Parents Please Wake Up

StacySkinny
StacySkinny Posts: 984 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't understand what some parents are thinking when they buy their kids fast food nearly every day and give them stuff like pizza, chips, candy, and coke on a regular basis. Those things should be "treats" that are had only every once in a while. So many families feed their children junk food every day, and that is making generation after generation of obese people. I was 250 lbs by the time I was in jr high and 300 lbs by the time I was in high school. When you're a kid you're not born knowing what a proper meal should look like or what a portion size should be, we only know what we are shown and taught by our parents. It all starts when we are kids. If we learn bad eating habits and are never taught right, it's something we have to struggle with and try to over come when we are adults, which makes it a thousand times more difficult.

I've been struggling for years to undo the damage that my upbringing has done to my body as well as my mind. I have a very long way to go and it's extremely hard, but I'm doing it. And it pisses me off to see parents out there doing the same thing to their kids that my parents did to me. And it makes me want to shake their parents and scream - WAKE UP! Can’t you see what you’re DOING? Because when I look in the mirror at the 340 lb woman staring back at me I'm looking at THEIR future. And that breaks my heart.

If you’re a parent I’m begging you, BEGGING you, to put your foot down and turn things around for your children. YOU are the one shaping your child’s body and mind. You have control over what goes in your shopping cart and what goes on your table. You’re the parent. Love them enough to make the right choices for them.

I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this post, but I don't care. If just one parent reads this post and decides to make healthier choices for their family then it's worth it.
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Replies

  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    It starts with education, in my opinion. The vast majority of people don't honestly know enough about nutrition to create a truly healthy diet for their children. Look at the forum posts on this site (a place where people are actively working at it) for how wide ranging and at times far-fetched the claims are. Even people who are educated on the subject (at least the ones I respect) fully admit that a lot is still unknown in this area.

    Some things are easier than others, granted, but if people don't have the full picture they end up making a lot of mistakes anyway even with good intentions.
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
    also, the opposite is not the best way.
    I grew up fighting over sweets with my older brother, because our mom never bought them to us, she didn't want us to get fat and ruin our teeth.
    When we got them as present we would always fight about who got more...
    So i became selfish and when i'm eating chocolate or something it's like i'm afraid my brother is going to eat it instead, and there will be no chocolate left for me.
    This is why I gained weight.
    Now that i'm older and i'm living alone, i make all the food decisions by myself, i can have all the junk food i want... but still there's that "child nature" in me.
    of course, children like sweets, but making them available will maybe make children crave them less... and not care about the candy drawer.
    oh and by the way, my brother is overweight now too, the reason i'm slim is that i'm watching what i eat.
    so it affected both of us.
  • meex
    meex Posts: 135 Member
    I agree because my mum over fed me and my siblings until we were all obese. Not 'bad' food just WAY TOO MUCH. That being said, i now have a 2 yr old and a 12 week old and my 2 yr old is so fussy atm. I'm grateful when she eats anything, i don't care what it is. Sometimes it's harder then it seems
  • Wez317
    Wez317 Posts: 14 Member
    Young or old we eat what we want. Filling the refrig with fruits, vegs, low fat whatever, Isn't going to stop school trading and just plain not eating. How healthy is not eating at all? Children are influenced more out of the house then in. It's called fitting in or finding persons like themselves. At any age we can decide when we want to control how much we eat 14 or 40. Blaming other people for our own choices is like saying we are not in control of ourselves. "Only I can hurt me, should I choice". Power, will and choice are ours to control.
  • onefourone
    onefourone Posts: 212 Member
    I love how people blame so much on there child hood when they have been out of it for so long. If you are over 18 and you are on this site worry about yourself take responsiblity for your own actions and move on
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
    Hi

    My childrens favourite meals are cod fillets baked with a sprinkle of parmesan served with broccili and baked potatoes, or a nice rare steak.

