How Much Do You Really Love Your Fat and Sedentary Child?

Parents, beware: a dangerous epidemic is sweeping our nation’s youth. Your child may be at risk of life-threatening complications, psychological problems and decreased quality of life. More than 15 percent of children in the US are estimated to have the disease, and the number is growing at an alarming rate. What is this frightening condition? CHILDHOOD OBESITY.

My mother was an outstanding parent that assumed the upmost responsiblity toward the care of me and my younger brother. She was the force-field that shunned from us, life’s dangers and downsides. I didn’t even know what outside looked like after 9pm until I was a freshman in college because I had better be home (Well, not really – but you know what I mean). Anyway, despite her “A+” strategy of raising her only two boys into becoming men, my brother was diagnosed as a diabetic at the age of nineteen. He was a 302 pound fat kid who loved video games, music and “Sicky D’s”, I mean Mickey D’s. The lack of health education and encouragement of physical fitness from my parent was probably the main reason behind my brother’s now resolved ailment. I believe leaving this critical tool out of your caretaker equation is as criminal as not preparing your child for the real world. Caring for your child goes beyond defending and preparing them for the outside world, but also entails caring for their physical health and fitness. Otherwise, I dare to say that, your parenting skills are incomplete without practicing a healthy lifestyle.

Throughout my life, I have met thousands of parents who rightfully consider themselves as “fit” mothers and fathers – I also consider them to be. Out of these lucky people who are experiencing the blessings of parenthood and raising a child or children, I would not be wrong to say that all of them proclaim to be good parents based on their generalized definition of what a “good parent” should be. You can pull out the old “Good Parent Checklist” and check off all of the requirements that qualify them as a fit and nurturing caretaker which includes: the famous “enforcing study time”, “coming home at a reasonable hour” and “making sure they (the child) brush twice a day” etc. Yet, when it comes to the child’s overall health and nutritional lifestyle, these responsibilities are secondary or overlooked altogether. Frankly, if a son’s physical and nutritional fitness was a factor by law that determined a mother’s or father’s parental abilities, most parents can easily be alleged with child neglect. In fact, overall, the youth of today are fatter than ever before.

Childhood obesity has been described as an epidemic. It places all of our children’s health at risk, making them more susceptible to complications involving their cardiovascular and endocrine systems as well as affecting their mental and psychological health. Type II diabetes mellitus, depression and low self esteem are just on the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the critical problems looming over the heads of our overweight children. Thus, making the grade at school, the transformation into adolescence and the school bully are not the only issues that children face. Obesity and it’s indirect complications also creates a major dilemma for your loving child.

Compared to a generation ago, children are falling into the obesity camp mainly because activities that were once popular outside are now non-existant and replaced with things that kids can do in the comfort of their own home. Not only does this have implications on their physical fitness but it may also have overwhelming effects on their overall self-esteem and social skills with other peers and individuals – but that’s another story.

Technology no longer makes playing street football, Saturday swimming, double dutch or “hide and go seek” fun. Instead, the average kid wants to be Lebron James, Dale Earnhardt Jr., or Wonder Woman on Play Station 3 or Xbox. Netflix and delivered pizza (by phone or internet) also take away your babysitting burdens while making the life of your prodigy more enjoyable in the short term but, with deadly consequences in the future.

If you and your child don’t fit into this camp, I’m sure you personally know of kids who are parent-abiding students by day but video game, cheese burger inhaling junkies by night. With so much passive entertainment- whether it’s television, the computer or video games — at their fingertips, many kids choose to spend time sitting and snacking. This lifestyle is very different than the “good old days” when parents sent their children to play outside regularly. Today’s parents feel their children are safer inside, but the lack of physical activity among American children is putting their health in danger. Therefore, you are doing a great diservice to yourself and your children if you place them in these condition. Furthermore, the foods that we feed them adds insult to the injury.

Below are some physical problems obese children may develop:

- joint pain
- diabetes
- heart disease
- arthritis
- asthma
- sleep apnea
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- Overweight and obese children are also at increased risk of depression, low self-esteem and other psychological issues.

I know several children (I used to be one of them), whose parents are so careful to make sure their kid doesn’t watch the nude shot on the rated “R” movie, don’t swear or talk back, make good grades, wear clean clothes and stay out of trouble and harms way. Yet, these same responsible parents (mine included) would absent mindedly feed their children foods that they would never put in the mouth of their pet canine. Foods from “Burger Kill”, “Taco Hell”, and your local fast food restaurant are saturated in bad fats, high sodium and calories that may make your son happy in the short term but physically miserable in the long run. Finally, these same parents encourage, and sometime impose, sedentary lifestyles on children by allowing them to spend excessive amounts of time home on the computer, playing video games or checking out Netflix movies.

Tips to encourage a healthy lifestyle for your child

1. Cook (real food): Parents are especially busy these days – especially if they are the single parent in the household. TV dinners and fast food often saves the day for these parents because it provides a quick solution and justifies them feeding their child. Long term ailments are almost inevitable if you depend on hamburgers, french fries and pizza to satisfy your childs nutritional needs. Take time to prepare meals in advance if you’re to busy cook when it’s “dinner time.”

2. Be the adult: Yes, we all know that kids love fun foods. At time, they would rather pick over the veggies and jump straight to the ice cream for dessert. Other times, parents feed their child only things that they like. I know several moms who spend unecessary time in the kitchen preparing two meals: one for themselves and another for their kid that prefers a cheeseburger over grilled fish or chicken. Children learn from your tendencies and generally do not have the ability to depend on themselves. Therefore, be the grown up in the relationship and determine what is best for your child. I’m sure you dictate what she watches on television; why not follow the same script when it comes to monitering your child’s food consumption?

3. Limit in-home activities: Sendentary lifestyles promotes obesity. If you are not moving, you are not burning calories. At the same time, food consumption will continue to add the weight gain if there is not an outlet for the calories to be used as energy. Therefore, limit the time that your child spends on the Playstation and encourage other activities such as sports activities and meeting new friends. This will also improve his overall grades in the classroom and social skills.

4. Spend more time with them: Technology and fast foods often become convenient for us because it acts as a babysitting tool for your child. But, If you would spend a little more time with them, poor health choices and sedentary tendencies can be minimized because you are calling the shots and not John Madden Football on Xbox.

5. Enroll them in a program: Summer is the time where children are more suseptable to getting fat because school is out. On the other hand, there are many programs available that you can enroll your son or daughter in which encourages physical education. Youth camps such as St. Pete Youth Camps are springing up to address the issues of childhood obesity. You can personally enroll your child in my program to get him in the best of his life and undermine complacency. Youth camp begins Monday, June 29 and is an eight week program that promotes safe exercise and nutritional and fitness education.

Lets be more responsible and do something about child obesity and break the cycle.

Make it Happen!

Damon Reio