Overweight kids- Who's to blame

chasetwins

OK.. Im reading all this crap, and I'm wondering

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO PLAYING OUTSIDE?!?!?


The Wii and Kinect for exercise? We have a very simple rule at our house, keeps the chitlins healthy..."GO PLAY"

They come home, do homework, get a snack, go OUTSIDE, and stay there until dark, chasing critters, climbing trees, digging holes, riding bikes, playing tag, helping garden, these are wholesome activities to keep your child fit... live in the city? You don't have a community garden, park, ally, nothing?! Hmmm, I don't buy it...

The kinect - rainy days - after dark - when mom is cooking - when mom can't bring them out. Not a replacement..an addition. If they are going to play video games (and kids do) I prefer the kinect to the computer any day

We have a Wii, and yes, for the days when its rainy, sure, but not all day, they can build a fort inside! I'm just saying, most parents I know would rather let the kids happily sit in front of the TV if it keeps them out of their hair... And I let my kids play outside by themselves... but we have a big fenced in yard.

absolutely all though mine prefer digging - you would think we have 20 dogs there are so many holes out there.

I despise tv - and being lethargic so my kids are limited. I run an in home daycare and my TV is NEVER on unless we have a "special" movie that goes with our theme.
I have a fenced in yard however my own kids were caught too many times coming out of it (no thanks to my idiot neighbor that allows her 3 yr old to run the street! ) My fence is not high enough to add protection and I am over paranoid! So if I can not keep 100% eye on them or be out there with them..sometimes it is not feasible. If I can't get them out and they ask to play a video game...Kinect it is They also dance around the house like fools with our old iphones as ipods...I thought the iphone idea was not a good one..however they use it more for the music than any game on them so I am ok with them now.

vim_n_vigor

For what it's worth, I do believe it starts at home. I do believe that the schools are now setting a horrible example for kids now too though. We put our sons in private school because there is still an emphasis on getting physical activity. There are 2 recesses a day plus gym. In public school, even our Kindergartner wasn't getting recess. Their reasoning was that there wasn't enough time in the school day.

While the education of children on their health and nutrition should be done by the parents, I understand why this is failing. So many people have no idea of the basics of a healthy lifestyle and couldn't possibly teach anything to their children of any real worth. It is easy to say eat healthy and move more, but when so many people have no idea of what eat healthy is, I understand why this fails over and over again.

servilia

Yes I agree. And it's sad because 80% of obese children go on to be obese adults. . Watch the documentary fast food babies it's really sad.

jrobinson143

partly parents and partly schools/government!

MOSTLY parents but as a former teacher schools def could help! Remember they aren't the school systems kids they are your kids. Parents should not leave it up to schools to teach their kids about sex, nutrition, etc... Schools should be there to guide them to learn about nutrition, I could go on about crappy school lunches for ever!!! It's a terrible shame what we feed kids in school, especially the kids who depend on that food for their own nutrition (breakfast and lunch kids who may not get dinner when they go home).
Sorry to go on, but schools cater to the "squeaky wheel" parents who want their kids to have cookies and snacks and 3 different kids of flavored milk.... gross!!!???

long2know

To lay blame or fault isn't very conducive to helping any parent with their children.

From a personal perspective, as a(n) (formerly) overweight father, if someone wants to find fault with the parents, then change has to start with the parents. If the parent is overweight and not taking care of their own health and fitness, the parent's habits are going to trickle down to their children. We bandy about these concepts of teaching our children good habits and such, but if we don't have those good habits ourselves as parents and take care of ourselves, it just doesn't work. It doesn't even make sense.

I liken it to flying on an aircraft with a child. In the case of an emergency, secure your OWN oxygen mask before assisting your child.

My daughter (7) sees the changes I have made. She asks me about calories, whether the food she eats is healthy, the ramifications of what she eats, and other insightful questions. I have been to school with my daughter on the days where nutrition, portion control, and exercise were discussed. Society does play a role and, for the most part, attempts to educate and steer children in the right direction.

Children learn and grow from all of these experiences and sources of information. Do you also blame the parent if the child has difficulty in school, with learning, or any other areas of their lives? If so, then I have to wonder what the agenda is..

Blame parents all you want, but children are smarter than you give them credit for. Oh yeah, and if you have no children, unless you are a professional (teacher, nutritionist, child psychologist, etc), I will just tell you now that I view your opinion as tenuous at best.

_SABOTEUR_

It's the strangers in long jackets offering kids sweets that are to blame. Ask any parent and they'll tell you those guys are on every street corner.

blobby10

In many cases, it is the parents fault. My 3 (boys17 and 15, girl 13) are all slim and active but then my husband and I have always been active, running, walking with the dogs, weight training etc. The kids were always encouraged to do after school clubs for swimming, running, etc. Genetics play a part as do hormones - my daughter is currently getting v chunky legs and it is very difficult for me to hold back on mentioning it as I'm sure it's just in readiness for another growth spurt!

