Strange Things | Butterball

Butterball

erratic_prophet | 26 May, 2006 11:24

(The title is a nod to my grandmother who gave my scrawny little mother-- always was tiny, always will be tiny-- that very nickname as a child. I'm sure it was irony. But, then, she was around during Auschwitz so you never can tell with my grandma... Did I mention that my family is twisted?)

I've gotten off topic and I haven't even started yet. What got me on my soapbox this week was a post by Michelle discussing a news program she heard about how state government (in Australia, I assume, because that is where she's from) is considering introducing weighing children at school and shaming parents into doing something about their overweight children. This set me off into a mini rant in her comments. Here's the sick part where I quote myself..

"I do understand what they're hoping to accomplish, but shaming people into doing something isn't the way to go about it.

1.If they want to make changes, they need to educate. Teach more about nutrition, send more literature on nutrition home with kids, teach kids healthy recipes. Once kids get gung-ho on something, they aim to convert the world.

2. Serve healthier meals at school. I once caught some of Jamie's School Dinners. It's a series about a chef (Jamie Oliver, a.k.a. The Naked Chef) trying to change the way schools feed kids and, at the same time, educate the kids about what's healthy. Most of the kids couldn't name vegetables forget ever eating them. And he said that schools buy crap food because it's easier, not necessarily cheaper. They could make healthy meals under budget if they tried.

3. Make sports more accessible to all. Kids don't grow up hating exercise, they learn it from parents. Parents don't want their kids to be sedentary, but they can't afford the uniforms and all for sports. Make it more affordable and there will be more kids. More kids exercising means less kids vegetating in front of the tv or video games.

I just made my own post and I haven't even finished ranting.."

But then I really got to thinking about it. Because when I'm not writing here-- which is almost always-- I'm thinking-- again, always-- and what really bothers me isn't the lack of education, it's the laziness of the friggin parents. Why do parents need shows like Honey, We're Killing the Kids! to tell us to make sure our kids eat healthy foods, watch less tv and exercise more? Isn't it obvious? Or is love truly that blind that we don't see how obese our children have become?

Yes, it's important to have education about health in schools, for the schools to serve our kids better meals, and for sports to be more accessible to all kids. That all goes without saying. But does the government have to tell us how to be parents now? Apparently so since obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes is on the rise. In children. We, in fact, are killing our kids.

Yes, kids like junk. They like soda. They like to laze about and watch tv and play video games. They all do. But it is our jobs as parents to make sure that they realize that junk food must be eaten in moderation and not make up a large portion of their diet. My kids don't even drink soda except for a glass on holidays or birthdays. And we really need to stop letting the tv become the baby sitter.

I can't even count how many times I've had to kick the kids out of the house and force them-- yes, I'm cruel, I force them to play outside-- outdoors.. And each time they come back in, I send them right back out. It's easy to just say "yes, darling" and give them anything they like but that's not being a parent. That's the kids setting the boundaries and the rules and generally doing all that a parent should do. Only they don't have the knowledge and experience to make those kinds of decisions.

Then again, neither do some of the people claiming to be parents..

Now this isn't to say that I'm the perfect parent and I do no wrong. Hell, I'm sure my kids will need plenty of therapy when they grow up. I mess up. We all do. I just try my best not to scar them too badly while I have them. But I figure the health thing was all common sense. Too bad we can't put that into our drinking water. Or maybe soda since more people would drink it that way..

[Reply]

Now that was beautifully written!!
I can't argue with a thing, you said everything i was thinking, only in a "nice" way!!
I will wait in anticipation and see if they do bring this in.
I'm all for the removal of candy, and soda drinks. Our school canteen doesn't even sell red drinks or food because of the coloring....all for this.
The weighing thing though, creates more problems than its worth.

Again, perfectly written "R" :o)

Michelle — 27 May 2006, 07:58

[Reply]

Michelle- Thanks! It's one of those subjects I could go on about all day..

Erratic Prophet — 28 May 2006, 21:03

[Reply]

THANK YOU. I thought I was the only person whose blood pressure goes all sky-high during shows like that. I can't watch "Honey, We're Killing the Kids" or "Nanny 911" because I get SO PISSED at the utter stupidity of the parent. It's not the kids' fault: it's their idiot asshole parents. GOD. I hate those people.

I am about to join the Parent Club and I am going to do my best to raise a healthy, happy kid. 'Course, the kid may still end up all fucked up and abnormal, but that pretty much describes me, too. I survived to adulthood, so I'm sure my kid will.

Rachel — 29 May 2006, 19:25

[Reply]

Rachel- I start foaming at the mouth whenever I watch those shows. My mother loves them. They make her feel superior.

I look at it this way: I may well raise screwed up kids, but at least I raised them!

Erratic Prophet — 30 May 2006, 12:15