Childhood obesity. Personally I dislike that term so we aren't going to use it. I'm termed "obese" every time I go to the Doctor. Despite understanding the antiquated system to label who is obese and who isn't, children being overweight is a huge issue. HUGE, and for the most part, its our fault. Us the parents, us the adults, us the role models. I do recognize health issues can make body weight increase, but for the most part it's not a medical issue, its a parent issue.
Children are overweight because of us. We choose to feed our children conveniently instead of healthy. We eat unhealthy foods in front of our children or make unhealthy foods a fun event to look forward to. What would you suppose that teaches our children? They look up to us in every aspect of what we do, whether we know it or not.
Statistics from the CDC show the highest percentages of "Childhood Obesity" in history. The rate of increase has slowed but it is rising and higher than ever, nonetheless. The habits we choose as adults will most likely be the habits our children grow up learning and continuing when they are adults. There is no secret to the incredible list of negative side effects of being overweight. It is already a never-ending list and it continues to grow each and every day. To make it easy, lets sum it up; being overweight WILL kill you faster. Since we all know this, why are we teaching our children to continue this trend? Why are we wishing this terrible curse upon our kids?
Establishing good habits can last a lifetime. Did you grow up in a house that required you to make your bed every morning? I bet you still do it now as an adult! We create life habits out of what we learned growing up. It is OUR JOB as parents to be a good example. Even if your kids don't like fitness or eating salads, seeing you do it WILL influence them. This is a real issue that we can tackle on our own. Change your habits and change your child's life forever. Dramatic, but so true.