Help! I have fat kids!
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MountainMia
Posts: 242 Member
I know how it happened, and I'm taking responsibility. I can no longer ignore the fact that my 6yo daughter is chunking up. Partly because I know that nobody else will, and that will have a negative effect on her life, but mostly because I don't want her to have to fight with food to feel good about herself.
So, the dilemma: What do I do to change it? Here are my 3 ideas.
TOTALITARIAN: Don't offer a choice. No exceptions. No explanations. She gets what I say she gets and doesn't get to know why.
-- pros-- My version of health is just handed to her on a plate and becomes a lifestyle without any effort on her part.
-- cons-- She doesn't get to choose. When she is given a choice (restaurant, party, friends house, college etc,) she is totally unprepared to make healthy choices and the healthy lifestyle will fail.
AUTHORITARIAN: Limit her choices. Some exceptions. One explanation. She gets what I'm having, and is spoon fed a 'why'.
-- pros-- My version of health is still handed to her on a plate and becomes a lifestyle, but she still gets to choose on some things and knows why I choose what I choose.
--cons-- The explanation may not be solid enough for her to maintain a healthy lifestyle .
DEMOCRATIC: Let her choose. Some exceptions. Lots of explanations. She gets what is available, and is educated on health and nutrition.
--pros-- she builds a lifestyle for herself and takes personal responsibility for her choices.
--cons-- her chosen lifestyle may not be healthy.
To be honest, I'm leaning toward an authoritative democracy, I like democracy in the long run, but she's 6 and I have to take some responsiblity too. I buy, prepare and serve the food.
I'm curious what you all think. Are your kids fat too? Do you know something on the matter? How do you do it, or think it should be done?
So, the dilemma: What do I do to change it? Here are my 3 ideas.
TOTALITARIAN: Don't offer a choice. No exceptions. No explanations. She gets what I say she gets and doesn't get to know why.
-- pros-- My version of health is just handed to her on a plate and becomes a lifestyle without any effort on her part.
-- cons-- She doesn't get to choose. When she is given a choice (restaurant, party, friends house, college etc,) she is totally unprepared to make healthy choices and the healthy lifestyle will fail.
AUTHORITARIAN: Limit her choices. Some exceptions. One explanation. She gets what I'm having, and is spoon fed a 'why'.
-- pros-- My version of health is still handed to her on a plate and becomes a lifestyle, but she still gets to choose on some things and knows why I choose what I choose.
--cons-- The explanation may not be solid enough for her to maintain a healthy lifestyle .
DEMOCRATIC: Let her choose. Some exceptions. Lots of explanations. She gets what is available, and is educated on health and nutrition.
--pros-- she builds a lifestyle for herself and takes personal responsibility for her choices.
--cons-- her chosen lifestyle may not be healthy.
To be honest, I'm leaning toward an authoritative democracy, I like democracy in the long run, but she's 6 and I have to take some responsiblity too. I buy, prepare and serve the food.
I'm curious what you all think. Are your kids fat too? Do you know something on the matter? How do you do it, or think it should be done?
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I say let her choose, but give her 2 healthy choices. For example- dessert she can have an apple or an orange. There are also healthy things out there that she doesn't realize as healthy. Fat free/sugar free puddings. Chose a turkey burger over a regular burger. Make her peanut butter and jelly with natural PB and low sugar jelly. Let her make them with you and explain what she is eating.
I want to add- I have been doing these changes with my oldest son and he is choosing the better choices. He will now say he doesn't want things because they are not healthy. For dessert tonight he chose an apple over ice cream. On the flip side if you want something healthy be prepared that she will call you out on it.. lol. He did to me.0 -
We have always eaten crap....lol....for the past 6 years with my husband not home at night - it has just been easier! I can't do it anymore and i know it!!! Even eating crap my daughter is a bean pole and my son is stocky but no fat....But I know it won't always be this way either if we keep eating like this....
So Morgan (my daughter) knows I have been giving them more healthy choices now and we have been trying to be better....
It was cute today cause i said to her what did you have for lunch and she said a banana and apple sauce see mom I am eating healthy too!!
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my kids are allowed to eat some kid food but not very often they are offered healthy options and they even get dessert.....usually fruit or frozen yogurt something not too indulgent. If you involve kids in the process of making dinner and health choices they love it. We make home made fruit and yogurt smoothies or homemade sorbet we bought an icecream maker cheap and mix up fruit and they each take turns choosing what they want in there sorbet or smoothies. Another great thing is that my kids snack like crazy and I always make sure I have a bowl of fresh fruit or veggies on the table.....if its there and cut up they eat it.....they like it because its easy and right there. Recently they have been getting involved with my at home workouts, instead f tripping over them I teach them and let them join in they love our dance parties and recently picked out a wii fit for kids game that they love competeing to earn medals and complete tasks Bottom line involve them into learning about health choices I use simple terms my kids are 3 and 4 and we have all the time foods, some time foods, and unhealthy once in a while foods0
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My oldest is 3 and is a super skinny kid. His dad and I were both very skinny kids as well. I'm not going to lie - I let him eat kid food. He had a happy meal last night. He eats healthy most of the time. He's pretty picky and has a lot of food allergies, so there isn't a whole lot to choose from. I let him decide between two or three things I suggest. Luckily, he loves chicken and broccoli and almost all fruit. We don't typically have dessert at our house. If he wants dessert he can have it if he ate his healthy food. He's very much into superheroes, so that's a good motivator to get him to eat healthy. If he wants to be strong like Batman and Spiderman he has to eat his chicken or turkey or whatever.0
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Great ideas ladies, thanks for the support. I think I'm going to start teaching my kids about nutrition and which foods are good for us and why. I don't want to make them fear food or fear getting fat, I just want them to be wise in this world of unrealistic images and nutritional deception. New household tradition... kids get to help prepare meals and learn what goes into them. Ugh, that's going to take so much more time, but it will be worth it... right? 0
