Monday, June 20, 2011

One thing that I don't get quite nearly enough time doing these days is just taking a while to talk with my children one on one. Tonight, my son Bear and I went for a nice long walk just to get some exercise in. We talked about everything from him wanting me to get a job outside of the home, to his relationships with his peers, and even the causes of obesity in America. It was amazing to hear how this little boy had become such a smart young man.

For example, ten years ago, when I tried to work outside of the home, he chased away many babysitters, and he got himself "fired" from multiple daycares. I lost job after job after job due to having no childcare. It was because of him that I insist now on working at home and be a stay at home mother.

Now he wants me to get a job outside of the home. You should have heard him giving all of his reasons as to why I should work outside of the home. I have to wonder if he's just wanting me out of the house so that he gets more computer time! rofl Yet, he sounded so mature. You know one of the reasons he gave is because he wants me to have more friends?

Then later we were talking about a conversation he had with some of his friends about obesity in America. He said it's his theory that Mcdonald's and other fast food place, as well as video games and computers are to blame for obesity. I did correct him. Here is how I explained it to him.

A long time ago, when the mother went in to cook, the children went in to help. Mother made sure her daughters at the very least, learned how to cook healthy and nutritious meals. She saw herself as their teacher and them as her students. Most children, females at least, could cook a healthy and nutritious meal on their own by the time they were twelve years old.

Then, women started working outside of the home. They'd come home and be tired from working all day. They'd go in and just cook dinner as quick as they could so everyone could eat and get ready for the next day. They stopped taking the time to teach their children how to cook.

So these kids grow up, and there are fast food places everywhere. Often times, especially while single, it's cheaper to eat fast food than cook it yourself. And well, it's faster too. Instead of taking the time to burn a few meals, and learn how to cook, they simply started doing fast food more and more often.

As fast food products started getting more popular, those products soon invaded grocery stores. Come on now. Had any of us even heard of chicken nuggets before they hit McDonald's? I know I hadn't! Now they're on every grocery store's freezer shelf. Hamburger patties that are pre-made are very popular, as are chicken patties both fried and grilled. Hell, even salad comes in a bag these days!

So these women are either eating fast food, or they are getting fast food type products at the grocery stores. Tyson chicken chunks, Tyson chicken patties, potatoes that either come out of a box, or they're in a bag and all you have to do is microwave them for ten minutes. Mac n' cheese, canned green beans instead of fresh, tuna helper with dried out vegetables instead of fresh ones. Chinese food is now already prepared and in our freezers when it is amazingly simple to make at home! One entire freezer aisle is dedicated to frozen pizzas. Who needs Subway anymore when you can pick up steak ums now? Heck, they even come pre-made too!

So now with these women, their children are learning that the above type stuff is actually good for them!  They make their hamburgers the same way McDonald's serves them. They always have a healthy dose of french fries, and the french fries is considered the vegetable. How many meals these days start with a small salad? How many of those salads consist of something more than lettuce, a couple of cucumbers and a couple of tomato slices?

Then we get into the whole exercise thing. "Yeah, but video games and computers ..." yadda yadda yadda. I took a few minutes to let him know on that one that again, kids are copying the parents. Okay, so parents might not be sitting on a computer or playing a video game all day, but they're sitting at home, watching television or whater, and not getting out to actually play.

How many parents are out there playing volleyball, softball or even that horridly boring golf? How many parents are going for nightly walks with their families, or going to the gym on a regular basis? Once upon a time, no matter how hot or cold it was, families went on at least one walk together each night and sometimes, one in the morning. That doesn't happen anymore.

So not only do the families suffer with the lack of time together as a family, but the families also suffer because children copy what they see their parents doing. If the parents are inactive, so are the children. This gets passed on from generation to generation.

After speaking about this for a while, Bear understood why I make him and his sister each cook three meals every week. He understands now why I make it a point to make sure they go out and play every single day. Hopefully, it is a lesson that he learns to pass on. At the very least though, now he understands something very important.

It isn't the fast food industry that is at fault for America's obesity.
It isn't the fault of technology that America is way overweight.
It is our fault,  as the parents, for not teaching our children how to properly cook healthy nutritious meals.
It is our fault, as the parents, for not setting the example when it comes to exercise.

Just as it is our fault, as parents, for these things it is also within our power to fix it as well. We can learn to cook healthy and nutritous meals that don't come from a box, a can, or the freezer. We can learn to take our families for a walk every night, and let them see us raise our own activity level. We can fix this. It does take some time, and some effort, but it's worth it for them.

Anyway, I'm done rambling for now. I hope that everybody had a wonderful weekend and that everyone who fills the father role got to enjoy Father's Day.

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