As some of you may already know, lately, I have been focusing on a new issue in child safety. It is without a doubt, one of the biggest dangers that will affect our children now and into the future.
The victims are the children. The culprits are not the “predators” and “deviants” that safety experts often focus on. In fact the culprits that put these children into danger are usually the ones that strive to protect them in the first place.
What is the danger? What could be so bad that it will cause this next generation's life expectancy to be lower than we have seen in history?
What is it that worries me…. Childhood Obesity.
Did you know..
39% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 42% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in the United States are overweight.
The most immediate consequence of being overweight as perceived by the children themselves is social discrimination. This is associated with poor self-esteem and depression.
43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television each day
Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
I can’t help but ask why are we not spending as much time learning how to protect our kids from childhood obesity as we are from predators and strangers?
Don’t misunderstand me: “people” are still the biggest threat to your kids. In cases of abuse and assault, it is more often people that you know or knows you that will hurt your children (as opposed to a complete stranger). In cases of childhood obesity – it is usually the child and parents themselves.
And although you try hard, and mean well and would never wish harm on your child, if you enable their unhealthy eating habits and inactivity – you will be contributing to a tremendous amount of pain and suffering as they grow to be overweight and unhealthy adults.
Recently a desperate mother of a 220 lb. 13 year old daughter opted for gastric bypass surgery to help her lose weight. However, the surgery is not approved for children in the US. So the mother found a doctor in Mexico who would perform the surgery.
She felt there was no help or other option available to her in the US. Are we really left to resort to desperate measures?
There is a very good book out for cooking low fat and healthy recipes your kids will like that I recommend. It is called Deceptively Delicious. It can be found in any bookstore or on Amazon. That’s a start. There are also a plethora of healthy eating and lifestyle websites, books and support groups out there …. All you have to do is GOOGLE any combination you can think of.
Child safety is more than predators, abduction and car seats. It is also about living a healthy and safe lifestyle.
