He's Not Fat, He's Just Big Boned
As a kid I heard that one, and, that I was “husky.” Nice way to boost a child’s self esteem, first tell him he’s go abnormally giant bones. Then, confuse him into thinking he’s part dog. Maybe all this cliché is why many parents can’t realize their kids are fat. The Associated Press reports:
That is worrisome because obese children run the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and other ailments more commonly found in adults. And overweight children are likely to grow up to be overweight adults.I have a thought of my own—well, it’s not really my own, I heard Dr. Fuhrman say it once—maybe the reason why parents can’t realize that their children are fat, is because they themselves aren’t exactly the spitting image of health. Here’s what Dr. Fuhrman had to say about all this:
"It suggests to me that parents of younger kids believe that their children will grow out of their obesity, or something will change at older ages," said Dr. Matthew M. Davis, a University of Michigan professor of pediatrics and internal medicine who led the study, released earlier this month.
"When I see a child that is obese at these younger ages, I take that as a sign of ways nutrition can be improved, a child's activity level can be improved."
If children are in an environmental of healthful foods they will have no problem developing a healthy attitude toward food. Setting an example supported by both parents is the most important and most effective approach.Personally, I started exercising a lot when I was a teenager because I saw how much mom worked out. Parents are the key—who would have thought!
