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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhat a load of crap!<\/em><\/p>\n Do parents have the lion\u2019s share of responsibility? \u00a0Yes, of course they do! \u00a0Food, shelter, clothing, education, and moral values are all the parents\u2019 responsibility and most of us embrace this the best we know how with the tools that we\u2019ve got. \u00a0Many of us carry on our own parents\u2019 traditions without even thinking twice about it. \u00a0But it\u2019s a different world now and what worked for our parents might not be as effective for us and our families.<\/p>\n The Issues<\/strong><\/p>\n There are soooo many factors that come in to play here. \u00a0Besides the lack of parental education on matters of nutrition, I\u2019m just going to name a few.<\/p>\n Children watch an average of 4 hours of television every day<\/strong>. \u00a0And when you add in additional screen time such as video games and computers (including when used in a classroom environment), that number jumps up to\u00a0more than 7 hours each day<\/a>,\u00a0approximately half the time a child is awake!\u00a0<\/em>Kids today are significantly less active than older generations and it shows on their waistlines. \u00a0 A full\u00a059% of Moms<\/a>\u00a0with kids under the age of three work outside the home. \u00a0It\u2019s harder for them to control caregivers, and when they come home tired the TV is often the easiest thing to do. \u00a0No I\u2019m\u00a0NOT<\/em>\u00a0saying it\u2019s right, I\u2019m saying it\u2019s reality.<\/p>\n The school lunch program is appalling.\u00a0<\/strong>Many poorer school districts serve almost as many breakfasts as lunches to students and they are literally feeding them stuff that isn\u2019t approved to feed livestock. \u00a0With an assisted income school lunch costing only 40 cents, how is a parent at or under the poverty line going to provide healthy food for an equivalent cost?<\/p>\n Homework has gone way up.<\/strong>\u00a0In my school district a sixth grader is expected to do about 2 1\/2 hours of homework per day. \u00a0Do they have time to go out after school and play with their friends? \u00a0No way, they have to hit the books as soon as they get home. \u00a0If you add homework and school time together they are working longer than a 9-to-5 job.<\/p>\n Pediatricians don\u2019t address the problem.\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019d love to have pediatricians on the front lines, helping to educate parents and get kids going in the right direction. \u00a0But doctors are busy and they\u2019re just trying to give out shots and check for major health issues and move to the next patient. \u00a0You\u2019re lucky if you get a passing mention that discusses weight control. \u00a0Keep in mind that a lot of doctors don\u2019t even know how to live healthfully themselves.<\/p>\n Blaming Parents<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to stand there and blame parents for what they\u2019re doing to their kids. \u00a0It\u2019s a parent\u2019s job to get the right information, come home, cook healthy meals, and make sure everyone is getting enough exercise. \u00a0You\u2019re right, it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0our responsibility. \u00a0But how many of you can say you do all of that, consistently, all the time? \u00a0How many of you can say your child follows along and does as you say 100% of the time? \u00a0Can you really point the finger at a dual-income working family who come home exhausted every day and try to do their best with limited resources?<\/p>\n And what does blaming accomplish anyway? \u00a0Now all you\u2019ve got is pissed off, defensive, overly tired parents who want nothing to do with you \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Kindness and Education<\/strong><\/p>\n We need to educate parents<\/strong>\u00a0and, as I said earlier, I\u2019d like to start with pediatricians. \u00a0For one thing, you\u2019re child is required to see a doctor annually to attend school in most states so the doctor will have regular contact with you and your child. \u00a0For another thing, we trust our kids\u2019 doctors and if they tell us to try and then give us some informational handouts parents will hopefully be more likely to put in the effort.<\/p>\n The school system.\u00a0<\/strong>We are already improving school lunches thanks to\u00a0Michelle Obama<\/a>\u00a0but we can always do more. \u00a0Jamie Oliver<\/a>\u00a0has done an excellent job of pointing out how bad the schools are at educating about basic nutrition and I\u2019d love to see those kinds of classes become mandatory in the curriculum. \u00a0 The school system is a very big boat and hard to turn around quickly though. \u00a0It will take years to overcome the lobbyists and enact changes through the system. \u00a0We need an army of dedicated parents keeping pressure on their legislators.<\/p>\n A Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n For all of you who say it\u2019s simply a matter of parents educating themselves and changing the ways of their family, I challenge you:<\/p>\n Walk out into your neighborhood, pick a nearby family battling obesity (likely they\u2019re no more than a few houses away if not even next door), and ask them if you can help. \u00a0Ask them what they need to help their kids and see if you can provide it.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll likely hear a lot of excuses about working too hard, being overly tired, the kids won\u2019t listen. \u00a0But you\u2019ll hear other stuff too; frustration that gym class was cut, not being able to afford the fee for their kids to play an after school sport, shame because they don\u2019t know how to help their children and they know they\u2019re hurting them.<\/p>\n Be kind, be compassionate, swap some meal ideas, and bring a sample dish over when you drop off the recipe cards. \u00a0Offer to play a little ball in the backyard with the kids. \u00a0 Ask the parents what they think of the new\u00a0food plate<\/a>and, if they haven\u2019t heard of it, forward them a link in an email. \u00a0Reach out to the school and see if you can plant a garden or help out in the cafeteria. \u00a0There\u2019s a lot we can do, but sitting around and pointing fingers at parents isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n I know I\u2019m going to hear it in the comments; go ahead, I can take it. \u00a0You\u2019re not going to change my opinion though \u2026 what do you think? \u00a0Have you ever tried to help someone? \u00a0How did it go? \u00a0And in case you are wondering, yes I do have a weight appropriate child. \u00a0We actually have problems finding pants that stay up, the kid\u2019s super healthy and all muscle, and we brown bag his lunch every day. \u00a0He\u2019s never had a school lunch.<\/p>\n Cheers,<\/p>\n Lisa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s all just take the easy way out because the rote political sound bite is a lot easier to spit out than the very complex issue that is childhood obesity. \u00a0Kids are fat because of their parents. \u00a0Point the finger squarely at Mom and Dad, tell them they are responsible for the mess that is …<\/p>\n