The current statistics show that 1 in 3 kids are overweight or obese. In and of its self, that is a scary thought for health reasons. There are three times as many kids and teens who are overweight now compared to 1963.
If your child is in this category, you need to do something immediately. Being an overweight child has been linked to earlier death rates as adults. Now kids are actually being diagnosed with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high blood cholesterol.
The frightening statistic is that childhood obesity is the #1 health concern in our country today. Children who are overweight suffer from poor self esteem because they have a negative body image.
Where does that leave these children when they are confronted by bullies? It leaves them in a very precarious position.
Last week, I walked into an office and the woman at the front desk began to help me. I noticed a boy about 12 years old at the desk next to her. He was playing a computer game and drinking a soda. I dealt with the woman for about 10 minutes and during that time I saw the boy eat an entire bag of potato chips and what looked like a box of Oreos. The boy appeared to weigh about 180 pounds.
All I could think was that this child would be a prime target for bullies and his mom wasn’t helping him. In fact she was hurting him by allowing him to eat and drink things that were bad for his health.
I’m guessing that this boy went to his mom’s office every day after school and sat behind a computer and ate junk food. I asked her if that was her son and she told me yes. She said that he spent each afternoon with her because he was being picked on when he rode the bus home.
I didn’t have the opportunity to say anything because several people walked in and it didn’t seem appropriate to broach the subject in front of them. I went back the next day in hopes of talking to the mom but the office was closed for the summer.
I am hoping that this mother wises up before her son becomes ill or bullied even more.
Photo: Tobyotter
