Opinions on childhood obesity...
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Wrong.
As I already mentioned, success is a choice - no excuses.
First, none of my kids are fat but very fit - head and shoulders above 90% of their peers.
We have 5 kids.
I make them train and eat what I prepare, and we allow no junk food, soda or TV.
They indeed carp, and my response is always the same.
Eat what I make, or eat NOTHING, and in extreme cases taste belt leather.
End of story.
I refuse to raise what I see too much of in American society: fat, underachieving kids who will grow up to be fat, unhappy adults.
They can hate me now to love me later or whatever. It's not a popularity contest.
As a parent, I have a job to do.
dang. i mean, giving your kids everything they want is wrong, but there has to be a balance. sure, they're healthy physically, but what about emotionally? it's so, so important to have a good relationship. "they can hate me now"? seriously? they're MISERABLE, and that's not fair to them. and really, i don't think they'll thank you for it. they'll remember you making their childhood hell, just so they won't be a little chubby. kids have to know that their parents are people they can trust, and if you're belting them over a frickin piece of broccoli... i can't even imagine how they must feel. honestly, i think that's bordering on abusive there.
i mean, my four siblings and i are incredibly well behaved, and they never have to use a belt or anything else. we do what they ask because they make sure we know WHY they ask. if my mom's having company over and asks us to help clean the house, we're happy to do it, because otherwise she'd have to do it by herself, and we'd hate to see her have to work so hard on her own, and be upset and disappointed in us. my brother is the pickiest eater in the world, but even when he hates stuff, he always ends up eating it. know whyyyy? because he knows how hard my mom worked cooking it, and he knows it hurts her feelings if he doesn't eat it, and knows how unfair it is to ask her to make something else. and yeah, sometimes they get frustrated and raise their voices, and that works. but it's not because we're scared of them, it's because we don't like to see them get upset. and then we'll apologize for being snotty, and they'll apologize for losing their temper. and yeah, maybe i am a little overweight, but i'm not obese. i'm 20 pounds overweight, and i'm the fattest of any of my siblings. just because you live in a loving home doesn't mean you're gonna get fat and spoiled. my parents don't give us everything we want. not by a longshot. our cell phones are the crappy free ones, and the only reason some of us have laptops are because we bought them with our own money. if we want something we can't have, our parents explain why we can't have it, and then we don't ask again. so not only are we disciplined and healthy, but we're also HAPPY. yes, it is possible!0 -
IMO: I think the reason most young kids are overweight is because A LOT of parents are lazy!!!!!! If a child is at an age where they still rely on you for things, and if that child is overweight, then most likely yes it is the parents fault! My son is 8 years old, he gets snacks once in a while, he drinks juice sometimes and eats ice cream a couple times a week. He also plays, Football, Wrestling and baseball when he is in school. Out of school he takes swimming lessons and spends the majority of his day on his bike. After I get off work he rides his bike with me while I walk almost 3 miles! Along with a lot of exercise and activities through out the year, we eat a balanced diet. I think things are ok in moderation. Cooking healthier meals are more expensive and sometimes more time consuming but SO IMPORTANT. I work a full time job take care of everything in my household (hubby works away from home), plus take care of a 5 month old. I don't think having not enough time is a good enough excuse for the lack of making better choices for children.
Don't get me wrong I do understand some kids have health issues that could cause obesity, but the majority of overweight children are overweight because of laziness and bad choices by the parents. Being a parent makes it our responsibility to be aware of what is going on with our children. That is my opinion. It just makes me sick when I see kids, eating full bags of chips, drinking pop and energy drinks, pockets full of candy!!!! UGH, so disgusting to me.0 -
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Wrong.
The PARENTS control what the kid does, and what comes into the house, and what kind of eating habits these kids will have. If they are obese, the parents should take the full blame and, to a radical extent, I think they should be charged with child abuse.
