Kids
A friend posted about an article on childhood obesity and I started to comment and it got rather long, so I decided to use it here. This is in response to her discussion on disappointing school lunches and keeping our children active.
I was disappointed with school lunches when I found out my kid was getting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. This was when I was working and things were hectic in the morning getting everyone ready to go, on the bus, and off to work. Now I pack the PB&J everyday. I have super picky eaters and I try not cater to their pickiness. (Unfortunately I'm pretty picky too and most of the time our pickiness meshes) I do make sure there is at least a vegetable or side that they will eat if I know they won't eat what is being served.
My children are both on the light side. Little Man is starting to fall off the charts in weight, but he's only 5% on height. This was my baby that was 50% height and 75% weight. He was a little chubby, but adorable. Snacks are always eaten in the kitchen and yes, there is a TV there which they don't always get to watch, but it hopefully instills some eating responsibility. A friend of mine had a diet book that I read the first chapter on. One thing they suggested was making yourself set the table and sit and eat instead of grabbing something to munch on in front of the TV. That stuck with me, even if I don't always follow it :)
The kids are both involved in dancing, gymnastics, and soon swimming. IMO, finding what really excites them and letting them do that activity really makes the difference. Which finding out what excites a kid isn't always easy. Little Man is loving his hip hop class and Lady Jane is all about the ballet. Of course, they've only had one lesson. We'll see how the year progresses. They are both signed up for the entire year. Both aren't as enthusiastic about gymnastics, but they've done it for a year and this will be their second year. If they don't show growth in the sport and don't want to take it next year, we'll cross that bridge then.
Lady Jane was adamant about swimming and when I signed her up, Little Man decided he wanted to do it to. I think I might have bumped him up a level inadvertently, but it was the only class that fit our schedule. Right now they are both active and eating (this week mostly crap, it's been a weird week).
Do I worry about them have obesity issues as they grow older? High school or Junior High, they may get pudgy. I did for a little while and so did my brother, but Phil was always a rail. Will I continue my ban on sodas? It's not so much a ban as I don't drink it ergo I don't buy it. Will there still be way too much junk food in the house? Only directly after going to the grocery store. I admit the junk food is mostly for me.
I think my kids will be okay. The biggest thing is watching them and teaching them good eating habits. When I gained weight my freshman year (same weight I was 9 months pregnant, may not be fat for some, but it's the most I've ever weighed), both my mom and my grandpa commented on it. It made me conscious of how big I'd gotten and I worked to get my weight back down to a tolerable range. I think we will always strive to eat healthier and exercise more. And hopefully our children will pick up on that and keep those life lessons for their future.
A friend posted about an article on childhood obesity and I started to comment and it got rather long, so I decided to use it here. This is in response to her discussion on disappointing school lunches and keeping our children active.
I was disappointed with school lunches when I found out my kid was getting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. This was when I was working and things were hectic in the morning getting everyone ready to go, on the bus, and off to work. Now I pack the PB&J everyday. I have super picky eaters and I try not cater to their pickiness. (Unfortunately I'm pretty picky too and most of the time our pickiness meshes) I do make sure there is at least a vegetable or side that they will eat if I know they won't eat what is being served.
My children are both on the light side. Little Man is starting to fall off the charts in weight, but he's only 5% on height. This was my baby that was 50% height and 75% weight. He was a little chubby, but adorable. Snacks are always eaten in the kitchen and yes, there is a TV there which they don't always get to watch, but it hopefully instills some eating responsibility. A friend of mine had a diet book that I read the first chapter on. One thing they suggested was making yourself set the table and sit and eat instead of grabbing something to munch on in front of the TV. That stuck with me, even if I don't always follow it :)
The kids are both involved in dancing, gymnastics, and soon swimming. IMO, finding what really excites them and letting them do that activity really makes the difference. Which finding out what excites a kid isn't always easy. Little Man is loving his hip hop class and Lady Jane is all about the ballet. Of course, they've only had one lesson. We'll see how the year progresses. They are both signed up for the entire year. Both aren't as enthusiastic about gymnastics, but they've done it for a year and this will be their second year. If they don't show growth in the sport and don't want to take it next year, we'll cross that bridge then.
Lady Jane was adamant about swimming and when I signed her up, Little Man decided he wanted to do it to. I think I might have bumped him up a level inadvertently, but it was the only class that fit our schedule. Right now they are both active and eating (this week mostly crap, it's been a weird week).
Do I worry about them have obesity issues as they grow older? High school or Junior High, they may get pudgy. I did for a little while and so did my brother, but Phil was always a rail. Will I continue my ban on sodas? It's not so much a ban as I don't drink it ergo I don't buy it. Will there still be way too much junk food in the house? Only directly after going to the grocery store. I admit the junk food is mostly for me.
I think my kids will be okay. The biggest thing is watching them and teaching them good eating habits. When I gained weight my freshman year (same weight I was 9 months pregnant, may not be fat for some, but it's the most I've ever weighed), both my mom and my grandpa commented on it. It made me conscious of how big I'd gotten and I worked to get my weight back down to a tolerable range. I think we will always strive to eat healthier and exercise more. And hopefully our children will pick up on that and keep those life lessons for their future.
posted by Amanda @ 8:05 AM
1 Comments:
At 11:28 AM,
BriteLady said…
We have similar ideas.
Food always in the kitchen, and though the family room TV is visible from then, it is kind of hard to watch, and never on during actual meals. Therefore, no one eats in front of the TV.
Our kids are insanely active. Trystan's not in any organized activity right now (he's done swimming on and off, and I keep thinking about a toddler gymnastics, but schedules are a pain). Char is in ballet and soccer (minimum 1 practice + 1 game every week), and has gym class and recess both every day. She eats like a horse and is 33 pounds at 5 years old (not even heavy enough to take the back off her booster seat!).
We have genetics on our side in some ways--both kids are small, and my husband and I are on the short side of average. But there are plenty of weight problems on both sides of the family, and my mom had a gastric bypass at the beginning of this year. We're conscious of weight, and especially with Trystan's gastrointestinal system, of diet.
In our house, healthy food choices aren't a recommendation, they're a necessity to keep our son out of the hospital. Doesn't stop him from requesting mac & chz, hot dogs, ice cream, and chocolate at every opportunity. Charlotte likes all of those things, but also steak, shrimp, lobster, salad, raw bell peppers, mushrooms, and fruit by the bushell.
Except on the rarest of occasions, the whole famiy eats the same meal, so my husband and I have to practice what we preach. And I'm trying really hard to emphasize healthy eating, beign active, and teh benefits to a healthy weight (like how it helps us feel good and be active and have fun), and not to burden my kids with the fat fears that I've had since I was a kid.
I think, overall, we do a pretty good job.
Hmm...my response is probably long enough for its own blog post too...
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