Every day when I pick up my son from school I see all of the other kids filing out of school like wild banchees. I couldn't help but notice how many of these kids were obese. I obviously didn't count, but it really got me thinking. I'm not out to offend anyone although I'm sure I will and I'm sorry if I hurt any feelings. I'm also not trying to point out that my kids aren't obese and so I am so much better than everyone else and should recieve the #1 parent award this year(never been nominated). If your mind goes there while reading this, I would ask you to do a heart check and find out where those feelings are coming from because that is NOT my intention. This is something that I feel passionate about and so I made the choice to write about it tonight. My intention is to get even one person to think about this information and make even one positive change. It's also a reminder to myself.
So, back to the point. There are A LOT of obese children. Like I said before, I didn't count and I'm not about to, but it was very obvious to this simple mind that there were more obese children than when I was in school. When I was in school there were maybe one or two obese kids, that's it. Being obese back in my day was something that got you noticed. I feel like today it's average, normal, almost expected. Thinking about this made me wonder what is causing this obesity and what has happened in our society that has changed our thinking about it.
I decided to look up some statistics. I'm not a huge fan of statistics, but think they are appropriate based on what we are talking about. The stats say that 1/3 of all American children are considered overweight or obese. A third! These children are more likely to have health problems like diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease when they get older. Overweight girls are more likely to have early periods due to messed up hormones, which means that they won't grow as long as the other girls. Girls typically grow up to 2 years after they start their period. Obesity in children will increase their risk of sleep apnea, asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, gall stones, bone/growth problems, heart problems and being prescribed medications that they may have to be on for life.
It really saddens me to know that so many kids today are overweight. I'm not trying to claim that an overweight child can't be happy, but just take a look at the research on the health effects yourself. There is no way that a rational person can dispute it. If we are allowing our children to become overweight we are positioning them for a myriad of health problems that will make their lives much more difficult to live. Sure, there are some skinny kids who might have a rare case of one of the above health problems, but we are talking about generalities here. We need to recognize as parents that what we are allowing our children to eat is going to have a serious impact on their current and future health. We are either going to set them up for failure or success.
It is beyond me how a child can even become obese because they are such hi-wired maniacs. Most of those smart scholar/Doctor types believe that the reason for the increased number of obese kids today is in large part due to diet and exercise. Whoa! I never would have thought that. I hope you know that last sentence was totally sarcastic. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that our kids are becoming increasingly obese because of cheap and fast foods full of empty carbs and tons of calories and a more sedentary lifestyle.
There are a lot of American kids that eat fast food every day. If they aren't eating that, they are eating fatty meals at home with endless snacks at their disposal. Kids can only eat what the parents are providing for them or what they are eating for school lunch(a whole other blog post, but please find out what your kids are eating). Kids need to have access to exercise and healthy foods. Believe me, I am not perfect. There are days where my kids binge on sweets and watch way too much TV. I think the key here is moderation. Allow some special treats and lazy days but don't allow it to become a lifestyle. Kids need exercise. Force them outside if you have to. Get them into sports if they are older. Slap a costume on them and allow them to run around the house playing Army or something. I personally don't know how to calm mine down!
There are also the social implications for being obese. Our culture has definitely changed it's view on obesity in the way that society almost expects it because it's becoming increasingly common. However, that doesn't mean that an obese child is not going to recieve ridicule and judgement based on their appearance. Kids have it hard enough in school. Enough said.
Perhaps your children are overweight. Perhaps they are not. Regardless, I believe it's time for all of us to consider the facts and start taking control of what our children are consuming and their activity levels. We are creating future habits for our miniature future adults.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
And let us not EVER forget to teach our children to love one another, no matter what.
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