Those who know me will tell you that thinking before I speak is not one of my strong points. A thought pops into my head and 3 seconds later I speak it, regardless of the topic, regardless of who's involved or to what subject it pertains. I think it's one of my best characteristics, brutal honesty, but most beg to differ.
This article was going to be no different. I have very strong views on the subject of child obesity and planned on sharing them in my usual no holds barred, take no prisoners approach. However conversations during the week with different people have led me to thinking that this subject need be handled with a touch more diplomacy. So I will try. i will attempt to allay much of the controversy by using as much medical evidence as possible but in the end, if you are offended by what you are about to read, you're in denial. Shit! I did say i would try... oh well...
Child obesity is child abuse. Plain and simple. Given the indisputable evidence in relation to the physical and mental health risks associated with being obese, I dare someone to argue. These risks are amplified when talking about children, as the damage they accrue now, will be with them for the rest of their life, if not physically, definitely mentally in some form. By allowing your child to become obese you are setting them up for bullying, depression, lack of social development and a list of physical issues that is too long to list and quite frankly, shouldn't have to be listed. Everyone knows that obesity causes heart disease, hypertension, diabetes etc. YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT IMMUNE!
Every day, people are held accountable by law for the abuses they perpetrate, whether they be physical, sexual, verbal or psychological and parents are punished for neglecting their children or housing them in an unsafe environment. I strongly believe that is not before the time we treat negligent obesity the same way.
Now before you start with the hate, please note that I said NEGLIGENT OBESITY.
By that I am referring to Parents who despite knowing better, continue to feed their children terrible diets and allow their inactivity. Parents who have been educated in what's good and bad for a child's body and still choose to ignore the fact that their child is obviously obese and continue the same practices. I am not talking about those who acknowledge there is a problem and actively go about fixing it.
The biggest challenge I have faced whilst trying to educate parents on this subject is their sheer state of denial. They have every excuse under the sun and refuse to take responsibility for the fact that they are harming their kids. It's always genetics fault or a refusal to admit there even is a problem. "I was raised like that and I'm fine so what's the issue?" Sound familiar? That is a cop out and you know it. Deep down you do. Your parents raised you like that because there wasn't the same information about how the body worked back then, we now know better. Your kids will not "grow out of it" and no, they are not too young for you to be concerned. The longer you fail to act, the deeper the issues will become. I don't care who or what you try and blame, you the parent are solely responsible for what food goes into your child's mouth and you the parent are solely responsible for how physically active they are. YOU! No one else. Not the schools, not the government, not TV advertising, not some imaginary "FAT GENE". YOU!
Medical Info:
Children's bodies do store a lot of energy at different stages to supply the huge demands caused by growth. This means that at different times, usually before a growth spurt, kids will look a little "chubbier" then usual. This is not obesity. I encourage you all to look up CDC growth charts and BMI charts for kids to get clarification on what is deemed obese.
THE FAT GENE:
There is no such thing. Easy. Research has shown that obesity itself is not hereditary. If there is a family history of obesity, this can mean that children MAY be genetically predisposed to being obese. PRE-DISPOSED. The same way that my Mother had melanoma cancer so I may be pre-disposed to getting it. It does not mean that I will get it. It does not mean that I don't need to take care in the sun because I'm going to get it. It means the opposite! It means I need to take more care in the sun and be more vigilant about getting checkups. IF YOU ARE OBESE THIS IN NO WAY PROVIDES ANY TYPE OF EXCUSE FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO BE! Obesity is caused by poor diet and lack of activity. We the parents are responsible for that. In the same way I need to take care of my skin, if your child is predisposed to obesity you need to take more care of their diet and exercise habits.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS:
There are a couple of medical conditions that may cause obesity in children. Prada-Willi syndrome is a genetic condition that causes an insatiable appetite (meaning the child is always hungry) and mental retardation. After consulting with a doctor and clinical nutritionist about this article, this was the ONLY CONDITION found that has definite links to obesity in kids. Two other rare causes are Cushings syndrome and Hypothyroidism. That is it.
So if your child is not suffering from one of these 3 conditions and is obese, guess what, IT'S ON YOU!
If you are caught buying your child alcohol you are accountable by law, if you are caught supplying cigarettes you are accountable by law, if you leave your child unattended in a car you are accountable by law, but for some reason if a parent takes their 75kg 5yr old to McDonalds we say and do nothing? Please stop kidding yourself by saying that the consequences of such actions can't be compared, they can and should!
Schools have an obligation to report suspected abuse victims amongst their students. I want obese kids added to that list.
I want some sort of program installed whereby at risk children are identified and their parents are made take a course in nutrition and exercise for children. And if still no effort is made to rectify the problem, the penalties should be as harsh as other forms of abuse. Child obesity is child abuse!
Our children have no control over what we are doing to them. That is why destroying their insides, letting them be physically inactive, putting them in a situation where they WILL be bullied and setting them up for lifelong struggles with health and mental issues such as obesity and depression, is an abuse.
This may seem harsh. I don't care. I am a parent. I was a kid once too. I have seen firsthand how hard obese kids have it at school. There are stories in the news about young people killing themselves because of bullying every week. I am now work in the health and fitness industry. I see adults day in and day out struggling with their size and the mental problems that go along with it. A lot of them have been big since childhood.
Why would you want this for your kids? How can you possibly excuse it?
Most of us probably think we would never hurt a child. But by feeding them shit food and letting them live in front of the playstation, guess what, YOU ARE.
Child Obesity is Child Abuse
Peace
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