Overweight and obese children!!!
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I was an overweight child, and to this day, I am still fighting it.
I can honestly say that my weight issues are entirely the result of my parents' actions. From the time I was old enough to remember until I moved out of the house at the age of 18, every meal served was fried and had gravy on it. Even vegetables were breaded and fried. Sweets were always available, salads were disdained, and mostly meat was served. If foods weren 't fried, they were drenched in butter, cream cheese, or worse.
When I became obviously overweight, my parents made a big deal out of it. Dinner would be served, and I would be chastised for eating more than one fried chicken leg. Sweets were available, but off-limits to me. It all made me feel ostracised and depressed, and the result was that I would sneak the sweets, and my weight ballooned more. As a teen, I went on every crazy fad diet that made the rounds, and I believe that my metabolism has been damaged to this day.
Parents, please remember that small children don't make their own choices, or at least they shouldn't. My kids get treats on occasion, because I don't want them to feel like they have to sneak it away in order to have it. Our meals are extremely healthy, and of my children are following in my footsteps and enjoying healthy eating.
I just want them to have a better example than I did.0 -
I think it depends. I really don't see kids out that often around here. I live right by a really nice park and I never see kids there... it's weird to me. At the same time, I've always been overweight and I was outside all the time as a child. I would ride my bike, climb trees, play tag, play kick ball... even helped my brother and his friends with their paper route. Still, I was fat. Kids are definitely not as active as when I was a kid but they also eat more horribly as well.
Parents definitely need to take a more active role in their kids actions. I didn't know what nutrition was when I was kid and kids today don't know what it is either.0 -
I was an overweight child, and to this day, I am still fighting it.
I can honestly say that my weight issues are entirely the result of my parents' actions. From the time I was old enough to remember until I moved out of the house at the age of 18, every meal served was fried and had gravy on it. Even vegetables were breaded and fried. Sweets were always available, salads were disdained, and mostly meat was served. If foods weren 't fried, they were drenched in butter, cream cheese, or worse.
When I became obviously overweight, my parents made a big deal out of it. Dinner would be served, and I would be chastised for eating more than one fried chicken leg. Sweets were available, but off-limits to me. It all made me feel ostracised and depressed, and the result was that I would sneak the sweets, and my weight ballooned more. As a teen, I went on every crazy fad diet that made the rounds, and I believe that my metabolism has been damaged to this day.
Parents, please remember that small children don't make their own choices, or at least they shouldn't. My kids get treats on occasion, because I don't want them to feel like they have to sneak it away in order to have it. Our meals are extremely healthy, and of my children are following in my footsteps and enjoying healthy eating.
I just want them to have a better example than I did.
Mostly because I still have issues with how I was raised (food-wise), I'm curious to know your parents health now and whether they themselves have battled obesity.
(Both of my parents struggled. Both chastised me. Both have health issues from not caring for their body and both still not only tell me they are worried about my weight, but make me feel guilty when I don't eat the junk they are trying to give me.
WTF? It's like they don't see the connection, AT ALL)0 -
This is a pretty popular thread right now. Unless there is a medical reason, there is no reason for a child to be obese. I started to gain a bunch of weight in 3rd grade, and that was the beginning of my weight issues. The main reason was because my parents got me my own T.V. and so I stopped leaving my bedroom. I was also a light eater when I was younger. I think I was more in tune with my hunger cues, so I only ate what I needed. But I was raised to always clean my plate, and I couldn't leave the table until I had cleaned my plate. I think it was around this age when I stopped listening to my cues and would eat just for the sake of eating. Oh yeah! And I stopped getting kids meals at McDonalds and graduated to adult meals, and my parents would get me whole candy bars and pint sized chocolate milks everytime they went to the cigarette store. That was a couple times a week. I loved all of that chocolate!
