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Is the Childhood Obesity epidemic proof that not all parents love their children?
Childhood Obesity is not so much a "learned" disease as it is a disease parents "give" to their children. Over-feeding is couched in the language of love, but over-indulgence and the refusal to set reasonable boundaries is hardly an act of true love. Since most parents actually DO know how to prevent obesity, is it possible that these parents don't REALLY love their children?
Topics:
childhood obesity food parenting
Kimball Callis
John Bradshaw's book -Creating Love- has insight on how parents are themselves "mystified" about love. The working definition for mystification is "an altered state of consciousness in which the person... creates a false self so they will be accepted by their parents or other crucial survival figures." Thus the parent - IF still mystified themselves about who they are and what true love is about (as in setting reasonable boundaries - especially about feeding their children healthy foods) - can only remain in the dark - despite knowing how to prevent obesity. Suffice it to say - remaining in the dark is usually a pursuit of comfort and ease (fast foods) or, worse, advanced stages of addictive or compulsive/dysfunctional behaviors - and most likely not about "de-mystifying" and doing the real of work of being a compassionate care provider to themselves or to their children.
My second thought - family dynamics and income earning...
A recent study on maternal employment and childhood obesity led by Taryn Morrissey, (http://www.american.edu/spa/faculty/morrisse.cfm) assistant professor in public administration and policy at American University indicates...
Children in dual-earner families are more likely to skip breakfast than children with a parent at home. Working parents spend less time preparing meals at home and spend a greater proportion of their food budget on fast food or prepared foods than families with a non-employed parent. We also know that regular family mealtimes are associated with a lower likelihood of child obesity...[and] children's sleep patterns are important for their Body Mass Index (BMI). Research has linked poorer quality and too little sleep among children (and adults) to higher BMI.
Can we say that dual-earner or single-parent families do not love their children? Or is it more about "de-mystifying" love to do the real of work of compassionate caregiving?
Ben Jarvis 50+
this can be seen in a variety of ways nowadays, for example the barrage of complaints braodcasters receive ragarding their programs - rather than set and enforce rules about what their own children can and can't watch, they try to offload the responsibility. another that being a teacher is much closer to me, is the rising number of complaints teachers receive regarding their children's behaviour. again rather than teach their children manners, and punish where appropriate to shape them into courteous people, they attempt to offload the responsibility. i've also read reports of air crew responses to a survey, which interestingly also noted a decrease in parents taking responsibility. answers included being asked to change the diapers of passengers' babies, and a passenger who asked if she could put her child in the overhead locker since she was tired of holding him.
as for the reason, i've heard this day and age described as being the "period of 'me'" and i have to agree, it's hard not to notice the consistent rise in general self-indulgence, at the cost of responsibilities. people these days seem to feel entitled to a lot more than they used to, and consider what they should be doing less than what used ot be the norm.
they love their children, but don't really consider what they should be doing towards their health, and those that do are more likely to demand others take the job.
Debra Smith 200+
Nia Meeks
Some of these same parents may not even see themselves as obese, though clinically they are so classified. It is abuse if one knows better, because it is assumed that they will then DO better. But there is too much of an assumption that people even understand, let alone have fully committed to, the principles of sound nutrition. We are a nation enslaved to the quick fix, the fad diet, the gimmick weight-loss machine. Seldom do we put as much energy into explaining the true nature of food -- that being energy for the body.
Erik Richardson 500+
Erik Richardson 500+
Dr. Michael Katz
Now, to answer your valuable question: The "strategy for a solution" could be based on parental education, or could be based largely on institutional change - like the choices available in school cafeterias, vending machines, etc. If I thought that the majority of obese children came from homes where their parents WOULD NOT feed them properly - regardless of the education furnished to the parent - then I would concentrate on institutions.
That being said, I have always thought that the commonly held belief that "all parents love their kids" was not true. I posed this question to see if perhaps others thought Childhood Obesity was a proof. Perhaps there are other proofs?
Salim Solaiman 50+
Erik Richardson 500+
Dr. Michael Katz
I think questions should be examined with specificity to the particulars of the question. Your questions are interesting, but not what I asked.
As for your question, "Are you really claiming that it's not possible for a person to love someone and still engage in behaviors that are hurtful to them?" I say that if the behaviors cause actual HARM then NO, it is not. If you love someone I believe you will stop the behavior. By YOUR rationale, the abusive husband who beats his wife out of frustration with his life could still actually and truly love her. I think that is NOT true.
So...if a mom feeds her kids pizza and potato chips and the like on a daily basis, with the kids growing ever fatter (and sicker), can we say she really loves them? I think not.
Ben Jarvis 50+
in my own experience being a teacher, i've learned that scolding and reprimanding where and when appropriate does much more for children than forgiving or 'understanding' any transgression.
Salim Solaiman 50+
Tim blackburn 30+
Dr. Michael Katz