What Are We Doing to Our Kids?
Right before the holidays, I was shopping at the local grocery store. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw how packed it was. Busy day!
I located a parking spot and pulled in. Just as I got out of my car, I noticed two families (each comprised of a mom and 3 kids) loading groceries into their respective cars, a minivan and a SUV. Struggles ensued!
Both moms were contending with tired and cranky children, specifically their
male kids. I felt a wave of compassion. I remember shopping with young
children. It’s never easy.
However, I got fascinated by the mirror images I was seeing. Two moms. Two different cars. Three kids each. Their female children behaving quite nicely, their boys in the beginning stages of a meltdown – whining, crying, complaining. One mother had a baby and one had a toddler. No issues with them at the moment.
As I went to the back of my car to get my shopping bags, I heard one mom say, “Jimmy, just get in the car! I’m going to get your box of donuts for you.”
Jimmy looked to be about six or seven. My healthy eating antenna went up.
I left the back of my car, coming along the other side, closer to the second family, where I heard the mother say, “Eric, you say you’re hungry. Would you like me to get you a string cheese from the bag, if I can find it?”
I moved slowly and stopped a few times.
Now, I know I caught a moment in time here. I argued in my mind it could have been a very stressful day.
But… the word that kept reverberating in my head wasn’t donut and wasn’t box… it was…
YOUR
“Your box of donuts.”
There was a box purchased just for him.
I thought, on your worst day, would you hand your kid a BOX of donuts designated as HIS?
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the relative sizes of the families. Their size follows their food habits
My Questions
My questions for you are…
With all the information on healthy eating for kids; the publicity around the fact that roughly one-third of kids carry unhealthy weight; and the fact childhood diabetes, a direct result, is an epidemic… WHY would someone do this to their kid?
- Research shows that nearly 60 percent of overweight children age 5 to 17 had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease and 25 percent had two or more. And obese kids have an 80 percent chance of staying obese their entire lives. – The American Heart Association
Is it as simple as not caring? Not having the luxury of caring?
Is it denial?
Is it some sort of child-pleasing? Are we afraid to say no to our kids?
Is it justification for our (the parents’) weight? I remember one of my friends shrugging off her extra 200 lbs, by explaining, “We’re just a big family.”
And how do we help kids being programmed to eat out their frustrations with sugary treats?
Moderation
Now, one donut might be different. Although the protein snack would have been better for Jimmy in every way, I like a donut once in a while too.
One. Occasionally. Any healthy person’s body can deal with that.
How do we help Jimmy and Jimmy’s mom?
In today’s world, are we supposed to look the other way?
