Obese Children and Fat Shaming

AlexJC

Hey Chicks!

This is an important issue and sensitive so I'll try and be as tactful as possible but I was reading this article about a mother who would publicly shame her daughter, who was overweight about eating certain foods. 

I'm wondering, how do you think parents should teach their children about healthy eating and exercise? I understand how important it is to give them healthy lifestyle skills but shaming them seems very wrong to me. 

On that note, what about fat shaming? Fat shaming, a expression that means pretty much what it sounds like, seems to be all over the place. Especially in doctors offices- has anyone ever dealt, experienced etc. fat shaming? What are your thoughts? 

Aliza

Monkey see monkey do

If parents themselves don't eat healthy and make fun activities out of exercise, they can't expect their children to 'want' to do these activities. If parents enable their children by constantly buying them video games and sticking them in front of the tv, then why would they want to go walk to the park or bike.

Shaming kids or putting people down is never the right way to try to reinforce the behavior.

luxx

Common sense

Parents are the ones who buy the food, if all a child knows is healthier food than he'll eat it. I think a lot of people think healthier food is more expensive and it actually isn't, unless you're buying top of the line organic. But really, an apple is an apple. We never had pre-packaged in our house growing up, it doesn't mean we didn't get chips or chocolate once in a while but it tought us moderation. Also my parents always made us play outside.We used our imagination for the most part because we didn't have cable and video games. Kids don't need to be entertained by tv and videogames, and parents can limit that. I also think that a lot of parents try and be friends with their kids and let them have everything they couldn't when they were younger.
Bottom line is the parents have final say, don't buy crap and feed it to your kids all the time and shut off the tv. Shaming is definitely not the right way to go about it. Again , if you want a healthy kid, stop buying junk.

Anonymous

obese shaming

Healthy eating indeed, with all the commercials, both parents working, or even single family homes, everything is about quick and easy. Sadly, drive thru's provide that. It is much different today than when I grew up, we didn't have internet, the abundance of video games. We spent hours biking, ski dooing, sledding, endless hours outside. Also, there is such an expense for some parents to sign their children up for sports in many areas.

I would personally like to see that healthy eating, exercise etc be both with at home and at school, at a very young age.. With physcial education classes that not only do running, sports, etc., but some how incorporate healthy eating, whether it be a part of a phys ed project where groups of students get together to plan out healthy menu's, this could work with at home as well, having the kids take part in preparing the healthy meals at home, and be a part of shopping and reading labels. If available a cooking class teaching healthier ways to cook food. With our children being obese it is harder on our medical system, and our tax dollars, which also pay for schooling, get on board with the schools to incorporate programs like this, as well as write the MLA's etc, to make sure the schools get the funding for this. These kids are our future, they are also our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc.

Most importantly, if a kid is obese and isn't at the same level as some other kids in the phy's ed class, i think it's very important that these kids are graded individually based on their personal progress, and not compared to what they should be at.

I believe if children are involved at a very young age in cooking, shopping at home and it being taught at school that we can make a difference. Stop shaming the kids, figure out ways to help them and beat obesity.

AngelinaRosaries

in public, no!

humiliating your kid in public does not help anyone. kids get angry at parents for doing that.

also, i think parents habit reflect on kids. if mom is busy - working mom, but try to work-out or do some form of exercise, then kids will eventually follow.

fat parents = fat kids . I've read it in psychology 101 book, which means heredity environment influence the offspring. Of course, there are outliers - underlying medical conditions to name a few. And if you observe, this might be the case.

Active parents have active kids. Dad catching the ball with kids, or mom just biking and goofing around.

A parent sitting in the couch cannot send a kid out to play.

while busy parents put their kids in sports, or try to, an hour of sports two times a week may not be enough, because the kind of food we have at home need more than that to get burned.

Unless you force your kid to be vegan, or raw food diet, some diets that may help boost metabolism, each child may need 4 active hours to sweat out and burn excess calories they have taken for the day.

i know it is tough for working parents. i am one.

angelina

AngelinaRosaries

oh darn

do not shame your kids in public about weight, please.

i have this habit of dancing in my frontyard while watching them play. lots of kids in the neighborhood followed me dance.


of course, you have to be thicked face like, some neighbors roll their eyes on me. Of course, I did few Zumba routines, and mess it up most of the time, but I still sweat and have fun.

angelina

ra143

sad...

I dealt with this all my childhood, my mother calling me fat, taking food away from me, pointing out my weird developing body, in front of people, family members, friends, schoolmates... and I got teased a lot on school for being chubby (back home in Eastern Europe, where every girl has to be stick thing). Well, I had a terrible relationship with food thanks to that and ended up with an eating disorder. I am still in treatment for it, and although mostly recovered, I will never have a normal, healthy relationship with food, nor with my body.
This kind of behaviour can't bring anything good. My mother used the shaming technique for many many things I used to do wrong, and I will be scared and damaged for life. I most certainly hope nobody adopts these parenting techniques. And I am glad I am in a country where there is awareness about issues like these. Its a first step.

AngelinaRosaries

hope, there is hope and love in this world

ra143: Sorry to hear about your childhood. this case is very real, and i hope "educating everyone" is the key to positive changes.

I'm asian, i came from a country where 1. we are genetically small 2. we grow what we eat - so if crops are damaged by floods, we are all forced to go on diet or forage or find shells in the shoreline.

when i moved to canada, the food at groceries really did increase my waistline, but I came back to gardening.

this season, i will grow my veggies and lettuces in pots, since i have no backyard.

hope you find balance, and recover what ever it is that give you all these pains. I know it is never easy, and only time will tell. Never give up...and I hope you will try your luck with gardening. I offer you seeds for free - you can plant it in your balcony or backyard if you have one.

Angie

ra143

thank you

Thank you Angie, you are too sweet.
I am coping with everything as best as I can... but I am afraid for me the problem is psychological. I have had an abundance of food, good food both home and here... I just need to have a good relationship with it, and foremost with my body.
I am a vegetarian now, eat healthy, take supplements and take care of my body. I work in the natural healthcare field, strangely enough my biggest issue inspired my biggest passion....