I know better now, and I'm going to try my best to not make the same mistakes with my own children. I remember griping about how children shouldn't be eating adult sized fast food meals at the age of 8, and a friend of mine with some serious weight issues got kind of offended and said that her step daughter was eating adult sized meals by the age of 8 b/c she's a "big girl" and the kids meals just didn't fill her up. Well no duh she's a big girl. She's a big girl because she eats adult sized meals. People can retrain themselves to eat smaller portions.0 -
I was taught you eat what is in front of you and you don't leave the table until you do. Granted, there wouldn't be much on the plate, but still. As a kid between dance and swimming, and then band martial arts as a teenager plus other school activities (including sports) I didn't get a chance to sit in front of the tv or the computer (computer usually was for homework only) until I was in college. And even now, over half of the time the tv stays off, and i limit myself on the computer because I am up and moving.
I came from a home where my mothered forced me to eat and not allowed to leave till I had eaten ( even for hours). I ended up in care because of this and I know lots of my and my sibling food issues to this day are because of what she did.0 -
It makes me so mad to see kids who are overweight and obese! Don't get me wrong, I understand some may have a health issue and sometimes it can't be helped. My cousins kids are HUGE, due to lack of exercise, eating CRAP and being lazy!!! And then their mom, makes a special trip to the store to get stuff for bananna splits!! WTH!!! It's sad!
My son eats what i make and exercises every day! My daughter is only 6 months old, but when she's older, she will do the same! I have a lot of people in my family who are OVERWEIGHT and have health issues because of it!! It's so irritating that they won't acknowledge why they have health problems! I think most parents these days just take the easy convenient route and do what makes the kid happy! Sure, my son gets a cookie, or some candy here and there, but NOT everyday, just because he wants it. He gets tired of steak, chicken, fish, fruits and veggies but we do throw in a pizza occasionally, but let me tell you....if he was overweight, I would absolutely not fill him up with junk just to make him happy or in hopes of him being good for a while! IMO: Most obese/overweight kids are that way as a result of their parents choices!
Hope this makes sense....LOL! This topic just pisses me off!0 -
In case anyone is interested - Ellyn Satter has a book about fostering healthy eating habits with kids, starting from when they are little. It's called "Child of Mine."
Basically, she describes a "division of responsibility" , and you don't ever force a kid to eat.
You decide, what, when and where they eat, and kids decide whether to eat and how much. (So, chicken, rice and broccoli, at the dinner table, 5:00 pm; up to the kid whether they take one bite, ten bites or non.) Always have something at the table the kid likes - something incorporated into the meal. (like if your kid likes pasta, but not sauce, fine to serve pasta separately. Kid can eat pasta sauce or not, no biggie.
The idea is to avoid conflict over food. Kids want to establish autonomy; one way of exerting control is to eat or not eat. I matter of factly serve my daughter whatever we're eating. I have found that she is much more likely to try a new food if there is also something familiar on the table. But I don't push her to try "one more bite" or whatever. Sometimes she eats more than me, sometimes she eats nothing at all, and her weight is just fine. Children encouraged to eat more (underweight) will generally end up eating less , and overweight children encouraged to eat less will end up eating more.0 -
In case anyone is interested - Ellyn Satter has a book about fostering healthy eating habits with kids, starting from when they are little. It's called "Child of Mine."
Basically, she describes a "division of responsibility" , and you don't ever force a kid to eat.
You decide, what, when and where they eat, and kids decide whether to eat and how much. (So, chicken, rice and broccoli, at the dinner table, 5:00 pm; up to the kid whether they take one bite, ten bites or non.) Always have something at the table the kid likes - something incorporated into the meal. (like if your kid likes pasta, but not sauce, fine to serve pasta separately. Kid can eat pasta sauce or not, no biggie.
The idea is to avoid conflict over food. Kids want to establish autonomy; one way of exerting control is to eat or not eat. I matter of factly serve my daughter whatever we're eating. I have found that she is much more likely to try a new food if there is also something familiar on the table. But I don't push her to try "one more bite" or whatever. Sometimes she eats more than me, sometimes she eats nothing at all, and her weight is just fine. Children encouraged to eat more (underweight) will generally end up eating less , and overweight children encouraged to eat less will end up eating more.