To some extent. You can't FORCE a kid to eat things. I tried to push the issue with my fifteen year old when he was five. I was going to MAKE him eat that broccoli. He ate it all right... and made himself throw up on the table. My two year old will throw things that he doesn't like on the floor and will go hungry before eating something "ucky." (This is why I keep other things around that are healthy that he will eat.)
Sure, I can keep things out, but I can't force good eating. I'm going to guess that you don't have children. Once you have your own, you realize that everything is not as black and white as you seem to think.
As I already mentioned, success is a choice - no excuses.
First, none of my kids are fat but very fit - head and shoulders above 90% of their peers.
We have 5 kids.
I make them train and eat what I prepare, and we allow no junk food, soda or TV.
They indeed carp, and my response is always the same.
Eat what I make, or eat NOTHING, and in extreme cases taste belt leather.
End of story.
I refuse to raise what I see too much of in American society: fat, underachieving kids who will grow up to be fat, unhappy adults.
They can hate me now to love me later or whatever. It's not a popularity contest.
As a parent, I have a job to do.
Um, how is that "wrong"? Is it wrong that I said you can't force a kid to eat?
You advocate beating your children if they don't eat? Seriously? And this is how you promote a healthy relationship with food?
That's great. And, yeah, that's sarcasm. I have no objection to spanking when it's necessary, but it's a matter of picking your battles. I'm not going to make food a battle because then no one wins... which was evident when my kid puked on the dinner table.
My fifteen year old? Fit, athletic, successful, and far from fat. My two year old prefers grapes over ice cream. And I did all of that without making food a battle.0 -
The PARENTS control what the kid does, and what comes into the house, and what kind of eating habits these kids will have. If they are obese, the parents should take the full blame and, to a radical extent, I think they should be charged with child abuse.
To some extent. You can't FORCE a kid to eat things. I tried to push the issue with my fifteen year old when he was five. I was going to MAKE him eat that broccoli. He ate it all right... and made himself throw up on the table. My two year old will throw things that he doesn't like on the floor and will go hungry before eating something "ucky." (This is why I keep other things around that are healthy that he will eat.)
Sure, I can keep things out, but I can't force good eating. I'm going to guess that you don't have children. Once you have your own, you realize that everything is not as black and white as you seem to think.
I would never force my little guy to eat anything, but he has choices. Eat this or that or nothing. My guy won't eat broccoli, but loves green beans, wax beans, peas, and many other veggies. Yesterday, he had the option to eat the sweet potatoes or leave the table. He's three. He chose to eat the sweet potatoes. It really is easier than many think.
That I agree with. :-) I'm certainly not saying that it's impossible to get your kids to eat well; mine do. I just refuse to be militant or... well, nasty about getting them to eat. Good food shouldn't be a battle. But all the same, it's not black and white, you know?0 -
As a parent of now adult, weight healthy children and a middle school teacher, I have some perspective. I am happy that my daughters are today fit, nutritionally aware consumers. I got great advice from my pediatrician when they were toddlers: prepare wholesome meals, don't have any food in the house you don't think is healthy, and make food a non-issue. I served meals but never required them to eat. There were no battles about so many bites or trying things or eating this to get that. at the end of the meal, everything got cleaned up and we were done until the next meal. Snacks were fruit or a few crackers/peanut butter, etc. but never enough to replace a meal. Since eating a meal or not never became a power struggle, my kids learned to try new foods because they saw me eating them and their natural appetite persuaded them that turning down too many items would not be a good Idea.
THIS is what I was trying to get at. There's no forcing or making battles about food. I'm not going to force my toddler to eat Brussels sprouts. I love them, he and his father hate them. However, they love peppers and I hate those. So, both are available and what's eaten is what's eaten.0 -
For me, childhood obesity is a black and white subject - child abuse. The end.
The PARENTS control what the kid does, and what comes into the house, and what kind of eating habits these kids will have. If they are obese, the parents should take the full blame and, to a radical extent, I think they should be charged with child abuse.
Here's my personal reason.