    We taught them from birth that fast food is ok for a treat but they hate Mcdonalds (apart form the shakes) so if they are naughty we threaten to take them there for dinner lol

    I have always advocated that no food is 'bad' as that leads to issues but everything in moderation. They both have a very heatlhy attitude to food as nothing has been denied them but both would choose strawberries or satsumas over sweets and chocolate so we must have done something right.

    They are boys aged 9 and 11.
    martyxx
  • Soon2BeMrsThomson
    Soon2BeMrsThomson Posts: 167
    I completely agree with you and whilst my parents always made the right choices for me when I was younger as I got older I made the wrong choices for myself, when I started on my weight loss journey I vowed when I have children to never let them become like me - it's a hard battle everyday with food and I don't want them to go through what I'm currently going through!!
  • andiechick
    andiechick Posts: 916 Member
    I completely agree with the comments about everything in moderation for kids. I always have a tin of sweets available in the cupboard for my kids, but I buy multi packs where you get smaller versions, that way on the odd occasion they are having sweets, they are only having a small amount and that is enough to satisfy their sweet craving. It seems to be working, because they always go for fruit first
  • nk17
    nk17 Posts: 141 Member
    You seem to feel very passionately about this. Have you considered being an advocate? You could take a day off of work and visit a local school and tell them what you've learned about food and tell them what their choices could mean to them. If they have the information, the choice is theirs. If they don't, then they are stuck with whatever their parents do. Usually most families will have SOMETHING around that is decent to eat. McDonalds for breakfast? No thanks, Mom. I'll just have a couple of boiled eggs here. I think you could impact people's lives if you share how much you care about them. Just a thought.
  • jamhamster
    jamhamster Posts: 98 Member
    I was the same as Natashaa1991, not being aloud treats (I had a strict step-father) It made me a secret snacker and I'd sneak food into me room to eat, and this pattern continued once I moved out and started doing shopping for myself I'd buy lots of bad food's which I would pig out on them when I was alone. I'm now a mother myself to 4 wonderful girls ageing from 11-1 years and I try my best to find a happy balance all my girls love fruit and veg and will eat salad etc but I also let them have pizza, burger's chips, sweets etc, none of my girls have a weight problem and they are helping encourage me to loose weight, we go on long family walks together and play games on wii and kinects together.
  • Soon2BeMrsThomson
    Soon2BeMrsThomson Posts: 167
    You seem to feel very passionately about this. Have you considered being an advocate? You could take a day off of work and visit a local school and tell them what you've learned about food and tell them what their choices could mean to them. If they have the information, the choice is theirs. If they don't, then they are stuck with whatever their parents do. Usually most families will have SOMETHING around that is decent to eat. McDonalds for breakfast? No thanks, Mom. I'll just have a couple of boiled eggs here. I think you could impact people's lives if you share how much you care about them. Just a thought.

    What a wonderful idea, I love optimism and a great way to turn something negative into a fabulous positive!!
  • EricMurano
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
    Ease up ... there's stuff that we all do that we don't know is harmful.
  • StacySkinny
    StacySkinny Posts: 984 Member
    Young or old we eat what we want. Filling the refrig with fruits, vegs, low fat whatever, Isn't going to stop school trading and just plain not eating. How healthy is not eating at all? Children are influenced more out of the house then in. It's called fitting in or finding persons like themselves. At any age we can decide when we want to control how much we eat 14 or 40. Blaming other people for our own choices is like saying we are not in control of ourselves. "Only I can hurt me, should I choice". Power, will and choice are ours to control.

    LOL I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. :) I think parents play a HUGE role in how there children eat. Yes, they may not eat the most nutritiousness stuff when they are around, but parents still control what goes on the dinner table and what they serve them for breakfast, snacks, etc. And when a parent teaches a child about good nutrition and teaches a kid to make healthy food choices it has lasting effects.
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
    I was the same as Natashaa1991, not being aloud treats (I had a strict step-father) It made me a secret snacker and I'd sneak food into me room to eat, and this pattern continued once I moved out and started doing shopping for myself I'd buy lots of bad food's which I would pig out on them when I was alone. I'm now a mother myself to 4 wonderful girls ageing from 11-1 years and I try my best to find a happy balance all my girls love fruit and veg and will eat salad etc but I also let them have pizza, burger's chips, sweets etc, none of my girls have a weight problem and they are helping encourage me to loose weight, we go on long family walks together and play games on wii and kinects together.