That sounds a really useful book. Mine eat better now as we have not made food an issue - it has taken a long time but its great when my autistic son actually enjoys something I've made like risotto and want to try new things. They know if they try it and dont like its ok . My daughter who is worse will now ask what I'm cooking and quite often try a bit. As there is no pressure to eat it and they know that its not going to end up as a battle of wills they are much more relaxed around food. I've also come to realise that they have different eating habits such as one is a grazer and will eat more if she has a little at a time than a meal which she will leave most of.0 -
That's the problem... They don't. Studies time and time across various western countries reveal that parents are blind to child obesity and think their size is not a problem. When shown images of healthy weight children they often think they are underweight.
This and the denial factor - parents usually do not want to admit their child is overweight, or they say things like "they'll grow out of it" or "it's puppy fat".
And in a lot of cases, they do... Children's bodies are growing and changing all the time, and often go through periods where the body is storing resources for a growth spurt. Obviously I'm not talking about major levels of excess weight, but applying adult standards to children's bodies is unwise. In physique, diet, or strenuous exercise, especially weight-lifting type activities.
Growth spurts... that's upwards. We're talking sideways.
One of my daughters grows sideways before a growth spurt. I really worry about her. Just the other day she was crying because she was "fat". She was never really aware of weight until one little girl at preschool called her fat. Then she became hyper aware of the differences between her and her other siblings. I held her while she cried and told her that she was beautiful and everyone looked different. The thing is, she is heavy, surprisingly so for how short she is. She's also wider than my other kids. But, I can't pinch any fat on her. She looks slimmer now that she had her growth spurt, but she will never be rail skinny like my other kids. She is not technically overweight, but is close according to BMI. I'm not in denial, she just has heavy bones, always has. The unfairness of it all is that she is my veggie girl. She will try any veggie and usually likes them. She asks for salad. She has treats once in a while like the other kids do, but she is the one who will say "no thank you" a lot of times or she won't finish it all. I just worry about how she will feel as she grows up (she's only 5) and has more pressure on her to be thin. Media images of thinness will not be attainable for her if she wants to stay healthy.
Sorry, my point is that yes, children do grow sideways as part of their growth spurts, and as adults we should help children foster better body images. While I understand that many/most of you are talking about obese and morbidly obese children, sometimes these criticisms filter down to children with "baby fat" or those who are naturally "thick.". Just as some adults will never have a certain body shape or weight, some kids won't either.0 -
My mother didn't allow kool aid, soda, candy, sugary cereals, doritos or any other junk when we were growing up. I was a normal weight kid.
Of course, when I got out on my own, I went BONKERS. I think I ate my weight in Fruity Pebbles cereal.
I have a 14 year old son now and he knows balance. I'm really proud of that.0 -
Our community has some severely obese children. Whenever I see them, I want to cry. How can those parents do that to their kids? There's no way all them have medical conditions, so it must be the parents. One little girl just breaks my heart every time I see her. She's in grade school and morbidly obese.
There is a flip side to this, though. I have two boys at home, (my daughter's 20 and on her own), and the older one has a very trim, athletic build, (I have NO idea where he got his genes!!! (jk)), and his brother, 21months younger, has a build more like mine. I know it's my fault for constantly calling myself fat (which I'm working on it), so now he's calling himself fat all the time. I Googled healthy weight range for 13 year old boys and it said between 128 and 156lbs. He's well within that range. I keep telling him he's not fat; I hope that if I keep telling him he's perfectly normal, he'll believe me.
It opened my eyes a little bit. I know we all want our kids to be healthy and happy and not grow up to be fat like many of us are, but we have to be careful not to make them obsess over it either and develop unhealthy body images of themselves.0 -
Take a jump - this post pissed me off so much.As an adult who decides to have a child it is your responsibility to ensure that your child learns what it needs to know in order to live in the world. It isn't just food I am sorry to say. Parents (and I don't mean anyone specifically just in general) are lazy. This is one of my biggest peeves so forgive me if I rant. I will say from the start that if the child has a medically diagnosed condition then this is not directed at them. This is for 'normal' children with no other problems...Also when I say 'you' or 'your' this is in the general not directed at anyone in specific so please no one be offended
I have seen children sitting in strollers well past time when they should be walking..if a child can walk then that's it for the stroller apart from very rare occasions when it is simply too much walking for a small child. Don't be scared to push them a little. If a parent lets them get away with being lazy, eating everything they want and talking back then this is what they will get. Period.