My friend has 2 daughters 12 and 9. The 12 year old is really skinny but enjoys horse riding so gets some exercise. The 9 year old is quite podgy and spends all her free time on her iPad. However neither parent is consistently/regularly active - eg their family walk involved 1.5 miles across the fields, plenty of hot chocolate before walking back. When my daughter was 9 she regularly walked 5-6 miles a time with no refreshment! I find it very hard when my friend is saying how sorry she feels for her child being overweight and how conscious the child is of that when it would be so easy to resolve! They live in the most gorgeous countryside in England for heavens sake!

RllyGudTweetr

To lay blame or fault isn't very conducive to helping any parent with their children.

From a personal perspective, as a(n) (formerly) overweight father, if someone wants to find fault with the parents, then change has to start with the parents. If the parent is overweight and not taking care of their own health and fitness, the parent's habits are going to trickle down to their children. We bandy about these concepts of teaching our children good habits and such, but if we don't have those good habits ourselves as parents and take care of ourselves, it just doesn't work. It doesn't even make sense.

I liken it to flying on an aircraft with a child. In the case of an emergency, secure your OWN oxygen mask before assisting your child.

My daughter (7) sees the changes I have made. She asks me about calories, whether the food she eats is healthy, the ramifications of what she eats, and other insightful questions. I have been to school with my daughter on the days where nutrition, portion control, and exercise were discussed. Society does play a role and, for the most part, attempts to educate and steer children in the right direction.

Children learn and grow from all of these experiences and sources of information. Do you also blame the parent if the child has difficulty in school, with learning, or any other areas of their lives? If so, then I have to wonder what the agenda is..

Blame parents all you want, but children are smarter than you give them credit for. Oh yeah, and if you have no children, unless you are a professional (teacher, nutritionist, child psychologist, etc), I will just tell you now that I view your opinion as tenuous at best.

What you're describing is how parents teach their children about healthy eating and exercise habits. Show, don't tell.

harvo

In my case, my ex-gf had 2 boys that played baseball alomost year round and these boys played on 2 teams each which forced us to eat at the ball park or pick up something fast and convenient.

Pack some food in a cooler. Problem solved.

Most places do not allow coolers. Also, we both worked and for 5:30 games we had to be there early which means we pullin the drive load equip and head out. When I coached I actually changed in the car on my way home from the office.

Jacwhite22

the parent obviously......... any other answer is a copout

drchimpanzee

Blame whoever buys the food. If junior is the one stocking the house with potato chips, frozen pizzas, and ice cream then point the finger at him. I'm going to take a wild guess that most kids don't have jobs, money, and don't grocery shop though.

csuhar

Whenever I objected to my mom making me eat my vegetables and limiting my junk food, she always said "Until you're 18, you and your body are my responsibility." Both my parents were very focused on their "job" of creating functional, independent, healthy adults. Once my brother and I were out of the house, we were free to make all those decisions for ourselves.

lilpoindexter

OH no...it's not the parent's fault for being irresponsible...blame the public schools, and evil sugary cereal marketing, and the man on the moon, and everyone but the parents.

realme56

I moved my 4 y/o daughter to California from Vermont because my mom was too indulgent and I wanted to be more on my own. She would go back during the summer for about 4 weeks. One year she came back gaining like10+ when she was only 10-11 herself. Mom had to buy her all new clothes. I almost fell over when I saw her come off the plane. I asked her if she ate chips and ice cream every night and with big eyes she asked "how did you know?"

My mom was told that if she was going to visit again that she could gain no more than 3# and she had to provide some sort of physical exercise for her. My daughter lost her "grannie visit" weight and has remained fairly healthy weight wise (she gained during a bad relationship just out of HS)

Parents are to blame as children but we must make better choices as adults for ourselves AND our children!

keem88

i don't believe there are as many medical reasons out there to blame as people think they are. it's a small amount that contributes to obesity, the rest of the reasons are preventable.

i think lack of information/education to parents and to schools. when i was growing up i was on the free school lunch program, so my mom really could not control what i ate while i was there. and i'm thinking the school lunches are a lot worse than they used to be. mmmm pink slime. but seriously, i think education is a large part, and not many people are truly educated about health and wellness.

also, in general foods are so much more processed than they ever were. i remember being in elementary school, and there were some fat kids for sure, but like not obese children in numbers out of hand. i would think chemicals in the food, convenience food with high sodium and fat at a cheap price can also be part of the reason, and the parents' lack of knowledge or financial resources to provide otherwise.

