As a formerly fat kid, I feel somewhat qualified to address
this issue: Childhood Obesity. I’ve kind of ducked and dodged the touchy issue
on this blog, mentioning it in passing but never really facing it head on.
Well, here goes.
I remember being dragged to the doctor as a chubby
8-year-old and being told I needed to eat more carrots and melba toast and less
orange soda and cheese puffs. I felt guilty for every bite I put in my mouth
after that. I look back on photos from those years and I certainly was chunky,
but I wasn’t “obese.” Still, from the moment I stepped on that scale at the
doctor’s office and he frowned, I only ever thought of myself again as fat.
Even after I lost those pounds as a teenager, I never lost those pounds in my
mind. I’m still conscious of every bite I take and I still judge myself by it. So
trust me when I say I’m sensitive about this issue and my heart aches for kids
who face it. I know it will color their lives.
Childhood obesity is complicated. It’s not about putting
kids on a diet and it’s not about getting them active. Those are two strategies
that will put a temporary bandaid on a lifelong sickness.
What we have to do is teach kids to live healthy and care
about their bodies. As parents there is much we can do to set them up for success. But it will take time, effort, and a willingness to set an example. Most heavy
kids have at least one parent who has, or is, struggling with their own weight.
If it’s hard for us, how much harder is it for our kids?
Here’s what you’re up against –
