That's why kids are overweight today

[Bright Star]

I grew up in the 80's & back then schools had physical education classes. Gym class always meant that you spent a good hour or so engaged in some kind of activity where you were getting some serious excercise. & also back then it was almost unheard of to have snack machines in schools. In all the time I was in grade school I never saw a candy or soda machine, not even once.

Lunch time you had choices of healthier meals than what is offred in schools today. Sure, you could get pizza or whatever but you could also get salad & stuff like that. The main two drinks was either milk or water-that's it!

After school, my generation, as soon as we got home, we changed into our play clothes & ran around all evening till it was time to come in . Our parents made dinner & it didn't come from a microwave! It was made from scratch & it was usually nutritious.

We didn't sit on our butts aftershool parked in front of a computer or video game system or tv for hours on end. We usually watched cartoons on Saturday mornings & went outside to play on weekend afternoons. Our parents wouldn't have wanted us to to stay cooped up inside on a sunny day. They wanted us outside running around like crazy having some wholesome fun.

It used to the rare to see an overweight kid. That kid stood out cause most everybody was thin AND healthy. But nowadays it's rare to see a skinny kid. Too many kids are overweight.

The way things were when I was a kid worked for us. It needs to return to the way it used to be.

[McDreidel09]

Many people who grew up in the 80's are parents now. They can parent their children the way they were parented then, but they choose not to.

Also, back then, people were more likely to have one parents stay at home to have the time to cook a good meal. Nowadays, there are more single parent families or both parents have to work. Microwave meals are more convenient, since they may not work "normal" 9-5 jobs. They may work third shift.

Have you looked at the price of fresh produce? Not everyone can afford those every week.

As for daily exercise after school, I don't know if you know a kid in school right now, but the amount of homework that is being given to children is outrageous! When my sister was in fourth grade, she had more homework than I did at any time when I was in high school! It seems to be a trend to give kids more and more homework at younger ages.

Gym classes and recesses are being either cut down or cut out completely in favor of preparing children for standardized testing.

What needs to happen:
-Fresher foods need to be made more available to everyone
-Homework needs to be cut down for the younger students
-Gym classes or recesses need to be brought back and extended. More activities need to be offered so there is something for everyone to enjoy.
-Parents need to educate their children about making the right choices when it comes to eating. That way, if the child goes to school and sees the snack machines, they will shrug their shoulders and walk away.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Over here, parents can get milk tokens that can be used to buy fresh milk, formula, fruit and vegetables. Some of them obviously choose to feed their kids on junk instead of taking advantage of that.

I once read about this kid who stayed in front of the TV for nine hours. O.o I was never allowed to watch TV for more than two hours; any more, and my mother would simply pull the plug out and tell me to go outside. XD

[Rebel]

Another factor is that parents are refusing to allow their kids to participate in organized sporting teams. They don't like the risk of their little babies getting hurt.

Which is kinda sad. I remember doing hockey, soccer, netball, speed skating, etc all the time when I was younger.

Team sports help to develop great characteristics like team spirit, cooperation, organizational skills, and respect. They also help a child learn how to cope with loss or failure and how to be a graceful winner.

Obesity isn't the only consequence of reduced involvement in exercise.

And I have to agree with the idea that homework should be cut down. Unless the child is never participating in class, about 95% of all work should be done there. If it's not, then the class syllabus and competency of the teacher should be scrutinized. Something's obviously not working effectively.

[jedimaster91]

Have you looked at the price of fresh produce? Not everyone can afford those every week.

That's why hubs and I have a garden, a dehydrator, and my parents have a pressure canner and vaccum sealer. I know not everyone has the space for a big garden. However, many cities have community gardens that allow you to have your own patch of turf, and you'd be amazed at what you can grow in a planter box.

As for daily exercise after school, I don't know if you know a kid in school right now, but the amount of homework that is being given to children is outrageous! When my sister was in fourth grade, she had more homework than I did at any time when I was in high school! It seems to be a trend to give kids more and more homework at younger ages.

And so much of that homework is "busy work" that is completely irrelevent to anything.

-Parents need to educate their children about making the right choices when it comes to eating. That way, if the child goes to school and sees the snack machines, they will shrug their shoulders and walk away.

A thousand times, THIS. Parenting is not popping out kids and expecting everyone from the school board to the government to raise them. Parenting is taking an active role in making sure your kids learn the values you want instilled in them. Healthy eating habits are just a small fraction. [/soapbox]

Another factor is that parents are refusing to allow their kids to participate in organized sporting teams. They don't like the risk of their little babies getting hurt.

