So tests are to be introduced into primary schools to see if children are overweight.
Why? All this will do is provide more ammunition for young children to be cruel to each other. Whilst it is true that obesity in children is increasing I see no need for this to be the concern of the schools; beyond, of course, providing a decent sports and excercise curriculum.
The primary causes of the problem are obvious and do not take a great deal of analysis: increased usage of computers and video games, televisions in every room of the house, readily available "junk" foods, higher disposable income/pocket money. All these things combine to mean that a child will spend less time "playing" in the traditional sense and more time in front of a screen consuming food high in things that are bad for them.
The solution? Not so simple, but a large portion of it is down to the parents. If you are worried about your child then buy healthier foods and cook at home - throw out those ready meals and stop driving through the golden arches twice a week. Encourage them to take up physical activites. Take those TVs and computers out of the bedrooms and keep them in communal rooms where it's easier to monitor. Ration time spent on them if necessary.
In short, start to take an interest in your childs life.
And before I get flamed for this; I realise of course that there are many families that subscribe to this already, I know that it is impossible to know what your child is doing or eating 24 hours a day. But at the end of the day, if you're worried about your child's weight (or anything else), step back, take a look at their lifestyle and see what you can do to encourage change.
Don't sit back and leave it to the government or before you know it they'll be banning Dominos pizza and you're local Chinese take-away. Smoking was just first on the list (and no, I'm not a smoker), there are plenty of other aspects of your lives they can interfere in if you let them.
Categories: School, Children, Obesity, Politics
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
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1 comments:
I've seen so few obese 4 year olds, I doubt weigh ins are needed at that age.
But absolutely, the responsibility is squarely on the parents shoulders. We are the ones to teach our children appropriate ways to act, talk, and to eat.
The hardest part of parenting, it seems, is to lead by example.
Good post. Interesting topic.
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