Childhood Obesity

Posted on Feb 27, 2011 10:39:24 PM

I don’t have a lot of credibility here on this topic.  Except for the fact that I was not obese as a child.  I started getting curvy earlier than my peers and then as an adult, the food was comforting.  However, as you may know, and if you don’t, I can’t imagine how you missed it, but I am going to Georgetown and to Washington DC as the delegate for Alabama for Mom Congress for Parenting Magazine.

One of the topics at this conference just happens to be childhood nutrition and of course obesity.  In general, I think it’s a matter of lack of activity and the fact that many families, including my own would rather grab something at a fast food place or a restaurant than try to get everything done that we need to get done in one night. 

This is the prime time of the year too, school’s out, one hour for being a kid and having fun, homework and then time to get all geared up for baseball practice.  We fly into practice and stay an hour or an hour and a half.  We leave there and everyone is thirsty and hungry.  It is 25 minutes drive home and what would we eat there anyway?

So we grab what’s easy.  I’m not proud of that. And my own weight shows just how not-proud-of-that I am.

But, what I wrote all of this to tell you about is school lunches.  I know the general structure of the school lunch program for several reasons.  One, it is the same program that guided my meals in the daycare.  And two, I’ve eat my share of those school lunches as both a student, teacher and parent. 

Now, I am not showing you this because the lunches at my son’s school are bad or because they aren’t appropriate.  I’m showing you these because this, these two photos are the start of what becomes the habit of skipping meals and then over-eating and/or eating junk food to compensate. 

This first photo was made just as the children were lining up to leave the lunch room.  The best I can see and remember, the lunch was as follows:

• Sloppy Joes
• French Fries
• Oranges
• And the child’s choice of chocolate or regular milk

I am marking these photos up a little to point out certain important pieces of this puzzle that’s bringing the word over-weight, obese, weight loss to the forefront and leaving out the words exercise and activity.

I was sitting besides the kid with the 1 on his bun.  My son carried his lunch plus I had brought him something special that day.  It was the day before I was leaving town for a week and I wanted to spend it with them.

Now, this may come as a surprise to many of you, but most of these kids did not eat their French fries either.  You just have to take my word for it on the ones you can’t see.  Neither of my kids like fries, they always ask for fruit or a salad and that’s proof that just because you are the most credible source for your child as an example, you can still teach your children to make good choices.

So, if your child has skipped the main course, skipped the fries and since you can’t see the oranges well, just take my word for it, they were not eating them. 

Maybe milk is the answer.  If that’s all they are going to consume, then most likely it is the best option.  Here’s the Chocolate Milk Chug-a-luggers and I’m definitely not a fan of chocolate milk (caffeine people, do we really have to wonder why the kids are a little more hyped up after lunch?)

So that leaves the regular milk drinks and without drawing you a picture, I see two open and possibly being sipped out of and 2 way on the end that haven’t even been opened.

I was going to leave this part out, but honestly, I can’t.  If I get in trouble, then so be it.  But ya’ll, sitting across the table from me was a child who had brought his/her lunch.  When he/she began unpacking the bag, I was flabbergasted at what I saw. 

First, she pulled out some pineapples in a Tupperware bowl.  That looked harmless enough.  She opened her thermos though, to reveal, soda.  Now, I’m not going to lie, my kids drink soda on special occasions but both of them prefer water and apple juice.  I’m not fighting that.  And, both will drink milk at school but I think they may be nipping in the chocolate milk.

What happened next is what absolutely sent me over the edge.  This little child, 5 or 6 years old, a kindergarten student, pulled out an artificial sweetener.  Then the child pulled out more packets of the artificial sweetener.  All total, the child dumped 6 or 7 in a very small bowl of pineapples. 

Now, I like pineapples but I don’t like them with sugar on them.  I don’t know, go figure.  And as if that is not enough to send you over the edge….the child pulled out another bowl with something in it (ravioli, spaghetti, something) and here’s where it got down right ugly.

The child removed not one, not two, but three packages of salt from the lunch bag and opened all of them and dumped them on what that saucy looking stuff was. 

I almost threw up.  The thought.  Now, if I told you that the kid was over weight would it surprise you.  I’m guessing, but…..my son is 6, he barely weighs 39 pounds and he is small for his age.  Most of the kids he is playing ball with weight in the upper 40’s.  I’m certain that this child weighed every bit of 60+ pounds.

And, all I can say at this point is why?  Why does it have to be that way?

See these guys…this is how excited they were to see me at school to eat with them.  I sat with the kindergarten and then when they left, I moved to the table with my second grade son. I’m certainly not showing you these photos to show you that my kids are not over-weight.  As I said, the little one is still little and he is 6. 

I’m showing you this so if you get a chance to go have lunch with your child, go, don’t hesitate, look around, see what the kids are eating, what they aren’t eating and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the big smiles you will get just like these….

And then there was a debate..you weigh in on the subject now…

Posted on Dec 3, 2009 08:43:20 PM

Ok, so earlier in the week, someone form Parenting Magazine sent me a message asking for an interview regarding my thoughts on recess.  Basically, I am against it and the posts are up all over the web, just Google it, that’s how she found me.

Anyway, that discussion was enhanced last night as my son came home from school for the second day in a row with a sad face.  Talking.  The crime is much talking.  When he was preparing to do his homework, he said the spelling words and spelled them without even opening the book.  It’s kind of sad that he is so smart but can’t be quiet.

Quickly people started making recommendations for me to reward him with this or that if he came home with a smiley face.  I don’t agree with this tactic and that basically started a pretty nice discussion on Twitter about this. 

Later I was on Facebook with a high school classmate who has children that are 21 and 17.  I asked her opinion and without telling her mine, she almost recited exactly what I had professed to be my philosophy.  I then sent her to read the post on TwitterMoms where this was discussed.. 

Amazing that she and I think so much alike, her children practically grown, mine still quite young…..raised in the same general area and attended the same high school but we’ve rarely seen each other since then.  Our friendship was dormant but we think a lot alike obviously.

So, what’s your take?  Do you reward good behavior or punish bad behavior or both? Just curious?