the world is getting crazier by the day. i rarely see kids outside playing up the street, and for good reasons. you don't know what whack job there is out there or what is going on these days, and if you are not around you really don't want your kids running with the neighborhood kids (who could be whack jobs too). i used to walk up the hill all the time alone in elementary school/middle school to hang out with the kids in the area and it was fine. mom kicked us out after the morning and said be bake by dinner...or else. i think if parents do have the time then yes be outside while your kids are playing, but it's very rare for parents to just sent their kids out to play for the day.

advancement in technology could be a culprit as well, all these fancy games now and the internet. i remember having a computer from my cousins when i was young, it wasn't hooked up to the internet though. and we could only use it for an hour tops every couple days. you had to get your behind outside and do something, or at least pick up a book. i know a lot of kids are playing video games now, sitting at the computer for hours straight (a kid i babysat played computer games 10+ hours a day. he rarely wanted to go outside and when he did he would bug out 10 mins later that it was too hot, and back in the AC it was). and if parents are busy with multiple jobs and tired when they get home, which is understandable, then they let the tv/internet kick in as the entertainment for the night.

i definitely do not think there is one sole reason for obesity, in kids or adults. and there are prolly more factors i didn't think of, i just woke up so bear with me. it's sad though, my sister and i were never overweight, really none of my family has been (surprising since we're italian and love the carbs and cheese haha). but we have always been active. dad used to take us to watch cross country meets (he's been a distance runner since he was in hs), and sharing that with us helped us have an interest at a young age in being active. i ran cross country middle school through freshman year college (messed my knew up, no bueno. did marching band instead since it's way less intense but still active). he would sign us up for the little kid races when we were 5. it was awesome. i think being there for your kids and showing them what is out there to build an interest at a young age is important.

okay i'm done with my 2 cents, time to go hiking with the doggy

eta: we rarely went out to eat either, usually my dad cooked. i think that has a lot to do with it as well, because there wasn't all that hidden extra fat/sodium. i remember we got pizza once because the power was out on our side of town for a few days and a pizzeria in one of the plazas had power :laugh:
but really, i think it's important for the parents to take initiative and be responsible for what their kid eats, and how their kid views food. they need to be a good role model and show their kids healthy lifestyles, not just sit around and waste away on the couch while the kids doing the same playing neopets all day (hey, is that still around). but there should be more resources for the parents as well, it's hard to do alone.

darkguardian419

It is entirely the parent's responsibility.

Let a 10 year old who likes video games do what he wants and eat what he wants, and guess what. You have a fat, unhappy kid.

Make them eat their vegetables and play outside, with computer time limited... you have a happier, skinnier kid. I've seen it in my own kids.



Another personal example, when I was a teenager I had a similar situation... and I was depressed. I joined football, started exercising and eating better, and I was a happier person... and I didn't even like football back then.

lilmissymoo90

the parents =D simple i have a two year old he eats like me not like his junk addicted daddy and hes 2 is now chooses my food over his daddys and turned down a cookie for a veggie curry the other day they develop the tastes for food young and they learn from the parents what they should eat if parents take their kids to mcdonalds every night buy them sweets every time they go to the store have a huge choccy and chip cupboard thats not going to turn out well x

cloggsy71

Definitely the parents; the 'behave and I'll give you a biscuit (cookie)' culture.

PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot

Completely agree - parents are the ones prepping the meals. If the kids don't want to eat it, it's up to the parents to be vigilant about not caving in for an easy, unhealthy meal.

trud72

partly parents and partly schools/government!

Nope. Theres no partly. Its fully parents. If your school doesn't provide healthy foods and keeps pushing high calories junk foods then talk to them. Many communities are now doing it and for almost the same cost. The fact that NO parent screamed at the schools when they passed out pizza as a serving of veggies shows that parents are the one neglecting.

Ultimately it's the parent's responsibility, but when it comes to schools, it's not just the food, it's the lack of proper physical education. They have cut PE down from daily to only 2 days/week in my area. Kids aren't allowed to get up and release their energy except on those 2 days. My son is ADHD and actually was punished by taking him out of PE for being too active in class. He also has a huge appetite/metabolism bc of his ADHD and I asked if he could bring extra snacks or eat school lunch plus some healthy snacks that I send. They said no. (they only had 15 minutes to eat anyways) He can either eat school lunch (which was free for him since I'm a single parent) OR pack a lunch, but he couldn't do both. WHAT?! This, among many other reasons, is why my son is now homeschooled. He gets 45 minutes- an hour of physical activity during the school day and 10 minute breaks between subjects. He's also allowed to excel where needed and express his creativity. My mom works with him while I'm at my job. He knows how important it is to eat healthy and exercise because I taught him, but his school certainly did not encourage any of this.

same at our school and it is totally both....