Children and Obesity

Parents create life, they shape life. They are the most influential people in the lives of their children.

The preceding two sentences are true for many parents. Are they true for you?

This article is written for you, the parents that are truly committed to help your children flourish.

From the mouths of babes to the eyes and ears of our moms and dads: “From our genetics to our early learning, you create us, you bond us, feed us and nurture us. You teach us, you model to us and for us! You used to be able to teach us your best and you did. Now we need more from you. You need to teach us WELLNESS!”

Childhood obesity, diabetes, stress and lethargy are epidemic. I leave it to the scientists to prove these facts to be true. In my opinion, they have and are!

Our task, as parents, is to find ways to help our children and our children’s children do something positive and permanent about these preventable, lifestyle induced diseases. We need to gain the wisdom and courage to insist on wellness as our proactive obligation not waiting for illness, obesity, diabetes, lethargy or stress to trigger our attention.

This article isn’t about blame. It is about responsibility.

We have extensive, well documented, easy to follow wellness information available to us. If you don’t know, ask, look it up on the internet, go to a bookstore, consult your doctor. If the problem is medical, get it treated. The problem isn’t having the information. It is implementing it.

We now need to implement this information as part of a comprehensive plan to change the way our children live and to change our way in what and how we teach and model ourselves to our children. That is our responsibility. We can’t avoid it any longer.

We can do what needs to be done. The question is: will we. More importantly: Will you?

I am 62 years old. My parents sort of knew that sugared, caffeinated sodas were not healthy way back when. We now know for sure they aren’t.

When I was a boy, I loved sodas. My parents bought them and as soon as I was able to, I bought them on my own, and did so for many, many years. I pick on sodas. They were my regular main drug of choice. I still love them. Others have other self destructive lifestyle choices, learned when young and enabled by a non-wellness focused society.

I have needed to train myself to stay away from them. It is easier to teach and train our children when they are young.

Parents know more today than yesteryear. We have lots of information about what is healthy and what is not, what causes obesity and what cures it.

Many parents, however, have been distracted from the truth about their responsibility to take charge of and make sure that they bring up their children with wellness. They are stressed and tired and sold convenience as a replacement for health.

Wellness needs to be seen and sold as an act of love rather than an act of being punitive, compulsive or anal about health; i.e. I teach you this because I love you and it is good for you rather than you are bad so you can’t have that unhealthy treat I previously allowed you to have and crave.

Parents are sold to. As adults, we are tempted to eat and drink what marketers and the food cartels sell us. We are tempted, as parents, to befriend our children, that good parents treat their kids to popular junk foods and happy toys as well as lethargic distractions such as excess television and video games. Our children gain early and continued access to this illness lifestyle through our enabling.

Our kids don’t know better. They do know that they like what is sold and served and will continue to crave these substances and lethargic activities if permitted.

Serve ”It” And They Will Eat ”It”!

 Serve then sugar, fat and salt and they will eat it. Serve them pasta and white flour and butter and ice cream and they will eat them too! These foods taste good.

Our task is to teach them to eat, drink, exercise and relieve stress differently, to be healthy, not convenient. Our task is to teach them to eat fresh and nutritious, to appreciate natural flavors, not chemical concoctions created in a food lab. Our task is to teach them fun, non-stressful physical activities and stress relief, not to be sitting ducks waiting to be sold to.

Live Wellness And They Will Follow!

Yes this requires thought, time and hard work. It is not easy. It won’t happen by accident. It needs to become your adult priority first. Only then can you teach it as a parent.

You need to live it and mean it before you can expect to teach it or model it.  It all begins with you.

 "Work will win when wishy, washy, wishing won't."                                                                                                                                                                                Winston Churchill.

You have the responsibility and opportunity to take charge of yourself and your family.

Stop buying the C.R.A.P.; i.e. Created Realities Appearing Plausible!

Stop eating and drinking ”It”! Stop buying ”It”! Stop serving ”It”!                             Stop using ”It” as treats!

Instead start serving S.N.A.P.; i.e. Sensible Nutritious Always Proactive.

Start moving your body and doing new behaviors, more exercise and stress relief. Then watch what happens.

Start with the obvious and then improve and refine your activities as you continue your success. Your kids will follow once they see and believe and trust you mean it.

Even the government, soda manufacturers and some fast food establishments are catching on.

Now it is your turn! Begin Now!