My aunt is massively obese (350-400lbs). Her children have always been heavy and there is no excuse. They are now fully grow and MASSIVE. I think my one cousin is actually pushing 500lbs and it is ALL her fault. She never taught them how to eat properly, she encouraged eating unhealthy foods and unhealthy/lazy habits, and she wouldn't LET them play sports. They were 'too violent' for her.
With all of the information out there, if someone has excessively overweight kids (I'm talking 200lbs at 10 years old here), there is no excuse to be this way. None. And with all the health risks of being overweight, not to mention the emotional and mental risks, I seriously think it should be a chargeable offence.
I also think the same of dog owners who have fat dogs. You control what goes into this dogs body, so therefore, it's your fault they are fat. The end.
Like I said, my opinion on this is very black and white and it may be too extreme for some.
Perhaps once you gain a little more life experience and maturity, complex issues won't seem so "black and white" to you.
First of all to the person I am quoting great Profile pic!...........I love Eddie Izzard and that stand up show was the BEST.
and then to the person you quoted I guess you have never heard of Prader Willi syndrome, Would you charge those parents? Not so black and white is it.
Also would you charge parents when their kids aren't making good grades in school for failing to make sure they are growing to be educated and contributing members of society? or maybe we could charge the teachers and the parents
Awesome! I get to deal with childhood obesity, child literacy, and abuse all at the same time!
Again, for me, it's black and white. As someone who has to go in and help broken families with their issues, I do, in fact, have personal experience in the matter. So to the person who says I'm immature, I just laughed for a good five minutes about your ignorance. If only you knew as much as I, but hey, different life experiences and whatnot.
Here is what I have seen and dealt with - kids who are overweight (now I'm talking MORBIDLY overweight) are not a priority to their parents. Blunt, but true. They have taken a back seat, so therefore, their child's health isn't a problem to them. Take my aunt, for example. My cousins are horrifically obese, and she really doesn't care. She's already sealed their fate by saying how they are 'genetically' supposed to be that way. One of them is only 15 years old and weighs 300lbs. You tell me how that isn't child abuse.
Obviously since this is the interweb and people will get on my case for this, no, I'm not talking about the kids with a little extra baby weight. When I was growing up, I remember that I would always gain a bit of weight right before I hit a growth spurt. That's different, though. Being 15lbs overweight is different than being 50-100+lbs overweight at a young age.
As for charging parents with their kids not getting good grades, it depends on the parents. Some, I totally would. In the community I live in, there are so many children who never 'want' to go to school, and their parents don't make them. There is an entire community of children growing up without an education, and yet the teachers are being blamed for it while the parents get off scott free. "If my kid doesn't want to go to school, you should be coming to my house to teach him/her instead!" (I kid you not, no pun intended)
Obviously for 90% of the population, this isn't the case. These instances that I've set out are definitely unique, but there should be more protection for children if they aren't getting their proper education and if their health is at risk, and not just from physical violence. Obesity in children is completely unacceptable and, from the reasons stated above, that is why I think it is a form of child abuse and should be a chargeable offence.0 -
SO many have a gut on them that just giggles away (all while wearing a two piece or no shirt as if it’s OK and acceptable to not even cover it up
I can't get beyond this remark. All I can say is maybe if you stopped shaming, that would be a start.0 -
I think it has to do with the parents because good eating habits and activity STARTS AT HOME..
My mom always had a rule that junk is bought outside the house and stays there. We will have snacks in the house occassionally but if you REALLY want it you buy a single serving and be done because if you keep it around you will eat it just because.- This is what happens with children you always have them around junk and not limiting it and then feeding them fast food and tons of processed stuff because they are picky eaters...YEAH RIGHT. they are picky because you give in to them. Be as stubborn as they are. I nanny part time as I am in school for nursing and well if you give it to them enough times to try and they TRULY dont like it okay. But most times its just because they know they will get their favorite if they dont eat it because you dont want them to starve.
