1 out of every 3 American kids is overweight.
The problem has become an official “epidemic”, meaning it’s spreading faster than you can say, “Do you want fries with that?” But whose problem is it?
Raising children is still mostly a mother’s job, but what are moms supposed to do when the average American kid has become a puppet master…and guess whose strings he’s pulling?
I am a mother of three kids who have become the minority in this country because not one of them is overweight.
My secret? …………
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I Am The Boss Of My Kid’s Health
I’ve owned my power as a parent, which exists in only one of two places: a mother’s grocery cart and mind.
- Do my kids still want a candy bar in the store aisle? Uh, hello, and it’s usually accompanied with a tantrum.
- Would my children eat ice cream for dinner and cupcakes for breakfast if I served them? Absolutely.
- And if they were so inclined, they would also have a pony in the backyard, a rainbow-colored house, and the pizza guy available nonstop on speed dial.
Commander in Chief Of Helping My Kids Be Healthy
But through such tactics as appointing myself Commander in Chief of What’s Available, and reminding my children on a daily basis where all final decisions end up, I’ve set up a healthy eating lifestyle for my family that rivals sliced bread in its simplicity.
My own success in raising healthy kids began the moment I reclaimed my power, since motherhood shouldn’t in any way resemble a rerun of “Who’s the Boss?”
Health officials have all but given up on how to treat adult obesity, concluding that only prevention, not treatment, offers the best hope in addressing the crisis. Which means Mom may feel powerless to help herself in her own struggle with weight loss, but that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t own the right to keep that car in the garage and money in her wallet, and the reason one less Happy Meal is sold.
Okay, so maybe at times I might need to stand with legs apart, hands on hips and shoulders back, in order to better assert my authority, but there is no question among my three children who exactly the boss is. (I have been trying to convince them, however, that this rule does not apply to their father, but my 10-year-old enjoys his reaction and so repeats it often.)
This thing called Motherhood is one helluva road trip.
But as I’ve learned, the journey doesn’t seem so unbearable when I’m the one with the hands on the wheel. “Whyyyy?” my son asks from the back seat. “Because I’m the Mom,” I say, the one who Rocks-and-Rules.
About The Contributing Author:
Suzanna Quintana is a Holistic Health Coach and Author of the new book Why My Kids Don’t Get Fat: A Mom’s Guide To Raising Healthy, Happy Kids” available on Amazon.com. Her website is www.suzannaquintana.com. She is also a self-professed “Foodie” and shows readers how delicious food and great health go hand in hand on her blog called My Life As A Foodie.