Biting my tongue at seeing overweight children

apriltrainer

Some neighborhoods don't have safe places for kids to play. I do school nursing part-time through an agency and am sent to some pretty rough areas. If I am not secure walking in broad daylight to these neighborhoods..I can only imagine living in those areas. The kids have NOWHERE to play.

In chicago there are indoor play areas on the northside in mostly caucasian well to do areas such as Lincoln Park, Lake View...etc.

If you are black, hispanic or a poor white person who has been priced out of the yuppie neighborhoods like Lake View...your kids have nowhere to play that is safe.

Better to keep the kids in playing video games than outside to play tag when they could get shot.

It's sad...and contributes to the obesity epidemic. Don't be so quick to point fingers at parents.

taramaureen

You know what my mom did if I dared throw a tantrum over something like donuts? Spank the crap outta me. Take a wild guess how many tantrums I threw :laugh: Caribbean parents don't play that game at ALL. especially the Jamaicans :bigsmile:

Yeah, that'll get CPS repelling down from helicopters on ya here. My husband had the audacity to take my son out of the store when he was throwing a tantrum and we had the sheriff called on us.

Thats just crazy! another example of people seeing a small peice of a whole picture and making harsh judgments!

It's sad too as the CPS system is already over burrdened with real problems.

katcod1522

oh...they can judge me all they want...like I said..karma. Its a b****.

Nattiejean57

I wish I had popcorn

seriously. i grabbed peanut butter crackers a few minutes ago!

Now I actually want peanut butter cups, better blame my mom

hottamolly00

I am a very blunt, forward person. Get a few drinks in me and I'm like a truth machine. It's both a curse and a good thing.

So the other night, a few of us went to our local cafe after hours where they were showing christmas movies. We had a few drinks, enjoyed some cafe treats, and cozied in for the politically incorrect Rudolph.

Looking to my left though, I noticed two extremely, and I mean extremely overweight girls dressed in tight multicolored dresses, the buttons on the blouses gapped and barely holding. They couldn't have been any older then 8 or 9. Mom had gotten them the cafe's baked mac and cheese, both their own, with the chowder to dip it into, and chocolate brownies for desert. The cafe also served free popcorn in which I was behind one of the girls in line, as she scooped up and filled her bowl, stopped, realizing she could fit more in, and piled it higher. I swear she snorted at me as she turned to walk back to her seat.

I felt sick. Nauseous. I couldn't even get my handful of popcorn. I wanted to eject the dinner I had and the cookies I had eaten. I wanted to say something to the mother. I was sitting next to them the whole time. Listening to them eat. Watching. It was like a horrible movie montage. As the one girl finished her mac and cheese, her smaller brother had half of his left, and so she finished his for him.

I saw the beginning of a long journey of self-esteem issues and hurt as they get older and realize how much their size is going to effect them.

I also hated myself for thinking the thoughts I had. What right do I have to judge them?

Yes. I believe you are right to judge. You didn't say anything to anyone so you didn't offend anyone that would cause a scene. People who allow their kids to eat like **** and be fat deserve to be harshly judged. Parents are making their kids fat! Might as well give your 8 year old a loaded gun to play with while they devour their mcnuggets, frosty, fries and brownies.

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY!

Elle_Jamaicangirl81

You know what my mom did if I dared throw a tantrum over something like donuts? Spank the crap outta me. Take a wild guess how many tantrums I threw :laugh: Caribbean parents don't play that game at ALL. especially the Jamaicans :bigsmile:

Bap! tru dat!

dp1228

You know what my mom did if I dared throw a tantrum over something like donuts? Spank the crap outta me. Take a wild guess how many tantrums I threw :laugh: Caribbean parents don't play that game at ALL. especially the Jamaicans :bigsmile:

Yeah, that'll get CPS repelling down from helicopters on ya here. My husband had the audacity to take my son out of the store when he was throwing a tantrum and we had the sheriff called on us.

That is crazy!!! Where are you from?! Brooklyn is filled with people from the Caribbean so there were no police called on us LOL.

auticus

Now now we need to stop spreading misinformation and lies. We all know skinny people never eat bad food and that they are the perfect epitome of health, and in fact are the only true pure genetical heirs to the planet. Skinny children are skinny because they are purebloods. Genetically superior in every way, and soon will destroy the common fat man.

Like my ex wife who could pack down 3x what I ate and stay 105 lbs.

Fat people are punishments upon us all for allowing Obama to become president. This is all his fault. And we must suffer by viewing them in public places.

Woe unto us oh shameful country. Woe unto us.

taramaureen

Like I said.... EXCUSES... Lol.

Again, not every child acts the same. As a mom you should know that.

& as a mother you should know that giving yoru child anything they want to shut them up isnt going to teach them any good morals for when they get older. You have to instill discipline and understanding.
If you cant control your children then maybe you just aint cut out to be a parent.

And, yet again, who are you to judge how a parent "controls" their children. You don't know their issues, their discipline. You're taking a snippit and assuming you know the whole picture. You don't.

katcod1522

I wish I had popcorn

seriously. i grabbed peanut butter crackers a few minutes ago!

