Helping my 7 year old son....

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  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
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    harpsdesire wrote: »
    Emphasize the fun of activity and sports, and the yumminess/feel good factor of healthy foods. Limit treats by not having them in the house, but allow birthday cake at parties, etc.

    ...

    I'm not a parent or expert, but it's what I wish my parents did for me!

    This works for me - there are no lollies or candy in the house. If the kids are hungry, we walk to the store or we have to prepare something or they can help themselves to any fruit they can find in the fridge - we also make a game of trying fruit and other fresh produce we've never seen before from the local store so that they feel they are being in control when choosing to buy some strange looking orb, at least they try it, sometimes they like it...

    Also yeah, I often reflect on how my parents raised me and I make the decision to do a better job with my kids.

  • Eureka175
    Eureka175 Posts: 77 Member
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    Since he enjoys baseball, keep at it. My son (9) hates running but loves sports and is very competitive, he enjoys soccer, basketball, hockey, volleyball, etc. Although he doesn;t enjoy running, he will "practice running" at home in order to be better at his sports. He also loves going for family bike rides, and playgrounds. My daughter (6) prefers gymnastics and swimming, as well as "exercising with mommy" -she also loves "dance parties" - the trick is to find things he enjoys, and being active with him. Good luck!
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
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    I think the big thing is not to make it a big thing. Bring healthier food choices into your home. Limit the amount of "bad" snacks he can have in a week. I find that buying the already packaged cookies or chips makes eating a serving easier. Being more active with him naturally like swimming, riding bikes, taking walks. No need to say "we are going to ride bikes to exercise". He likes baseball so go out and throw the ball around, play hide and seek, flashlight tag, red light green light. He might just be a slow runner, being big doesn't equal slow anymore than being little means fast. Unfortunately someone has to finish last.

    How does HE feel about coming in last? I know in the past when my daughter (14 now) was upset because someone was better at something I would say "do you want to practice?". If it really upsets him to be last work on running skills, with miles comes speed. :smiley: Like I mentioned about tag etc are games that will get him running and working on that skill without him feeling like he is working at it.

    Good luck and don't be down on yourself, there is no parenting guide and there are no perfect parents.
  • berlynnwall
    berlynnwall Posts: 669 Member
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    I have my school age kids exercise in the morning before we go to school. There are all kinds of fun dance/martial arts/ yoga dvds available for kids, and my kids actually like to do them. My 11 year old sometimes chooses to ride my stationary bike instead of doing a video. Not only is it a good habit for them, but I think it helps them not be so squirmy at school.

    Food wise, I make a lot of healthy foods, and I let them help me cook often so they see what I'm putting in there. I try to strike a balance - we don't eat "clean", but a treat is a treat and not an every day/hour/whenever situation.

    I hope that helps a little, and I want to say that even though you maybe made mistakes in the past, it's really good that you're trying to figure this out now instead of just letting it go and not caring. Best wishes to you guys.
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
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    Okay so thanks for answering. sounds like your son isnt over weight per se, but could benifit from some more activity.

    I have a 8 year od son and a 6 year old son. the 8 year old is underweight and and the 6 year old is average but could easily tip over if i dont watch it. I dont limit what he eats but i dont keep chips, sodas or cookiesetc around the house and there is no mindless snacking. he gets to snack on cheese, fruit, yogurts, vegetables and ranch or hummus etc. the 8 year old gets bigger helpings than the 6 year old at dinner to add weight.

    they both play basketball, do taekwondo and swim. on non sports days they go with me to the gym to play in the adventure zone (play structure) or we do active things together as a family, ride bikes, go for walks etc. to motivate them into waling and hiking more we started geocaching so we are always going out on treasure hunts and doing that we can easily walk a couple miles without complaint.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Raising my kids (now 24 and 25) as a single mother...I wanted them to know fitness. I brought them to the gym with me every day and they went their way (taekwondo, swimming, basketball, etc) and I went mine (treadmill and weights) We did this for their whole life and they know fitness. We may not alwaYs choose fitness...but they know it. ..and that is what I wanted for them to know enough to be able to choose.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    My son is the slowest one on his team too. He is very fit, he just hates running when it's required of him, though he runs around the house and yard like a maniac so I know he can do it. Crazy kid. :D
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
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    MommaSarabear wrote: »
    Yes, to answer the question he is overweight but he also towers over most of the boys in his class height wise - I have lots of very tall people in my family and he's very much built like them as kids - on the heavy side but also built solid as a rock (his arms and legs are very, very strong, but he has a bit of a belly). Once they hit puberty age, they shot up like bean poles. There are no underlying medical conditions - I have been to the pediatrician. I was more or less wanting suggestions from other parents with kiddos my sons age (7) as to what they do with their kids to encourage eating right and fun exercises and yes, he does enjoy baseball - it's not just something I wanted to put him in for myself. Thanks in advance.

