Children Learn in the Home

A recent study has come to the conclusion that no matter how many programs the government throws at children extolling the virtues of healthy living and eating, there is no discernible change in the eating habits of our increasingly fat kids.

Why?

Because no matter how much the government, liberals, and our school system would like it to be otherwise; children are still more influenced by their parents and families than anything else.

Obviously, this is not always good. However, it also shows that education needs to begin with adults, and adults are the ones which must be held accountable for their childrens' behavior. This includes eating as well as disciplinary issues.

To some extent, we are all to blame. The American public has lowered its standards. We no longer care to compete with the Jones' next door. We aren't interested in what others think. Instead of having good old-fashioned shame to curb our behaviors, we are defensive: It's our right to "act the fool"!

And what fools there are!

We have kids who are undisciplined in the home, and subsequently ungovernable in the schools. We have kids who eat Twinkies for dinner and sugary cereal for breakfast, so is it any wonder that they eat crap at lunchtime, too?

In August of 2006, I reported on our local school system's Cupcake Controversy. Once it was declared that schools could no longer serve cakes or cupcakes more than 3 times a year, many parents were up in arms! Why? Because these are the same parents who are overweight and undernourished, and they inflict this abuse on their kids, too. Perhaps they see no wrong in this, but I believe that they do! And in order to justify such lax behavior, they are insistent on seeing it sanctioned in the schools, as well.

Perhaps it shocks you to hear that I believe that such parents know that they are being bad parents, but persist in such behavior anyway. But look into the depths of your own soul and ask yourself about the time that YOU did something wrong, knew it was wrong, and were willing to go to the mat to defend it so that you wouldn't have to directly face it yourself. If you're honest with yourself, you'll admit to such a time. I know that I've had to!

The truth is that there are parents who are behaving badly. They are not enforcing discipline in their homes. They have subrogated their duties to the schools and the community. Their kids grow up to be badly behaved and/or, in increasing amounts, obese as well.

How do we stop a parent from behaving badly? By forcing them to, whenever possible. That means fines if their children are playing hooky or behaving badly. But how do we tackle obesity?

We have become a nation that is so bent on being politically correct that we make more mistakes than ever before. The illegal immigrant problem could be solved by enforcing the laws, but those of us who cry for legal redress are accused of being racist.

We need to keep stronger tabs on the Muslim community: After all, the vast majority of all terrorist attacks come from middle eastern Muslim males. However, when we suggest the logical, we are accused of being prejudiced.

We suggest that parents be held accountable for kids' behaviors: Then we see the crying mom on television who insists that she could have won Mother of the Year and that she doesn't know why little Johnny brought the gun to school and killed three classmates. We don't hear the reporters question her truthfulness! No! Instead we hear them murmur something sympathetic, like "It is CERTAINLY not YOUR fault!" Perhaps investigative and probing journalism is merely a thing of the past.

But WE, as the American public, need to start asking questions again.

Yes, we've all heard that overweight kids need good self-esteem: A recent movie (Hairspray) actually promotes this. However, there are times and situations in which self-esteem should NOT be encouraged.

I know it's politically correct to pretend that fat is as equally acceptable as thin. But if Halle Barry or Nicole Kidman (who could use a sandwich, herself) suddenly put on 200 pounds, do you think they'd be landing all the movie roles that they're landing now? Fat is simply not attractive to most Americans. Nor is it HEALTHY.

I am not insensitive: I'm simply realistic. Many of my friends are fat. But their fat (like the majority of Americans) is due to poor eating habits, not glandular or health problems. So (although I love them dearly) I must be honest here: Their fat is due to poor self-control.

How do we teach our kids such self-control? Obviously, their parents aren't doing it.

Why?

Because their parents don't care.

And if WE truly care about these children, we may need to seek more drastic measures in the schools such as weighing them, giving them weight loss goals, and making physical education mandatory once more.

If we don't, who will?