    omg you're so lucky, i hope i will have four girls in a couple of years! it sounds perfect... :)
  • MDWilliams1857
    MDWilliams1857 Posts: 315 Member
    I would argue that its not the food thats making children fat, its the lack of activity. I ate fast food, pizza etc.. growing up, pretty regularly but I played a lot of sports and ran around the neighborhood with friends. I was a skinny kid. I didnt get over weight until I got married, had kids and started working a job where I sat on my butt all day. Kids nowadays dont go outside, they dont ride around the neighborhood on their bikes. They sit in front of a tv and play X Box. When I was a kid I would wake up on Saturday morning and eat breakfast and my dad would say "go outside and play" I would go outside till lunch, then back out till dinner then back out till street lights came on. That doesnt happen now. Kids dont even walk around mow lawns anymore. adults do.
  • StacySkinny
    StacySkinny Posts: 984 Member
    ... there's stuff that we all do that we don't know is harmful.

    Ummm I think that's kind of why I posted it. Maybe to get some thoughts rolling about how harmful it is to buy kids junk food every day.
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
    I agree with you. I'm not going to flame you for any part of your post. I was fortunate enough to have a mother that cared very much for me and saw to it that I was fed properly. Growing up, eating junk or fast food was a once in awhile treat. My mother cooked every meal for me and fussed over whether or not I was eating properly. I started getting overweight once I hit middle school and I had control over what I ate (there was a vending machine tin the cafeteria that had all sorts of goodies, as well as soda machines). That, coupled with emotional abuse from my dad and getting picked on by other kids drove me to eat for comfort. Pretty soon I was eating anything (including healthy stuff) to compensate for the pain I was experiencing.

    I think that you should become an advocate of some sort.

    edited for clarity
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
    When I was a kid I would wake up on Saturday morning and eat breakfast and my dad would say "go outside and play" I would go outside till lunch, then back out till dinner then back out till street lights came on. That doesnt happen now. Kids dont even walk around mow lawns anymore. adults do.

    oh, the joy of growing up in the 90's... SO much better than now.
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    Young or old we eat what we want. Filling the refrig with fruits, vegs, low fat whatever, Isn't going to stop school trading and just plain not eating. How healthy is not eating at all? Children are influenced more out of the house then in. It's called fitting in or finding persons like themselves. At any age we can decide when we want to control how much we eat 14 or 40. Blaming other people for our own choices is like saying we are not in control of ourselves. "Only I can hurt me, should I choice". Power, will and choice are ours to control.

    LOL I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. :) I think parents play a HUGE role in how there children eat. Yes, they may not eat the most nutritiousness stuff when they are around, but parents still control what goes on the dinner table and what they serve them for breakfast, snacks, etc. And when a parent teaches a child about good nutrition and teaches a kid to make healthy food choices it has lasting effects.

    Parents are a big influence, though not the only influence, on childrens' eating habits. Whilst a child who is taught to eat healthily at home may go on to develop bad habits, they are much less likely to do so than the child who has been fed fast food from infancy.
  • charlotte66
    charlotte66 Posts: 248 Member
    somthing i do not like givin my daughter is pizza chips etc, also do not likeit when parents are giving kids fizzy juice at the ages of 2 upwards! i had a friend who would let her 2 year old drink a pint of cola if we were out for lunch i mean common, she once bought my daughter a pint of lemmonade when she was about 3 well i took it straight off of her she dosnt need it when she can have just normal juice!!

    my daughters fav meal is veggie pasta, smoked mackeral and salmon with oatcakes, she will happily sit and eat me out of house and home on fruit baby tomatoes etc i dont not give her chips sweets etc if she has been good all week she is aloud to choose a sweet from the shop.

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