Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Parents Make Fat Kids


The Washington Post is running a series on the increase of obese kids in the country. There is the usual commentary on diets with too much fat and schools lacking physical education programs and kids watching to much television. But, I have a question for
parents: if your children are living with you and you make the decisions on food, how are they getting fat without you putting the food in their mouths?

Let's see. Your children get up in the morning and YOU give them breakfast; so you are responsible for the calories in the morning. YOU can send them to school with lunch or YOU can let them eat the garbage in the cafeteria; YOU are responsible for lunch calories.

You give them money and let them buy ice cream or candy in school or on the way home from school; YOU are responsible for allowing them to buy junk food. YOU give them snacks after school which means YOU are responsible for those calories as well. YOU make them dinner or take them out for dinner or order pizza, so YOU are responsible for the dinner calories. YOU let them eat until bedtime by allowing them free access to cupboards in which YOU put the chips and soda; YOU are responsible for the endless snacking.

Where in a normal day does your child have any chance of eating an unhealthy diet and gain weight unless you feed the child or give the child money to feed itself? Only when the child reaches the age of employment (and even then you should have some control over their diet) can one say the teen might make their own choices of food when out and about.

So, if YOUR child is fat, YOU have no one to blame but yourself. Now, that you know the truth, is should be easy for you to help your child return to normal weight. Stop overfeeding it!

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the biggest problem is just that they never go outside and play anymore. No one would think of kicking a kid outdoors anymore, and that's where ALL of us were most of the time when I was growing up. And it is true that with schools allowing CRAP for purchase and also served in the cafeterias, it's harder to control, because kids can trade food and can buy it if they have any money, which most do. I just don't think they cafeterias ever should have been allowed to start bringing in fast food to begin with.

I know taking gym is no longer mandatory in many schools now, which is INSANE. Kids NEED to run off that energy, if for no other reason than to keep from driving the teachers as crazy. I don't have a dog in this race, but I do not understand how it came to this!

Anonymous said...

I disagree somewhat..I grew up in the 70's and 80's and was only one of maybe 3 or 4 other kids at my school who were overweight. My sister and brother ate the same foods i did, but they were both skinny. My parents had me on a diet at age 5.