    Your son sounds similar to my 8 yo DD. She waver's at just under overweight, but she's very big for her age. She's as tall as most of the 5th grade boys and she's in a women's size 6-7 shoe!

    It sounds like your son just needs some more conditioning. When DD8 said that she didn't want to finish last when her softball team ran laps, I let her do some conditioning on the treadmill (during the winter). She gets on and runs for 10-15 minutes. It started out with her running very slowly...3.8 mph, but now she does intervals at 5-6 mph. She enjoys it because she is competitive and likes seeing how far she can make it. When we are outside walking or jogging, I encourage her to sprint on hills for added endurance training. Usually she races me or her sister. When she's playing in the neighborhood, she likes to race the older boys.

    You'll probably also have to accept that some people will always have to be at the back of the pack, especially when it comes to sprinting. I've always said that DD8 is built for marathons, not sprints. If the team runs 1 lap, she's still at the back of the pack (not last anymore, though), even with her conditioning. If they make that three or more laps, and she's pulling towards the middle-front of the pack. DD4 is a sprinter - she can run as fast as DD8 if they are just going a short distance. DD4 is also tall but very underweight and moves with a natural grace that DD8 and I don't have.
  • DearestWinter
    DearestWinter Posts: 595 Member
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    When I was a kid I was always a really slow runner. I was a healthy weight and did plenty of other cardio exercises but hated running. Now that I'm an adult I've identified my problem is pacing myself. I tend to sprint for a little bit, get tired, and then walk. Repeat. I've done running clinics with pacers, run 5/10Ks/half marathons, and still have this issue. I just get incredibly bored running at the same pace.

    But sure, see a doctor to check his cardio fitness and see if that's the issue. I just wanted to mention my story because fitness and slow running aren't necessarily linked.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    Would he do exercise videos, or play Wii / Playstation fitness games?

    This is a kid's Tae Bo workout....

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs97j6j1b9M

    I agree with Aimee....something you can all do together. You won't be singling him out.

    OH MY GOD! I did this in gym class in elementary school.....

    DOUBLE TIME! *strobe light flashes*


    OP, the best thing you can do for your kid is to lead by example. This means eating right, having the right snacks available, and engaging is sports/activities with them.

    Things like tennis, swimming, rock climbing, skating, kickball, soccer, gymnastics, basketball, baseball, etc. Find something you can both do together in addition to his already existing activities.

    Remember: topping at mcdonalds on the way home, cheating on your diet, or giving up is going to be noticed.
  • jenniferinfl
    jenniferinfl Posts: 456 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Find a fun activity you can do together. When my daughter's 5 we'll be at the local rock climbing gym. She's four right now and so there's a lot she just isn't allowed to do yet. We have a two mile loop trail by our playground, so we walk that first and then she plays at the playground for an hour or so. She also loves doing exercise videos on youtube. She doesn't do the moves correctly, but, she's moving.

    Since his problem is running, the cure is probably to take him walking/running. You could always go at it at the angle that your just trying to help him to get faster for sports instead of mentioning the whole weight loss thing.

    There are fun runs for kids in our area, mud runs, and zombie runs. Our local Y has a steeplechase race for kids this weekend where they scramble over hay bales and stuff. So, training with a goal in mind might help. Zombie runs might be really appealing. Color runs are fun, so are flavor runs and some of those allow kids.