Now I actually want peanut butter cups, better blame my mom

bahahaha...no..blame the Easter bunny...or cupid...or Santa...or..or...(ran outta candy coated hollidays!)

DietingMommy08

Excuse as to why you keep claming it okay to give your child some sort of junk food to keep them from screaming.
How do you know if my son is special needs or not?! Im pretty sure I never said whether he was or not. So quick to assume towards nothing you have no knowledge of.

I just feel there are some battles you need to pick. As a parent, a mom, you really should already know this. If someone gives their kid a donut in the store while they're grocery shopping to keep them occupied and it works for them, if the kids generally have a good diet... who the hell am I or you to judge them?

You really think if a kid is screaming for a DONUT inside of a store they havent done it before and obviously gotten thier way??
Doing sound like generally good diet habits to me.

elenathegreat

I wish I had popcorn

Yes... I too love popcorn...I am going to micro some Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter Popcorn and keep following all this...oh and yes "peeflaps" is too funny, I will tell my kids(both teenagers), and they will roll about the place!

Nattiejean57

I was a fat child, and I'm the one everyone is arguing with.
Would I have understood at the time? No.
Do I wish someone had said SOMETHING to my parents to make it clear that they were feeding me the wrong foods? YES.

I would hope that we can agree that a random stranger making a comment would not have done anything to help. Also, the gov't has had guidelines around for decades, and most people that are able to drive and raise kids know what is healthy and what is not. No amount of being told what to do will make someone do anything.

Like the old saying says, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Of course. I'm all for keeping our mouths shut when it isn't our business. But I do agree that people WON'T always take the advice, which IMO, is basically why I think they need the threat of their children going to another home is almost necessary.


By the way, I appreciate that even though we may not agree, you aren't bashing. I feel like you're the only one who can have an actual discussion about something here. It's like I'm being bullied by the majority of posters here, everyone laughing together at my "ignorance". So thank you.

I laughed at your ignorance....a lot actually so thanks for that! I probably burned some calories

Contrarian

Your anger sustains me. Good. Good.

auticus

Your anger sustains me. Good. Good.

A powerful sith you must be.

DietingMommy08

Like I said.... EXCUSES... Lol.

Again, not every child acts the same. As a mom you should know that.

& as a mother you should know that giving yoru child anything they want to shut them up isnt going to teach them any good morals for when they get older. You have to instill discipline and understanding.
If you cant control your children then maybe you just aint cut out to be a parent.

And, yet again, who are you to judge how a parent "controls" their children. You don't know their issues, their discipline. You're taking a snippit and assuming you know the whole picture. You don't.

I said a parent needs to gain control of thier children.
If a child is screaming in the middle of a store because they want something and the parent hurrys to give them what they want to stop them then there is obviously no control. The child controls the parent at that point.

mlemonroe2

You know what my mom did if I dared throw a tantrum over something like donuts? Spank the crap outta me. Take a wild guess how many tantrums I threw :laugh: Caribbean parents don't play that game at ALL. especially the Jamaicans :bigsmile:

Yeah, that'll get CPS repelling down from helicopters on ya here. My husband had the audacity to take my son out of the store when he was throwing a tantrum and we had the sheriff called on us.

Thats just crazy! another example of people seeing a small peice of a whole picture and making harsh judgments!

It's sad too as the CPS system is already over burrdened with real problems.

i was at target and a little girl about 9 asked her mom if she could tell the dr she got new shoes and the mom snapped back "no! Are you stupid?? then he would know why we were late!" and continued yelling at her to hurry up. like it was the kids fault they were late. thats the kind of person who needs the cops called on them! i get frustrated with my daughter but i would NEVER call her stupid.

Nattiejean57

I wish I had popcorn

seriously. i grabbed peanut butter crackers a few minutes ago!

Now I actually want peanut butter cups, better blame my mom

bahahaha...no..blame the Easter bunny...or cupid...or Santa...or..or...(ran outta candy coated hollidays!)

Maybe the tooth fairy should bring candy, she would get more business that way

nathan72

i've been overweight all my life and i wish i had stopped this terrible cycle sooner. It's my fault, I get it, but I wish someone had helped me make better choices sooner in my life. So i kinda understand...the parents need to see some of what you saw...they need to show some tough love and teach lessons to their children. lessons that are uncomfortable but could be addressed with compassion and concern. I agree that obesity is out of control...i've lived in it...fighting to get out of it...and it's killing those children-the ones we're afraid might get their feelings hurt if we say "Let's make some changes"

taramaureen

Excuse as to why you keep claming it okay to give your child some sort of junk food to keep them from screaming.
How do you know if my son is special needs or not?! Im pretty sure I never said whether he was or not. So quick to assume towards nothing you have no knowledge of.

I just feel there are some battles you need to pick. As a parent, a mom, you really should already know this. If someone gives their kid a donut in the store while they're grocery shopping to keep them occupied and it works for them, if the kids generally have a good diet... who the hell am I or you to judge them?

You really think if a kid is screaming for a DONUT inside of a store they havent done it before and obviously gotten thier way??
Doing sound like generally good diet habits to me.

We're talking about preventative donuts here. There's a difference.