Obese kids

[Little Dragon]

I eat once a day.
Sometimes I drink a protein milkshake.
I drink lots of carbonated water.
I drink tea and coffee, lots of cream, lots of sugar.

That's about it.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Perhaps, but starting with this would certainly uncomplicated it, no?

Nope, not really.

It would help, yes, and no one should become a parent who is going to half arse it or shirk responsibility.
However, there are a bunch of things outside parental control (largely) that impact too.

A half arsed parent when I was a kid would allow their kids to wander the streets at all hours, and they'd be riding their bmx around, hanging with mates. The same half arsed parenting now results in screen bound kids chatting to their friends and sharing memes.

So yes, good parenting is vital. But around health and fitness, the demand on parents to be actively involved to get even decent outcomes has increased significantly.

Not to mention increased workloads and mortgage stress meaning people need to work more commonly now.

I will say covid helped walk back the need to be physically in an office in some cases, which is also impactful in a more positive direction with relation to this topic.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Not that simple when kids can buy their own food, if they have an income. Without you knowing how often and how much...

My kids have a debit card that their pocket money, etc goes onto.
So I can see (at least mostly) where they are spending.

We give them a lot of freedom, but the demand from us is visibility and transparency.

 

[Little Dragon]

My kids have a debit card that their pocket money, etc goes onto.
So I can see (at least mostly) where they are spending.

We give them a lot of freedom, but the demand from us is visibility and transparency.

That's a good way.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I have seen friends with kids feed them mac and cheese for dinner, and that's it. When i ask about vegetables they can't get the kids to eat them. When I was a kid we ate what was served, which was what the adults ate. I suspect kids are bigger brats and parents just give up because they are already stressed out. I think there is less severe punishment these days than when I was a kid, because we all goit our butts beat if we didn't follow the rules. It may have not been the best discipline but we knew parents were in charge.

I remember seeing a movie called the Horse Whisperer and the son of the rancher was about 12 and so polite and well behaved. I thought "That's totally unrealistic" but I suppose possible under the right parental guidance.

My wife and I get considered 'strict' because there are rules and not negotiables.
Our punishments are generally mild, but our expectations are pretty high.

Some of the same people who thought we were strict when our kids were 3,4,5,6 now wish they had the sort of loose relationship we have with our girls, and are trying to be stricter with their kids and finding them rebellious.

I mean...like anything else, it's a long term game, not short term. We invested in rule setting when they were young to try and make their teen years easier.

Then you just hope the outside influences aren't too overtly harmful.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I remember seeing a movie called the Horse Whisperer and the son of the rancher was about 12 and so polite and well behaved. I thought "That's totally unrealistic" but I suppose possible under the right parental guidance.

Just on this one.
I was a super polite and well behaved 12 year old, and I actually think it was slightly to my detriment. We consciously decided we didn't want our 12 year old to be TOO polite and well behaved. Most people tell us she is, and almost all her friends parents see her as responsible and a good influence, but she's much louder and more confident than I was. There's a fine line there. Definitely we are trying to raise a strong and independent woman, but one who respects those around her. It's not the simplest path. Making her quiet and polite would have been easier, I think!

 

[SalixIncendium]

Nope, not really.

It would help, yes, and no one should become a parent who is going to half arse it or shirk responsibility.
However, there are a bunch of things outside parental control (largely) that impact too.

A half arsed parent when I was a kid would allow their kids to wander the streets at all hours, and they'd be riding their bmx around, hanging with mates. The same half arsed parenting now results in screen bound kids chatting to their friends and sharing memes.

So yes, good parenting is vital. But around health and fitness, the demand on parents to be actively involved to get even decent outcomes has increased significantly.

Not to mention increased workloads and mortgage stress meaning people need to work more commonly now.

I will say covid helped walk back the need to be physically in an office in some cases, which is also impactful in a more positive direction with relation to this topic.

You haven't really offered a scapegoat here, appear to be implying that it's some sort of global issue, and are all but taking personal responsibility out of the equation.

If that's the case, help me to understand how some have kids that are obese, while others have kids that are physically fit.

 

[ChristineM]

My wife and I get considered 'strict' because there are rules and not negotiables.
Our punishments are generally mild, but our expectations are pretty high.

Some of the same people who thought we were strict when our kids were 3,4,5,6 now wish they had the sort of loose relationship we have with our girls, and are trying to be stricter with their kids and finding them rebellious.

I mean...like anything else, it's a long term game, not short term. We invested in rule setting when they were young to try and make their teen years easier.

Then you just hope the outside influences aren't too overtly harmful.

^^^ THIS ^^^

Works for us, i think i probably have the most well behaved (most of the time) children.

 

[JustGeorge]

You haven't really offered a scapegoat here, appear to be implying that it's some sort of global issue, and are all but taking personal responsibility out of the equation.

If that's the case, help me to understand how some have kids that are obese, while others have kids that are physically fit.

Some of it depends on the kid, too. Even in the same household, there can be varying weights. Perhaps one kid is interested in healthy eating, another is not. Maybe one sibling genuinely enjoys playing soccer. His brother hates it, and would rather play handheld games. Once kids get older, they don't live in bubbles, either... Perhaps they eat junk food when they visit their friends.

There can be a lot of variables.

 

[Unfettered]

When I was a kid I did not become obese till I was 16. I had junk food. Though my mom never allowed me to binge and overeat still we did eat junk food.
But when I was kid, I had a tire swing outside, I liked tumbling, doing cartwheels the splits that type of thing, I was into anything that was sport's or play outside, I went roller-skating a lot, walking swimming all of it.

I was no good at sports, but I loved getting outside and playing. Kids these days have Xboxes video games, cable computers and cell phones. So, kids are a lot more obese and don't play as much. The elementary schools don't get to have gym as much either state don't have the money. So, what is the solution for obese kids?
Are electronics playing a role in this?

I don't think just one thing is responsible, but I'd offer that genetics, food choice and portions are the greater contributors to obesity. Unrestrained access to electronics will probably impact the amount of exercise kids get, which will also contribute. But since you can't out-exercise poor eating habits, and your genetics will determine things like frame size, general musculature, etc, too much emphasis on electronics might not help. That said, excessive electronics use can have a significant impact on overall health, skills development, social function, etc.

 

[The Hammer]

My wife and I get considered 'strict' because there are rules and not negotiables.
Our punishments are generally mild, but our expectations are pretty high.

Some of the same people who thought we were strict when our kids were 3,4,5,6 now wish they had the sort of loose relationship we have with our girls, and are trying to be stricter with their kids and finding them rebellious.

I mean...like anything else, it's a long term game, not short term. We invested in rule setting when they were young to try and make their teen years easier.

Then you just hope the outside influences aren't too overtly harmful.

This seems like something me and wife would do as well.

 

[Vee]

On this topic, please watch this video. It's long, but really great: