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Thursday, July 05, 2007

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?

11 comments:

Ed said...

I agree on 99% of this. The 1% I disagree is the fining of parents for their children's offences. I think the little disruptive bums should be thrown out of school where they can no longer hold the other children back from learning.

The Lazy Iguana said...

I love it when fat people claim that they are fat because of a "gland problem". Unless you call the mouth a "gland" it is BS. Ever notice that fat adults have fat kids AND fat pets? They will have a toy breed dog that is supposed to weigh 6 pounds that weighs 25. Or the cat that weighs 30. Gland problems there too?

Once I had to fly from MIA to ATL. I got stuck with a middle seat. And who was in the isle seat? Some fat ass guy. His ass took up all of his seat and part of mine. He even listed up the armrest so his fat could ooze into my area. The airline should have made tubby buy 2 seats.

Schools hire at least one nutritionist to work in the cafeteria. They do their best to provide a decently healthy lunch to the students. But what do the fat kids do when the cafeteria gives too many vegetables and not enough donuts? They have their fat parents pack a lunch for them. Goodbye green beans, hello dozen donuts! So it is all for nothing.

When these kids turn 30 and have type II diabetes, bad knees and ankles, circulation problems, and possible liver and kidney damage then they will blame Krispy Kreme.

How about we have a "fat tax". For every pound over your ideal body weight you have to pay up a fixed amount monthly. You ARE causing more wear to the sidewalks. Of course you never use the sidewalks unless you are on a power chair scooter thing anyway. And make the escalators narrower. Cant fit your ass in them? Use the stairs! Airlnes should have a test seat by the check in counter. Cant fit your ass in it? Check it as freight or buy a second seat. You cause the bus to use more gas than I do, so fat people's bus fare ought to be adjusted too. And cab fares.

I could probably go on and on here.

daveawayfromhome said...

There's already a "fat tax". It's called Health Insurance. There's also a bad behavior tax. It's called "the Republican Party". America's lack of personal control is the root cause for America's troubles now, and it'll probably take the equivalent of a national heart attack to get us to take the unpleasant medicine we need and to get off our fat collective ass and do the "excercising" that we need to return to a reasonable condition.

Next arguement: Which Doctor do we listen to?

The Lazy Iguana said...

The doctor who is not obese or on TV.

Herr Krokodil said...

Saur,

I've had sex with a fat chick once in my life and I did it to satisfy a bet.

Excellent post.

Anonymous said...

Mo cushion fo the pishin

Anonymous said...

I agree parents are the first to blame for childhood obesity. Now we know the parents are not doing their jobs, what next, do we let the children just get fatter and keep blaming the parents?

Our communit found a long term solution, quality 21st century PE. Yes physical education, not like the one you grew up suffering through.

35% of school age children are either overweight or obese (50% by 2015). In our district less than 5% of our students were either overweight or obese.

Working with the top brain research specialist at Harvard we completed a pilot that proves "fit children" learn better.

In another successful pilot we have data that shows healthy students learn better.

Any one surprised with the data? But we keep cutting PE across the nation.

for more information go to our website wwww.pe4life.org

Phil Lawler - 35 year veteran that has found a solution - a solution that is embrased by the parents

Daniel Hoffmann-Gill said...

Thankfully, in the UK, we hate fat people and point and shout abuse hence our low level of obesity...

The Lazy Iguana said...

Wow! That is the first manifesto by a crazy person I have ever seen left as a comment!

Hey Saur, what do you want to bet the crazy person is just some fat dude having withdrawals because the nearest all you can eat for $5.99 buffet burned down?

Daniel Hoffmann-Gill said...

What a fuckin' loon.

Saur♥Kraut said...

Anonymous, I recommend a good mental healthcare professional and medication. Please get your own blog to rant in - your comments have been removed in this one. Frankly, it was long and boring and ... well, as the others have pointed out... loony. So, I didn't get past the first sentence. I'm sure no one else did either. So, if you're going to be heard, it needs to be delivered more effectively and, as I said, in your OWN blog.