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I noticed that my adorable 10-year-old son was wearing a T-shirt with his bathing suit to cover up his nolonger-little and now-somewhat-flabby tummy. The little tummy that I loved to tickle and kiss was a little bigger, and gee, now that you mention it, his face does seem a little fuller in photographs.
This is an active kid who bikes to school, plays soccer and likes to skateboard and spends only
minimal time in front of a computer or TV. But I had noticed that the full can of Pringles sour cream and onion potato chips was disappearing and the cut-up apples and baby carrots were getting left on the plate.
“Is this just the normal chubbiness that precedes puberty?” I wondered, “Or is it a sign of a growing weight problem?” Treading carefully, to avoid negative comments or judgments about his body image, I asked him what was going on with the T-shirts in the pool.
“Are you worried about sunburn, honey?” I asked hopefully.
With gentle prodding, he allowed that he was a little embarrassed by his tummy and he was also
worried about being able to run the mile in PE in less than 12 minutes. Since he was aware of his weight enough to be bothered, I thought we’d have a better chance of making some changes to help him be healthier and feel better about swimming T-shirtless.
A Supersized Nation
It’s estimated that more than half of all Americans are overweight, and one in five of us is obese. OK, I know I’ve got that obstinate 10 pounds and I’m blaming the antioxidants in dark chocolate (hey, a gal’s gotta do what she can to prevent cancer!). Maybe when I get a spare moment after answering a few hundred e-mails each day in addition to volunteering at the school and recycling to save the planet, I can find some extra time in my day to grow organic vegetables and cook healthy and nutritious meals from scratch. Who am I kidding? I barely have time to grocery shop, let alone spend that kind of time in the kitchen.
U.S. government statistics state that in the 1970s, only about 4% of children ages 6-11 were overweight, compared with more than 17% of children now. And it doesn’t take a statistician to see the evidence everywhere. Before I got serious about working on this issue with my own family, I began noticing some disturbing trends.
It was a brisk Saturday morning at the local soccer field. The team was warming up with exercises and laps. But the most important question wasn’t “Who’s playing goalie?” It was “Who’s Snack Mom this week?” Is it my imagination or are children becoming conditioned to expect a snack every 1-2 hours, rain or shine, whether they’re running around, waiting in line for a movie, or playing video games? No matter what they’re doing, they eat before the game, during breaks, and finish up with a high five, a few words of encouragement from the coach and a bag of chips, a few cookies and a juice box. Are our children ever feeling hunger?
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