I've seen kids having temper tantrums in the middle of shops because they want something and the parents just standing there watching them..for pity's sake take the kid outside. If they can't control themselves it is the parents job to do it for them. If that means the grocery shopping needs to get done another time when the child is either behaving or with a sitter then that's what has to happen. Children ARE inconvenient, life does not just go on as if nothing happened when you have one. Perenting takes effort.
When there is crap in the house that is what the kids want. If they don't KNOW what a coke is then they won't ask for it. If they have never been to McDonalds then they don't ask for it. If they don't KNOW that kids "aren't supposed to like" liver, brussel sprouts and vegetables they will eat whatever they are given. Children will eat what you eat. If they are offered treats then that is what they will want - I mean would you rather eat something yummy and chocolaty sweet or a big plate of spinach?? Kids aren't stupid..they will go for the treats every time if they have the choice. The trick is not to give them that choice until they are responsible enough to make it and by that time if everything has been done with the best interest of the child in mind they won't 'crave' crap.
The job of a parent is not to be friends, or buddies with their child.. it is to parent them. To make the decisions regarding what they eat and how much of it. To explain when they cry or whine that the behavior will not be tolerated and they do not get the choice. It's annoying to deal with a screaming child yes, but honestly, it takes only a few times to break them of those habits and have a respectful child that listens, does what they are told and has no food fetishes (most of the time).
There is nothing wrong with offering a treat on occasion but if it is offered daily or with any frequency then the child will expect it. Right now we are fighting this with our 4 yr old because he is not with us full time and gets given treats by others who take care of him. Last night he asked for a reward for doing something he was asked to do..omg child.. needless to say he was advised that this is not an acceptable behavior and I guarantee he will not ask again.
We have junk in the house since my thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things, but he responsible enough not to do it until AFTER his son goes to bed and to clean up the wrappers, and bags before the morning because if it is left out in sight his son will ask for some. Monkey see, Monkey do..
Your thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things - so its okay because he is thin and doesn't do it in front of son.
Don't you know? The best parents in the world are those that don't have kids (eyeroll)0 -
Take a jump - this post pissed me off so much.As an adult who decides to have a child it is your responsibility to ensure that your child learns what it needs to know in order to live in the world. It isn't just food I am sorry to say. Parents (and I don't mean anyone specifically just in general) are lazy. This is one of my biggest peeves so forgive me if I rant. I will say from the start that if the child has a medically diagnosed condition then this is not directed at them. This is for 'normal' children with no other problems...Also when I say 'you' or 'your' this is in the general not directed at anyone in specific so please no one be offended
I have seen children sitting in strollers well past time when they should be walking..if a child can walk then that's it for the stroller apart from very rare occasions when it is simply too much walking for a small child. Don't be scared to push them a little. If a parent lets them get away with being lazy, eating everything they want and talking back then this is what they will get. Period.
I've seen kids having temper tantrums in the middle of shops because they want something and the parents just standing there watching them..for pity's sake take the kid outside. If they can't control themselves it is the parents job to do it for them. If that means the grocery shopping needs to get done another time when the child is either behaving or with a sitter then that's what has to happen. Children ARE inconvenient, life does not just go on as if nothing happened when you have one. Perenting takes effort.
When there is crap in the house that is what the kids want. If they don't KNOW what a coke is then they won't ask for it. If they have never been to McDonalds then they don't ask for it. If they don't KNOW that kids "aren't supposed to like" liver, brussel sprouts and vegetables they will eat whatever they are given. Children will eat what you eat. If they are offered treats then that is what they will want - I mean would you rather eat something yummy and chocolaty sweet or a big plate of spinach?? Kids aren't stupid..they will go for the treats every time if they have the choice. The trick is not to give them that choice until they are responsible enough to make it and by that time if everything has been done with the best interest of the child in mind they won't 'crave' crap.
