son because they gave him waffles and syrup