On The Problem and Getting a Clue

Our society is plagued with kid’s who have THE PROBLEM. I have seen parents lament over THE PROBLEM. I have seen parents panic over THE PROBLEM. I’ve seen parents send their child to doctors because of THE PROBLEM. I have seen parents send their children to clinics that deal with THE PROBLEM. I have even seen parents send their kids to….God forbid…..a personal trainer to deal with THE PROBLEM. So, what’s the problem? It’s drugs right? Gotta be drugs. Nope. Anorexia? Nope. Bulemia? Nope. Depression? Yeah you wish. No, this is the BIG problem. Brace yourselves! Their kid is OVERWEIGHT!!! Scary isn’t it. I’m not talking obese here. I’m talking a little chubbier than the other kid’s. I’m not talking unhealthy. I’m talking about a girth that may keep their child from being as popular as Mom and Dad had hoped they would be.
Moms and Dads have some ingenious ways of dealing with a little heft in the family. Here are a few, write these down, your therapist will need them for her files.
1. Start Early. The earlier you begin nagging your children about food the better. If done properly, by the time the child is a teenager, food will have such a whacked out priority they won’t know what to do.
2. Let your kid know that he or she is fat, and do it often. Always a great esteem builder.
3. Send your child to a nutritionist. Make food an even bigger giant in their life.
4. Send them to a personal trainer. Gee thanks. Let us yell at your kid for a change.
Let me tell you something. Scoot real close cause this is real important. GET OFF YOUR KID’S BACK!! Kids aren’t stupid. They know what you are doing. It’s not about you wanting them healthy. It’s about you wanting them as thin as their sister. Be honest with yourself. Have all your efforts ever really accomplished anything? Kids bodies change so quickly. Give them a break and let them change without you staring down everything they put in their mouths.
The above methods stink for getting your kid thin but I’ll tell you what they might produce. Just read the problems I listed at the top. Drug abuse, Anorexia, Bulemia, Depression and worse. Not a pretty picture.
So what is a parent to do? This is a tough pill for some but here it is. Swallow your shallow social pride and love on your kid instead of worrying about them being the prettiest in their class. Love on your kid and produce a self esteem that will empower them to succeed at whatever they want to. I know you love your kid and you want the best for them but a lot of you don’t realize the pressure you are putting on them. You use the excuse that you’re teaching your child how to build a healthy body. What you’re really doing is building a healthy wall between them and you.
And by the way, save your complaint letter to the editor. I’m not talking about kids who have health problems and need special diets or young athletes who want to be pushed. You know who I’m talking to. I’m talking to you with the sick feeling in your gut hoping it’s not too late to mend the damage you’ve already done. It might not be too late if you’ll be man or woman enough to admit it. Then all you need to do is love your kid. Love them in a way that they’ll know you love them no matter what they look like. If you start now, you may just end up with a happy, healthy, kid who will, later in life, have the discipline producing self esteem that it takes to look the way THEY want.