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On Parenting 
The Kids Are Depending On Us
Below is an excerpt from an article published a few months back by US News.
"Ten years and billions of dollars into the fight against childhood fat, it's clear that the campaign has been a losing battle. According to a report by the research group Trust for America's Health, one third of kids nationwide are overweight now; other stats show that the percentage of children who are obese has more than tripled since the 1970s. Now, experts are worrying about the collateral damage, too: A 2006 University of Minnesota study found that 57 percent of girls and 33 percent of boys used cigarettes, fasting, or skipping meals to control their weight and that diet-pill intake by teenage girls had nearly doubled in five years. Last year, nearly 5,000 teens opted for liposuction, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons—more than three times the number in 1998, when experts first warned of a 'childhood obesity epidemic.' "
We, as parents, need to take the problem stated here seriously and make a difference in our child's life. How is this done? Each parent has to decide a good solid game plan that will work for them. Below are some of my ideas.
We are role models. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our children do imitate us. A recent landmark study
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by MTV and the Associated Press on "The Future of Happiness" report that most 13 to 24 year olds listed their parents as their top role models. Think about that! What kind of example of you setting for your children? Kids are smart. They are watching and listening when we least expect it. It's up to us to buy fruit instead of sweets, to eat regular meals, cut out the carbonated drinks and make healthy choices.
Throw out toxic cigarettes in the home. Need some help making this decision? Read all about it on the web! Set that example of letting go of a bad habit. What a terrible way to keep weight down! Weight down, disease up!
Refuse to let your child take diet pills. Healthy eating will cure more than a weight problem. My husband and I recently switched to more fruit, less sweets. It's amazing how much better we feel. Loosing weight was a side benefit!
Liposuction and plastic surgery, out the window for weight loss. Young growing children should be taught how to set goals and follow through with them. Of course, there are ups and downs. There should be times to enjoy ice cream or a donut, but long range planning of meeting that goal should always be in sight. That is esteem building. That is confidence building. That is realizing all things are possible. That is realizing that anything worth having is worth working for. Lead the way, Mom. You can benefit too!
 Plan physical activities. Rather than slumping in front of a t.v. or computer, get on the move! T.V. can bring bad habits, loose morals and disgusting talk into your living room. Outside your child just might start talking to you about things that need to be aired. Plan times for walks, for ball and park picnics. From experience I can tell you, your child will be out of your home much faster than you think! Use your time wisely.
It is not easy to stick to goals, but our kids are truly depending on us, even without their realizing it. Their future health is in our hands. Let's not let them down. We can do it if we set our minds to it.
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"Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word
what you shouldn't have said."
~Author Unknown~
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