Your Kid In The News?

© Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach.

Big news today: 40% of our kids are obese. Then there were pictures of kids who have difficulty moving around, and pictures of the same kids scarfing down supersized burgers washed down with mega-sized pop.

These kids are at great risk of pre-diabetes, and might already have been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. Carrying all that weight around at the age of six hardly bodes well for their adult years. Especially if Mom and Dad see TV time as the greatest way to relax and the kids get … why don’t I just tell you about Meg and Jeff.

They were trying to console 10-year-old Sean on visiting day when he didn’t make the canoe team at camp last summer. Sean loved the water, loved canoeing on his own. When it came to being a member of the team, however, the other kids laughed themselves silly when he literally rocked the boat trying to get into it. This turned into hysterics when he then fell into the water, and had to be pulled out by a counselor.

It was all too much. After a tearful call home, he sat outside his cabin waiting for Meg and Jeff to come get him. But Meg wanted him to stay, as did Jeff, as it was only the end of the first week of a month-long camp.

The next day was parents’ day anyway, so Meg and Jeff showed up with treats coming out the ying-yang. There was a box with chocolate chip cookies, caramel popcorn, Twinkies, candy, jerky, chocolate bars, chips and pop.

Can you remember instances like that when you were growing up? When food, especially “health food” of that sort was the reward for when things went wrong? What message was Sean getting?

And so it goes. We have, perhaps all contributed to the obesity—and worse—diabesity epidemic sweeping our society today. Was it easier for Meg and Jeff to console young Sean with a mega-ration of sugary treats when he was miserable? Was it a good thing they sat down with him and watched the other activities eagerly munching some of those sugary treats with him? One wonders if that solved the problem or created new ones.

So we say we now have to introduce 30 minutes of daily physical education in schools. But we do this while Mom and Dad often cannot watch TV without munching on popcorn, even if it is right after supper. What’s this saying to the next generation of diabetics? And has this become a threat to public health, a challenge to the health care system? Who knows–Maybe Meg and Jeff could lose a few pounds themselves.

Let me know if you would have consoled young Emily or Zac that way. And see why most of the population could easily do with twenty pounds less. Download my free report offered on the right of this page and you’ll see why. Then do share your thoughts in the comment section below.

See you there.

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health

Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
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