The job of a parent is not to be friends, or buddies with their child.. it is to parent them. To make the decisions regarding what they eat and how much of it. To explain when they cry or whine that the behavior will not be tolerated and they do not get the choice. It's annoying to deal with a screaming child yes, but honestly, it takes only a few times to break them of those habits and have a respectful child that listens, does what they are told and has no food fetishes (most of the time).
There is nothing wrong with offering a treat on occasion but if it is offered daily or with any frequency then the child will expect it. Right now we are fighting this with our 4 yr old because he is not with us full time and gets given treats by others who take care of him. Last night he asked for a reward for doing something he was asked to do..omg child.. needless to say he was advised that this is not an acceptable behavior and I guarantee he will not ask again.
We have junk in the house since my thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things, but he responsible enough not to do it until AFTER his son goes to bed and to clean up the wrappers, and bags before the morning because if it is left out in sight his son will ask for some. Monkey see, Monkey do..
Your thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things - so its okay because he is thin and doesn't do it in front of son.
Don't you know? The best parents in the world are those that don't have kids (eyeroll)
I was an AWESOME mom. Until my child was born. Now I'm a failure because I don't keep him housebound 100% of the time, saving strangers from the laborious task of judging my parenting based on a tiny peek into the window of my day/life/child's personality. So sorry.0 -
In case anyone is interested - Ellyn Satter has a book about fostering healthy eating habits with kids, starting from when they are little. It's called "Child of Mine."
Basically, she describes a "division of responsibility" , and you don't ever force a kid to eat.
You decide, what, when and where they eat, and kids decide whether to eat and how much. (So, chicken, rice and broccoli, at the dinner table, 5:00 pm; up to the kid whether they take one bite, ten bites or non.) Always have something at the table the kid likes - something incorporated into the meal. (like if your kid likes pasta, but not sauce, fine to serve pasta separately. Kid can eat pasta sauce or not, no biggie.
The idea is to avoid conflict over food. Kids want to establish autonomy; one way of exerting control is to eat or not eat. I matter of factly serve my daughter whatever we're eating. I have found that she is much more likely to try a new food if there is also something familiar on the table. But I don't push her to try "one more bite" or whatever. Sometimes she eats more than me, sometimes she eats nothing at all, and her weight is just fine. Children encouraged to eat more (underweight) will generally end up eating less , and overweight children encouraged to eat less will end up eating more.
So what do you do when your kid is hungry an hour later if it's a day she decided not to eat?
I don't force any of my children to eat. However, they will not get anything else either. I'm not trying to feed them liver and onions here. We're talking grilled chicken -- stuff that they've had before. If they don't want it, fine. Go play (when everyone else is done of course) but if you come back hungry in an hour, guess what they're getting? Dinner. Not a pb&j. My kids would eat that for every meal if that's the way it worked.0 -
Take a jump - this post pissed me off so much.As an adult who decides to have a child it is your responsibility to ensure that your child learns what it needs to know in order to live in the world. It isn't just food I am sorry to say. Parents (and I don't mean anyone specifically just in general) are lazy. This is one of my biggest peeves so forgive me if I rant. I will say from the start that if the child has a medically diagnosed condition then this is not directed at them. This is for 'normal' children with no other problems...Also when I say 'you' or 'your' this is in the general not directed at anyone in specific so please no one be offended
I have seen children sitting in strollers well past time when they should be walking..if a child can walk then that's it for the stroller apart from very rare occasions when it is simply too much walking for a small child. Don't be scared to push them a little. If a parent lets them get away with being lazy, eating everything they want and talking back then this is what they will get. Period.
I've seen kids having temper tantrums in the middle of shops because they want something and the parents just standing there watching them..for pity's sake take the kid outside. If they can't control themselves it is the parents job to do it for them. If that means the grocery shopping needs to get done another time when the child is either behaving or with a sitter then that's what has to happen. Children ARE inconvenient, life does not just go on as if nothing happened when you have one. Perenting takes effort.