I have a friend who has 2 children under the age of 3 and she sits them in front of a tv or movies and in the house the majority of the day because it is too much of hassle to take them outdoors. These type of excuses are selfish and i have made her take them outside for atleast an hr a day because it is important and sitting in front of a tv is not healthy.
We give children guidance and they will follow. Teach them healthy ways now so when they grow up they will more than likely choose them. You dont give being healthy an option because once they get to school and are older other people teasing them wont0 -
When my three kids were younger, I made very little money, received no child support and did not qualify for any sort of assistance (believe me, I tried). I had to feed the four of us on less than $150 a month most of the time. Try buying healthy food that will last and keep you full for that paltry amount. We ate crappy, I know we did, but I did the best I could at that time. None of my kids were ever overweight, they were always too active. BTW, I make more $ now and we eat much healthier.0
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I was a single parent for 18 years. I worked fulltime and raised two children. I completely agree that it is the parents responsibility to educated and monitor your child's health. A parent is completely responsible for their child's health.
My stepson came to live with me and my honey when he was 7. He weighed 151. He spent all his time watching tv and playing video games. In the first 6 months of him living with us, I had him on a healthy diet and had him play outside everyday instead of watching tv. He lost 40lbs. He is 10 and at a healthy weight. He plays outside by choice now
It's all about parenting. I do not force my children or stepchildren to eat anything they hate however I do monitor their junk intake and I make healthy meals. Now we will have pizza or fried chicken occasionally but in general we eat healthy at home
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Fatty McFat *kitten*0
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I think most of the time the parents are to blame. It is a parents duty to keep their kids healthy.
I will say that despite all that my mother did (healthy home cooked meals, sports, swim team) I was always a little over weight, but not obese. I would hide food and eat fast food and candy whenever I was away from her. I was and still am a picky eater.0 -
In most instances, it is the parents fault for their child's obesity, but not in all cases. I was overweight from around age 8 until 11. My parents were complete health nuts and I was the only overweight person in the house. My sister was a stringbean. My parents didn't keep alot of junk food in the house, my mom made everything from scratched, and my father gave us freshly squeezed vegetable juice on a regular basis. I loved fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods that my parents geave me everyday. The problem for me was not what was in the house. It was all the goodies I got when I wasn't at home. I was extremely active, but I overate. Every morning on my way walking to school, I would stop at the neighborhood store and spend money from my allowance on cookies, fudge brownies, and other sweets. My mom didn't know. She saw me gaining weight, but she never was too hard on me about it. She just continued to be a good example. When I decided to lose weight, I used my parents example and lost the weight. Since I was already active, I only needed to cut out all those extra sweets. When I did that, I lost the extra weight very quickly and was able to enter middle school slim and trim like I had planned. I don't blame my parents for me being an overweight child and I do give them credit for being the example I needed to get to a healthy weight.
It's unfair to blame parents without knowing for sure if they are actually to blame.
I work for a child nutrition program for low income families and counsel parents of overweight children regularly. In most cases, the parents are the blame and sometimes they're not. Some of these moms feel completely helpless because they leave their child with the grandmother or aunt or another family member while they work because they can't afford childcare and while the child is in the care of others, they're receiving all kinds of healthy foods. In alot of these instances, the young mother is often ignored when she tries to tell that older family member what not to feed their child. It's sad sometimes.
Overall, parents need to set good examples so that the child has the tools they need to achieve and/or maintain a healthy weight whether or not the parents are to blame for their child's obesity.
I love thoughtful posts like this one.0 -
Easy Kick those kids off the couch and out side to play. Go dig a hole, go throw,kick.hit,catch a ball. Go pick up bugs just go outside and stay out there. Ever heard of play60? If the parents are fat they need to go play with them DON'T be LAZY!!!0
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Easy Kick those kids off the couch and out side to play. Go dig a hole, go throw,kick.hit,catch a ball. Go pick up bugs just go outside and stay out there. Ever heard of play60? If the parents are fat they need to go play with them DON'T be LAZY!!!