    Just one example:
    http://www.thezombiemudrun.com/photo-video-zombie-mud-run-zombie-mudder
  • Angiefit4life
    Angiefit4life Posts: 210 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Not exactly the same age but wanted to share. Before we started our new life change (hubby and I) my 15 year old has always been heavier than others. Our 17 and 9 year old are thin. We didn't want to cause any issues by making it an issue. Changing what we brought in the house ( treats are still in play just not readily on hand) and he is now very active with his dad outside. (No pushing he loves being with his dad ) he is definitely leaner now and it's amazing when I get a text from him telling me his new run time at school. No better reward than that!
  • alexistexas33
    alexistexas33 Posts: 121 Member
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    I did this back then, if I was my mom back then I would honestly throw out all the sweets and junk food in the house
    Also do not force him to work out, allow him to enjoy it
    Also, he's 7, he hasn't hit puberty yet
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 647 Member
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    He is 7. you'll have fun finding some fun activities.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    At this age, exercise should be fun. Let him pick up a sport he likes. Make it a rule he needs to do some physical activity, but let him pick what this activity will be each year.
    Limit his screen time, and encourage him to do physical activities. Go for a walk together. If you have a back yard, porch, garden etc, set up a hoop and encourage him to play basketball, or draw a goal post with chalk so he can play soccer etc. Get him a bike and schedule rides once a week. Or goto the park on weekends to play together his favourite game.
    At home, get rid of junk food: juice, soda, biscuits and so on. Do not make them off limits completely, but schedule them. For example, if you are going to give him a glass of soda with his dinner, buy one can, not 6 bottles, even if the second is cheaper and more convenient. If he is going to have ice cream as a treat, buy one small portion, do not keep a huge container in the freezer to avoid temptation. Or even better, plan a walk or bike road together with the goal of getting an ice cream and eating it on the way home.
    Prepare yourself his favourite treats, in more healthy versions, for daily eating. A home made cake or sweet bread can have much less sugar and fat than whatever you buy, and involving him in the making makes it more fun and it always tastes better ;) Make your own everyday popsicles with fruit. They are a treat all kids love, and it is actually healthy for them. And so on.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited April 2015
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    tcunbeliever wrote: »
    With my kids I don't limit their intake of foods, but I do limit the number of times they get "junk food". To me junk food is just about any food that comes out of a box or can. So, they are fed a lot of what I consider real foods, meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, etc. but we only have processed foods or go out to eat about once a week. The 2 I have still at home are 11 and 13, so they eat unimaginable quantities of food, but are still a healthy weight. My rule is that they have to be in some kind of activity, but beyond that I don't make them exercise. They are pretty active on their own.

    All parents are doing the best they can, don't beat yourself up if you have started some unhealthy habits, just do the best you can to alter them and lead by example.

    This is basically what I've been doing with my 11-year-old...he has lost seven pounds and grown an inch. So currently he is 4'7.5" and 100 lbs. even. He has no clue any of this is for weight loss...when I ask him to get on the scale I tell him it's because I'm recalibrating it and want to make sure I get an accurate weight. He is intellectually delayed and this explanation is good enough for him - he translates it to "Mom is just doing something for her."

    Of course he noticed the food changes and griped about them. I explained that we are all trying to get healthier. We all eat this way now, with my exception being that I also limit my calories.

    ETA: I did take my son to the doctor when he gained, plus "slowed down" (physically). He had a full blood panel and thyroid panel. Everything has come back fine. I do think seeing the doctor is a good idea, but don't tell your son it's because he's heavy. I would suggest telling him instead that he's due for a checkup and that you as his mother want to know he's healthy. All of which I'm assuming is true, it's what most of us parents want. :)

    I am assuming all this is about weight since you're posting it on a weight loss board. If he isn't overweight, but is bringing up the rear anyway, you can encourage his physical capabilities by playing sports with him - in the front yard or the park or wherever. (That is, if it's as important to him as it is to you. Not every kid WANTS to be great at sports.)

    But yes, we do pass along the bad as well as the good to our children. For instance, I was always a slow runner...very slow (and definitely NOT overweight, not even close); and just overall not very good at sports. It was definitely NOT down to inactivity/being out of shape/sitting around too much - we're talking the 70s and 80s when kids walked or biked everywhere...and I do mean everywhere. A mile and a quarter to school (I Google mapped it as an adult out of curiosity) and home again, walking fast and carrying heavy books; then bike or walk to friends' houses, into town, etc. after school. My God we never freaking sat down in those days, we were "young and healthy" and expected to constantly be outside. So it wasn't being out of shape that was the issue. I can only put it down to genetics. My mother wasn't exactly a hotshot when it came to sports either.

    In addition, I was always very clumsy and uncoordinated. I still am. For things I want to be more coordinated at, I make a concerted effort. Other things I just let go.

    Perhaps let your son make the decision of what he wants to excel at and what he just doesn't care about - again, in the case that this might not be about weight but instead, just about general capabilities.

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