I saw something this weekend that really upset me and got me thinking (and my blood boiling).
My husband and I decided to treat ourselves to some Dunkin Donuts coffee on Saturday afternoon since I was craving an iced coffe. Nothing says warm weather like this bad boy
Anyway, while waiting on line there is a mother and her son behind us. The mother herself is overweight, however what bothered me was her maybe 4 yr old son. He, at such a young age, is already extremely overweight. I don’t mean baby fat, I mean very overweight.
To make matters worse, he is sucking on a push-pop (or something of the sorts)
(yes, I guess this is considered “food” now a days) and asks for a blueberry donut, to which his mother willingly buys him one. No objection. No offerring of something a little healthier. Just a quick yes.
My husband has brought up a good point, saying that he doesn’t want our kids to be the ones that never has any sugar or treats. I completely agree with this. I don’t have kids yet. I cannot claim I am a better parent than others b/c I’m not a parent at all.
But does this poor boy even have a chance?
He’s already probably considered obese at such a young age. Being that I developed somewhat young and was very involved in gymnastics, I’m upset that I had to worry about my weight and body image at such a young age. I wish that my childlike intuition regarding food and image could have lasted longer.
I hope that by presenting my kids with healthy options and showing them how great “real” food is, that they’ll choose these for themselves. I do not want to deprive them, but I want to teach them proper nutrition.
One of my favorite blogs, www.loveveggiesandyoga.com, talks about this often with her daughter. Averie seems to have done an amazing job so far at raising a girl who actually chooses the fresh fruit over processed snacks. I hope I have this kind of success when I have kids.
Has anyone else had success teaching their kids proper nutrition without being the “bad guy?” I don’t want my kids to think that they HAVE to eat their fruit and veggies. I hope that they want to b/c they’re delicious and good for us!
Does anyone else have opinions on how they hope to raise their imaginary kids of the future, as I do?
Ugh, that’s heartbreaking. Being obese at such a young age can cause life-long health problems. Though this sounds like an extreme case, it’s hard to manage what kids eat today. I watch my sister struggle with this with her two young kids. In preschool, parents feel the need to bring cupcakes and other sugary treats in for the entire class because it’s their kids bday – not fun puzzles or cute little toys. And she’s always invited to weekend bday parties with tons more treats. It seems parents feel pressured to celebrate, well, everything with tons of junk food – loads more than I was allowed to eat as a kid. I think you’d have to make sure preschools have a policy about snacks and letting parents bring in treats for the entire class and join a mommy group that agrees on limiting junk and celebrating holidays and bdays with fun experiences – not tons of sugar.
It’s amazing how we, as a society, handle celebration, coping, rewards, etc. with food. It has almost become impossible to separate the two. I can’t imagine how hard it is raising kids, trying to do the best you can to teach them healthy ways, and then having all of these external influences that you have to shield them from!
What your parents teach you is so important and I’m really glad to say that I grew up in a healthy household. We were allowed to eat sweets but not too many which was a great balance.
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Some kids I knew constantly ate crappy food (mainly sweets) and were really unhealthy.. others weren’t allowed to eat any sweets at home and therefore dug in like crazy at birthday parties. That’s so sad!
I don’t think that it’s so hard to teach your child the important values of healthy food when you fully support them too. After all, for the first few years you’re basically the hero for your kids
Meanwhile, I was given somewhat free reign on treats and wish I was taught more about moderation and healthy foods at a young age. I hope I’m my kids hero!
averie and her daughter are proof that you CAN teach your kids healthy habits and they WILL enjoy the food you give them…and everything in moderation really is key! i don’t think you should deprive your child of the fun that other kids get to have, or anything like that, but show them that veggies are fun too!