When there is crap in the house that is what the kids want. If they don't KNOW what a coke is then they won't ask for it. If they have never been to McDonalds then they don't ask for it. If they don't KNOW that kids "aren't supposed to like" liver, brussel sprouts and vegetables they will eat whatever they are given. Children will eat what you eat. If they are offered treats then that is what they will want - I mean would you rather eat something yummy and chocolaty sweet or a big plate of spinach?? Kids aren't stupid..they will go for the treats every time if they have the choice. The trick is not to give them that choice until they are responsible enough to make it and by that time if everything has been done with the best interest of the child in mind they won't 'crave' crap.
The job of a parent is not to be friends, or buddies with their child.. it is to parent them. To make the decisions regarding what they eat and how much of it. To explain when they cry or whine that the behavior will not be tolerated and they do not get the choice. It's annoying to deal with a screaming child yes, but honestly, it takes only a few times to break them of those habits and have a respectful child that listens, does what they are told and has no food fetishes (most of the time).
There is nothing wrong with offering a treat on occasion but if it is offered daily or with any frequency then the child will expect it. Right now we are fighting this with our 4 yr old because he is not with us full time and gets given treats by others who take care of him. Last night he asked for a reward for doing something he was asked to do..omg child.. needless to say he was advised that this is not an acceptable behavior and I guarantee he will not ask again.
We have junk in the house since my thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things, but he responsible enough not to do it until AFTER his son goes to bed and to clean up the wrappers, and bags before the morning because if it is left out in sight his son will ask for some. Monkey see, Monkey do..
Your thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things - so its okay because he is thin and doesn't do it in front of son.
Don't you know? The best parents in the world are those that don't have kids (eyeroll)
I was an AWESOME mom. Until my child was born. Now I'm a failure because I don't keep him housebound 100% of the time, saving strangers from the laborious task of judging my parenting based on a tiny peek into the window of my day/life/child's personality. So sorry.
Me too! I am also SO sorry that I let my 2-year-old cry in the store because she wants chocolate and I say "no"....it's a 40-mile round trip but I guess I should just go home and try another day when she can learn to behave like a little adult.0 -
The myth about kids not going outside to play and such not is NOT always the reason why the child is overweight.
I was fat since a few months after birth. As a young-in, I was sent outside to play from sunrise to sunset. I wasn't a picky eater, but my mom would starve us if we didn't eat what she cooked or made us wait at the table till we did.
But also my mother used food as a bribe. Here, have a cookie now go outside and leave me alone. The neighbors would often feed the kids in the block also. Heck, I would babysit and no joking, they would pay me in snacks. We grew up drinking Kool-aid by the gallon!
And all of these happened in the early to mid 80's.
Now a days, kids expect to get everything and anything they want. But also - have you seen all the ads EVERYWHERE about food? Hell, there wasn't a soda machine in ANY of my schools until my last 6 months of 12th grade. Now - kids have access to all sorts of crap food.
Plus, it doesn't help that now there are more electronic devices that keep kids indoors and still. But, adults also use these devices just as much or in some cases more than children.
Our culture has changed, and for better or worse, we let it. We let it dictate what we do and how we eat and try to find excuses and reasons behind it so we DON'T have to change and don't need to take the blame that we should.
But even then, that doesn't cover it all. There are so many reasons why a person or child could be overweight - it's impossible to lump sum all the reasons. Could it be medical? Could they not have enough money for better options? Do the parents care enough to say no or do they fear they will be blamed if they deny their brat a treat and they go tell their teacher that Mommy starves them?
The world has changed and probably not all for the better.0 -
Take a jump - this post pissed me off so much.As an adult who decides to have a child it is your responsibility to ensure that your child learns what it needs to know in order to live in the world. It isn't just food I am sorry to say. Parents (and I don't mean anyone specifically just in general) are lazy. This is one of my biggest peeves so forgive me if I rant. I will say from the start that if the child has a medically diagnosed condition then this is not directed at them. This is for 'normal' children with no other problems...Also when I say 'you' or 'your' this is in the general not directed at anyone in specific so please no one be offended
I have seen children sitting in strollers well past time when they should be walking..if a child can walk then that's it for the stroller apart from very rare occasions when it is simply too much walking for a small child. Don't be scared to push them a little. If a parent lets them get away with being lazy, eating everything they want and talking back then this is what they will get. Period.