I blame video games. Every time I play Modern Warfare 3, I end up getting beat by a buch of little fat kids, I just know it.0 -
Its child niglect. You do not have to keep giving your kids Happy meals and Ho Ho's. make them get outside a little and work some to teach responsability.0
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Wrong.
The PARENTS control what the kid does, and what comes into the house, and what kind of eating habits these kids will have. If they are obese, the parents should take the full blame and, to a radical extent, I think they should be charged with child abuse.
To some extent. You can't FORCE a kid to eat things. I tried to push the issue with my fifteen year old when he was five. I was going to MAKE him eat that broccoli. He ate it all right... and made himself throw up on the table. My two year old will throw things that he doesn't like on the floor and will go hungry before eating something "ucky." (This is why I keep other things around that are healthy that he will eat.)
Sure, I can keep things out, but I can't force good eating. I'm going to guess that you don't have children. Once you have your own, you realize that everything is not as black and white as you seem to think.
As I already mentioned, success is a choice - no excuses.
First, none of my kids are fat but very fit - head and shoulders above 90% of their peers.
We have 5 kids.
I make them train and eat what I prepare, and we allow no junk food, soda or TV.
They indeed carp, and my response is always the same.
Eat what I make, or eat NOTHING, and in extreme cases taste belt leather.
End of story.
I refuse to raise what I see too much of in American society: fat, underachieving kids who will grow up to be fat, unhappy adults.
They can hate me now to love me later or whatever. It's not a popularity contest.
As a parent, I have a job to do.
If you're such an ambassador for healthy living, how did you get overweight?0 -
'I know a few parents that have obese children and the parents themselves are not obese or overweight at all. This is something I do not understand because I know for a fact that the parents are eating properly but they let their children eat whatever whenever. And then there are overweight parents and overweight children which I do understand "like mother like daughter, etc."
I do no think that people should ever be taught to be ashamed of what they look like weight wise because it severely contributes to adult depression and low self worth and other things like that. My parents were very adamant about finishing the food you take because we do not waste and in the next breath telling me I need to eat less and get more physical. I truly believe this contributes to my weight today (hence why I'm trying to lose so much of it). My sister however is a health nut who has two children very well behaved and very active. I believe it is because she and her husband are both active and eat healthy in appropriate amounts. They have never given their children another option to eat more than they need or junk food. See for them it is easy because they have always been that way, for others who started off badly have a more difficult time. I guess once you get passed the hard part of breaking the habits then everything comes naturally, basically the same way us as adults have to do it. I do not believe there is anything wrong with being the bad guy as a parents every once and a while.
I come across too many people who let their children eat what they want and be lazy and never go outside or anything and unfortunately technology isn't doing us any favours this day in age. I just hope that no parent out there would ever tell their child that they are fat or lazy or any of those horrid names because it will create a more negative impact on their lives than them being overweight ever could.
Parents are definitely the cause of overweight children and they have no one to blame but themselves. Just don't buy junk food and don't go out all the time. Cook at home and make enough for the people you are serving and that way you won't have left overs which leaves options for seconds or thirds in one sitting.
Good luck to all of you parents out there with overweight children and if you are overweight yourself because it is a life style change and it will be hard for your children to see it but in the long run they'll be thankful you did.0 -
TL;DR
Some people are bad parents
NO, it's not that they are bad parents! Cuz their not! It's something that was formed when they we're a child and they are unsure how to change it.
I know I was raised in the south where everything is fried and has tons of butter and salt.
it's just one of those things that back then they lived like that but worked their butts off. Now days you are still eating the same but less exercise to none at all.
I am 22, I've been obese since I was a pre teen when I would sneak into the fridge while they were asleep and eat all kinds of food.
I never learned proper portion size or to cook properly until now. I have a foreman and steamer and that's what I mainly use to cook.
I have made a vow to myself that if/when I have a kid that I will not be like my family and let them get obese. I can only control in home but it will be healthy food in my house!0
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