I remember my very first soccer game, I got smacked in the hand with the ball. It hurt. A lot. I thought I might have broken it at first. But I lived and turned into a respectable adult. *snerk*

[Green_Fairy]

Another factor is that parents are refusing to allow their kids to participate in organized sporting teams. They don't like the risk of their little babies getting hurt.

shit...i was playing capture the flag against my own bother and ended up fracturing my collar bone. and guess what. i lived! i can use my arm! there's no lasting effects! i got hit in the face with a soccer ball when i was little. basket ball, too. my brother broke his arm in three places playing wall-ball. and now we're both active, healthy adults.
when i was in elementary school, they banned "red rover" because kids were getting hurt. omg a bruise. i remember launching through those lines, falling on my ass, and having
have you seen playgrounds lately? no swings, shorter slides, no monkey bars...it's sad.

so guess what's safer? tv. video games. computers. i hear these parents taking these things away as punishment...yanno what i got taken away as punishment? my books. and i would cry and complain and damn it, i learned my lesson. these days, kids are sent to their rooms. with personal tvs, game systems, computers, cell phones, ect. that's not punishment. that's an afternoon of awesome for those kids. it's pathetic.

i genuinely feel sorry for and fear for future generations.

[BlaqueKatt]

Have you looked at the price of fresh produce? Not everyone can afford those every week.

um this is a myth perpetuated by those that want an excuse to not eat healthy...

from obesity myths
USDA study showed consumers can meet the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations of three servings of fruits and four servings of vegetables daily for as little as 64 cents-wow that'll just break the bank....

[Wingates_Hellsing]

You'know, this kind of thing really pisses me off. As someone who just finished growing up in the same kind of childhood everyone's shitting on, it's probably not a surprise that I take it a bit personal.

I was as active as any other child when I was young. I loved playing outside, be it sports or just clobbering my friends with cardboard. I loved being outside, and still do. I also enjoyed videogames. To me, they were just another kind of game, just one other thing to do with my friends. They were a hell of a lot more fun than most anything we did outside, but we still elected get out of the house and be active as much as possible, because that was fun too.

I was exposed to both sides of most any issue. It was understood that I should eat healthy food and be active because that was healthy. Get this though: I chose videogames and computers over running around outside aimlessly. As we all grew older, some people became more active, others didn't and that delineation quickly turned into a dislike of the other. I didn't enjoy being active as much as I had before, and I didn't particularly like the people that there were to be active with. So I chose instead to play videogames with people that I liked.

It's time we stop pretending that videogames turn everyone they touch into a hopeless recluse, it's just another way to have fun. The same goes for fast food, it has it's ups and downs, but it's really not that different from 'regular' food. Both of these things are only truly negative when indulged in too much. Anyone who just eats bread is as likely to be unhealthy as someone who only eats McD's cheeseburgers. Someone overly obsessed with playing cards or tennis is still taking their chosen activity farther than is healthy. Videogames and fast food didn't create the fat recluse, merely provided a new way to be one.

Kids have been raised poorly in every generation. Every generation has it's reclusive people, who, for whatever personal reason, don't want to interact with people. Every generation has had it's parents that fail to discipline their children, and those that took it too far. Kids have had bad manners and destructive natures without fail regardless of what society they live in.

If you punish your kids by taking away what they most want, why does it matter what it is? If it's against your child's temperament to, as they see it, waste time, why does it matter what their definition of wasted time is?

Did books ruin children because some chose to read instead of play games? Did soccer ruin children because they chose it over working? If kids are blowing off their chores, does it matter what they choose to do instead?

What makes a video game so evil? Like anything else, you can do it alone or with a group. You can do it in moderation or excess. You can love it, or hate it. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's grand that there are so many entertainment options to be had. Video games are just the latest, with it's own set of ups and downs like any other. Fat kids survive being fat same as sporty kids survive broken bones. Both situations are negative, but hardly the end of the world. If you really want to be a prick, buy your kids a wii and confuse the fuck out of them.

Maybe bad parents are bad parents because they suck at parenting. Maybe lazy kids are lazy because they don't like to be active. Maybe people are who they are as a result of their own decisions and personality and what they specifically do to exhibit this is secondary.

If the disease is laziness and disinterest, why blame the symptoms?

[McDreidel09]

USDA study showed consumers can meet the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations of three servings of fruits and four servings of vegetables daily for as little as 64 cents-wow that'll just break the bank....

I want to know where these people are shopping because whatever place this is, sure isn't around where I live. 64 cents would get you an orange, maybe.

[AdminAssistant]

I want to know where these people are shopping because whatever place this is, sure isn't around where I live. 64 cents would get you an orange, maybe.

Yep. It depends on the area. The other trick is the amount of time it takes to process cheap vegetables into an edible/tasty form. Yes, it is a heck of a lot cheaper for me to peel carrots than to buy carrot sticks, but it takes time.

[muses_nightmare]

I agree with you Wingates. We had gym and recess and such while I was in school, probably less than the people before me, but we had them. You know what? I loathed gym, and I usually spent my recess in the library because I didn't want to go outside. I would have preferred an extra essay to gym class. I hate most sports. I think it's BS to say that children need to be involved in sports because it's the only way to learn X or Y skill. Sorry no.