I've seen kids having temper tantrums in the middle of shops because they want something and the parents just standing there watching them..for pity's sake take the kid outside. If they can't control themselves it is the parents job to do it for them. If that means the grocery shopping needs to get done another time when the child is either behaving or with a sitter then that's what has to happen. Children ARE inconvenient, life does not just go on as if nothing happened when you have one. Perenting takes effort.
When there is crap in the house that is what the kids want. If they don't KNOW what a coke is then they won't ask for it. If they have never been to McDonalds then they don't ask for it. If they don't KNOW that kids "aren't supposed to like" liver, brussel sprouts and vegetables they will eat whatever they are given. Children will eat what you eat. If they are offered treats then that is what they will want - I mean would you rather eat something yummy and chocolaty sweet or a big plate of spinach?? Kids aren't stupid..they will go for the treats every time if they have the choice. The trick is not to give them that choice until they are responsible enough to make it and by that time if everything has been done with the best interest of the child in mind they won't 'crave' crap.
The job of a parent is not to be friends, or buddies with their child.. it is to parent them. To make the decisions regarding what they eat and how much of it. To explain when they cry or whine that the behavior will not be tolerated and they do not get the choice. It's annoying to deal with a screaming child yes, but honestly, it takes only a few times to break them of those habits and have a respectful child that listens, does what they are told and has no food fetishes (most of the time).
There is nothing wrong with offering a treat on occasion but if it is offered daily or with any frequency then the child will expect it. Right now we are fighting this with our 4 yr old because he is not with us full time and gets given treats by others who take care of him. Last night he asked for a reward for doing something he was asked to do..omg child.. needless to say he was advised that this is not an acceptable behavior and I guarantee he will not ask again.
We have junk in the house since my thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things, but he responsible enough not to do it until AFTER his son goes to bed and to clean up the wrappers, and bags before the morning because if it is left out in sight his son will ask for some. Monkey see, Monkey do..
Your thin as a rail boyfriend likes to pig out on things - so its okay because he is thin and doesn't do it in front of son.
Don't you know? The best parents in the world are those that don't have kids (eyeroll)
I was an AWESOME mom. Until my child was born. Now I'm a failure because I don't keep him housebound 100% of the time, saving strangers from the laborious task of judging my parenting based on a tiny peek into the window of my day/life/child's personality. So sorry.
Me too! I am also SO sorry that I let my 2-year-old cry in the store because she wants chocolate and I say "no"....it's a 40-mile round trip but I guess I should just go home and try another day when she can learn to behave like a little adult.
THE NERVE! OF BOTH OF YOU!!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0 -
IF THEY DID NOT COME FROM YOUR LOINS,THEN M.Y.O.B.
Jus sayin'0 -
It's hard. Of course, in an ideal world parents would only feed their children nutritious meals, the kids would eat them without complaint, the parents would take the kids to the park every day and swimming every weekend ...
Reality is that it's easier to heat up a ready meal, and sometimes kids scream and refuse to eat their vegetables, and parents have to work so they park their kids in front of the TV so they can do what they need to to get paid. Is it wrong? Of course it is. But I would never judge those doing the best they can by their kids.
I watched a couple kids this summer. Constantly crying for snacks, saying they were hungry ... I gave in nearly every time. If my niece or nephews ask me for a treat, I nearly always give it to them just because I can't bear to see them cry. Am I a pushover? Yes. Of course, I'm not their mother, but it does make me feel a bit more sympathetic to how hard it can be, especially if the bad habits have already been formed.
I'm not saying it's a excuse. It's not. Parents have a responsibility to do their absolute best to raise their children to be healthy. And of course it makes me so sad to see children who have this issue through no real fault of their own, who will probably have problems with their weight their whole lives.
But I struggle hugely with my own food intake. Being responsible for another person's would overwhelm me entirely. So who I am to glower at parents who have got it wrong?0 -
An overweight child is caused by their parents/caretaker who are supplying them with the wrong foods too often. These kids are not buying their own food. I am fortunate my children are both thin, even though I do allow them sweets and snacks occasionally. As with everything, MODERATION is the key!0
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