The Anti-Obesity Plan Debate
As the mother of a 9-year-old daughter, I feel compelled to weigh in on a recent Chicago Tribune article titled “Michelle Obamas’s Anti-Obesity Plan.” She candidly admitted as a busy mom to succumbing to pizza and the drive-through but has vowed, after a nudge from her daughters’ pediatrician, to get Sasha and Malia on track for a healthier lifestyle.
I can relate. It was with surprise last year at my daughter’s well-visit when I got “the talk” from our pediatrician. “Borderline” was how she referred to my daughter’s weight. WHAT?! I consider us a healthy family—I drag myself to the gym and can picture the food pyramid. I know not to talk incessantly about dieting and am careful to smile when checking my butt in the mirror. (Well, it is more like a smile/grimace but I try.)
Critics admonished the first lady for putting her daughters’ weight issues in the spotlight citing the potential for eating disorders, low self-esteem, and years of therapy bills. But with one-third of American children classified as overweight or obese, I applaud her anecdotal use of her daughters—in the end she is a mom dealing with issues just like the rest of us. Something tells me her daughters are smart enough to realize their mom’s intentions.
We have made some changes in our house and at this year’s well-visit all was on track. I say thanks, Mrs. Obama—for sharing how your passion has hit home. I’m with you on this issue except when it comes to growing your own vegetables—I’ll be hitting the supermarket for those.
Do you think being vocal about this topic has a positive or negative effect on children? Share your thoughts below.
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Tags: Anti-Obesity, childhood obesity, michelle Obama, obesity
While I think bringing awareness to issues like obesity amongst our children is a good idea, I certainly do not think Mrs. Obama should have put her girls in the fore front of the issue.
The critics are right. As a past elementary school sub-teacher I can tell you kids are cruel even in private schools. These poor girls will be teased more so than ever. Can you just imagine the pain these girls will have to endure? I can. Many times I have had to comfort a crying child becuase of the teasing and torture of other children. Some say it makes them toughen-up but does it really? I can still remember hurtful things that were said to me as a child. One thing in particular that happened more than thirty years ago, I will never forget.
Michelle Obama had good intentions but was lead astray by her staff who obviously hasn’t done research into the effects this could, and probably will, have on our ‘first children’. The only good thing is our First Lady seems to be a good mom and hopefully can turn it into a positive thing done the road when issues start popping up.
Lori
I have recently attended a very informative presentation by DR. Joanna Dolgoff who has recntly released her amazing book Red Light Green Light Eat Right for kids. This book is very easy to follow and helpful for the entire family to eat better and be more healthy. I wanted to share this with all the moms and feel that Dr Dolgoff ( mother and Entrepeneur herself) will help families make big changes.
I completely agree with you on this, Beth. I understand the concerns– we don’t want our children to succumb to Hollywood standards for what is considered “thin enough” but we shouldn’t be afraid to educate our children on how to be healthy. It’s a lifestyle/health/wellness issue… not a vanity issue. We live in a society of convenience– foods are processed, full of fat and sodium. I think the first lady did the right thing… she was acknowledging she was feeding her girls unhealthy foods, out of convenience, to the point that their doctor was concerned. How can speaking openly about that be a bad thing? That’s not the same as saying, “My girls were getting a little too chubby, so I put then on a diet.” That’s not was she was saying at all.
Thank you Angie! You are exactly right, in my opinion. I am constantly battling my children in an effort to teach them to make nutritious choices. I’m certainly not the perfect role model – as I love chocolate – but many other kids their age think that the overly processed food is fine because mom/dad/school feeds it to them. I even argued with my ex-husband about the lack of nutrition in food like fruit snacks and “orange drink”, he says those things are fine – I disagree. If you aren’t putting any fresh nutrients and naturally found vitamins in your body, you are only developing bad habits, which are much harder to kick when you are an adult, and setting your body up to fail at fighting disease. I applaud Mrs. Obama for teaching her children and being a great example for the rest of us. Not only is she admitting to imperfection, she is publicly making a plan to help her children’s health and help our country’s health. That can only be a positive thing- even in our future healthcare system. This is not about being “skinny”, it’s about being “healthy” – enjoying life without completely preventable diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes. If the Obama’s are making an example of themselves as to how to live a healthier lifestyle, we should all lend an ear and learn from them. No, it’s not easy and some days are going to be harder than others…. but isn’t your child’s health, now and when they are adults, worth it?
I would like to think that by openly sharing with your children the need to be healthy would be a positive thing for them and not detrimental to them in the future. Showing them how to be healthy is quite different then telling them they are overweight and need to go on a diet. I think that the key word here is HEATHLY. However the most important thing by far is to lead by example. If your children see you eating healthy and exercising then they are most likely to follow. However there sometimes are other medical issues and those should be discussed with your childrens doctors.
Thank you Beth for bringing this topic up, it is a growing problem and needs to be addressed. I belief that Michelle Obama is doing this for the right reasons as well.
I think as parents we have a responsbility to be healthy ourselves and make good food choices. Being an example for our children, showing them how to make good food choices when we are not around is what we should be doing. You can’t start to early talking about what is a good food choice. As them as they grow what is the better fuel for their bodies. Explain how food acts as fuel. We need to quit letting media teach and be the teacher of our own children.
I am very excited about Mrs. Obama’s Anti-Obesity initiative. Childhood obesity is really becoming epidemic among our children. As I look at my own 7 yo daughter, I realize that she is at risk because she does not have the freedom to “roam” as I did when I was her age. We parents have to be so much more vigilant with our children that they don’t always get the exercise just day to day living once provided. Instead regular exercise is replaced by computer games and 24 hour cartoon networks. We have to start somewhere to fix this potentially lethal problem with our children and if Mrs. Obama can get people to act, then I’m all for it.