I never ate all that badly either, given, the schools I went to didn't have cafeterias (well except for College, but that doesn't count.), my high school had vending machines sure, but I usually brought a lunch. Though admittedly there were times I lived on coffee during the school day (in high school). If I could now I would, it would help :P (okay, not so much, but I miss caffeine!)

[AdminAssistant]

Another factor is that parents are refusing to allow their kids to participate in organized sporting teams. They don't like the risk of their little babies getting hurt.

Which is kinda sad. I remember doing hockey, soccer, netball, speed skating, etc all the time when I was younger.

Team sports help to develop great characteristics like team spirit, cooperation, organizational skills, and respect. They also help a child learn how to cope with loss or failure and how to be a graceful winner.

Have you been to a Little League game or a child's soccer game recently? It's all about winning, beating the other kids, and parents living vicariously through their children. I got dragged around to all of my sister's stupid softball games, cheerleading camps, and basketball games (where she was cheering). That's not for every kid, and it shouldn't be forced on every kid.

Theatre can also develop team spirit, cooperation, organizational skills, and respect AND provide a good amount of exercise. No, there isn't really an aspect of winning or losing (beyond who gets which part), but there is artistic development and the use of the imagination. That's the real tragedy with today's kids....they don't just sit under a tree and imagine.

[Rebel]

I'm not saying that sports are the be all to end all and that everyone should join one. All I'm pointing out is that a larger number of parents these days are not encouraging or supporting their children into at least trying it out. Sometimes the kids hate it and would much rather spend their time reading or playing video games and that's fine. Sometimes they love it and want to do it all the time. It's more the fact that kids are no longer being exposed to the idea of sports and seem to be encouraged more to stay at home either playing video games, watching tv, or doing their excess amount of homework.

The OP was about how a series of factors are making it more likely for a child to become overweight or obese these days. Poor diet, lack of exercise, added stress from school, lack of parental involvement in their lives.

Exercise of ANY type is needed for a child. Tag, playing on the monkey bars, hopscotch, 4 square, even walking to school and back. It aids in strengthening their bones and muscles which will help them later on in life. The same goes for a healthier diet. Less chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes or other complications.

Theatre can also develop team spirit, cooperation, organizational skills, and respect AND provide a good amount of exercise.

I agree completely. It is also a great way to build self-esteem and help children to interact with each other. I did drama when I was younger because I was an extremely shy child. It helped me to be able to talk to other children in a more comfortable setting. And it was FUN!!!
Exercise can be fun, but fewer kids are aware of this, instead seeing it as a hassle and something to avoid at all costs. And parents just aren't introducing their kids to this idea much anymore at all. Exercise doesn't mean running around a racetrack or plowing into each other in football, it can be chasing birds, playing on the swing-sets, or tying a rope around your waist and pretending to be a possum who lives in a tree in your backyard (that was sooo much fun to do).

Healthy food options are available, and at a fairly affordable price, but busy lifestyles make it more unlikely for people to choose these options, and instead go for the quick and easy alternative. I do this too. Give me the choice of making myself a salad or popping a pizza pocket into the microwave, and it's gonna be the pizza the majority of the time. But I have a family history of Type 2 Diabetes and a crap Pancreas, so I force myself to eat better. But that's because I am fairly knowledgeable about exercise and nutrition. Kids still have yet to learn this.
I too would much rather play on the computer all day (and I have been known to do just that) than go for a bike ride, but again, I KNOW I have to get up and move around. Kids don't know this yet. Video games are not bad, just the lack of anything else in a child's life is.

So basically; exercise good (make it fun), healthy food good (make it appealing), stress bad (too much homework), and parenting needs to exist (be involved, but not too involved that you're basically reliving your youth through them).

[Wingates_Hellsing]

So really, the moral of this story is:

Feel free to do what you like, but not too much. And make sure you live up to your responsibilities, but don't take it too far.

If I'm right in my interpretation, then on this, we agree.

[Rebel]

So really, the moral of this story is:

Feel free to do what you like, but not too much. And make sure you live up to your responsibilities, but don't take it too far.

If I'm right in my interpretation, then on this, we agree.

I'm kinda confused as to what you're getting at.

The point of the thread was to point out the declination of our children's health through;
-poor food choices being offered in schools and at home.
-a reduction or complete removal of exercise in their lives in schools and at home.
-the complete lack of outside play time (being taken over by excess homework or video games).

Children (around 12 years and below) do not know how to live a healthy life, this is taught to them by their parents and at school. Currently it appears that they are no longer being taught this at all, and instead are being overloaded with homework, fed unhealthy foods, and dumped in front of game consoles to keep them busy.

To chose to spend your time playing video games all day when you're older can be a valid life choice. You have usually finished growing and already have a fairly good idea about what it takes to be healthy inside and out. Children have not learnt this yet, and it appears that at the current rate, many will never learn until it becomes a serious issue in their lives (obesity or heart problems).

It appears that society is becoming lazy, and we're creating unhealthy kids because of it.
This needs to change.

If that's what you were trying to say, then yes, we are in complete agreement.