Are fast food restaurants making our kids fat?

Baloney...or maybe I should say Tofu! That is just silly.

In the Atlanta Journal & Constitution recently they ran a pro-con editorial about whether the feds should step in and regulate advertising aimed at children. I was honored to have my letter to the editor published and thought I would talk about it a little here.

There is a growing obesity problem in our children. That is leading to a huge increase in children with conditions and diseases that once were only found in adults, such as Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol. This is a terrible problem and it is cautiously being said that this may be the first generation who will have a shorter life span than their parents. Makes you gasp, dosen't it?

Having said that, do I blame fast food restaurants and soft drink companies for targeting children? No, not in the least. We have a free market society and they have a right to target whomever they please. (Consumers have the right to refuse to buy the product.) This has always been part of their marketing strategy. Nothing new to see here--move on.

So what is the difference? Parents. My parents did not care how many times I wanted fast food or candy. I got it as a special treat and that was rarely. My kids got it a little more often because I was a working mom and sometimes that was all I could do on the way to a ballgame. However, I tried to limit it and to provide healthy meals for my kids nearly every day.

Many parents today want the government to make their kids not want this stuff--right! Like that is going to work. The genie is out of the bottle, baby. Those kids know about this stuff now and they are going to want it. Parents, you are going to have to put on your big girl panties and big boy boxers and say...let me think...what was that word...oh, I remember. Say NO!

Parents are ones who need to be the example by eating healthy and exercising themselves. They need to plan meals and healthy snacks that fit into busy lifestyles. I used to cook more that one meal at a time. That way when the week was going to be busy, I could pull out an already prepared meal, nuke it, and the kids ate healthy. You can also fill a cooler with healthy snacks to eat on the way to practice or whereever--fruits and cheese are perfect for this.

There needs to be a return to personal responsibility. Parents, if you look at your kids and they are overweight, there is only one person to blame. (hint...look in the mirror.) The last time I looked, 8 and 10 year olds did not drive themselves to the closest burger joint and buy themselves fries.

Get that child out from in front of the TV or computer. Yank that cell phone out of her hand. Get him involved in some physical activity. Start planning healthy meals. Make a change right now for the life of your child.

Our government was never meant to do everything for us. If it was, our founding fathers would have set it up as a dictatorship. Remember, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "A government that is big enough to meet all your needs is big enough to take all you have."

Granddaughter visit

Our oldest granchild came to visit us this past week. She lives in Texas and we live in Georgia so our time together is usually limited and shared with her parents and siblings. This was her first visit to our house as well as the first plane ride for her. Despite the 5 hour weather delay, the flight was uneventful, so maybe she will venture onto another one in the future.

It was great to have her all to ourselves for a few days and really get to know her. We have always loved her, but now we also feel like we know so much more about her.

Here is what we now know:

• She is an amazing person with a great personality and fun sense of humor.
• She doesn't like hot dogs--how is that possible?
• She likes Jimmy Buffett which makes her even more special in our book.
• Not a big roller coaster fan!
• She is an independent thinker--a great trait I hope she never loses.
• We love her even more than we did before! And that was a lot!

Hopefully now that the plane trip virginity is behind her, she can come every year. And we can have more fun. The photo was from a great hike on Blood Mtn in Georgia. We laughed and struggled together up and down the trail. My sprained ankle happened when we were almost done, thank Goodness. We also took her to some great tourist sites in Atlanta such as Stone Mt. Park for the evening laser show, Six Flags, and of course, the Varsity for re-lubrication. And she loved them all as much as we did. Come back soon dahlin', ya'll heah?

Kindergarten camp?

Now the latest thing in the paper is that kids need to attend "kindergarten camp" before starting kindergarten. WHAT???

My question is WHY?? Is it really necessary? One of the teachers said it would have made her more confident on her first day of kindergarten if she had attended something like this. Seriously, folks, do you remember your first day in kindergarten? Was it so traumatic to you that it changed your life forever?? Are you still having nightmares about the proper way to finger paint? Are you still unable to take a nap on a rug in the middle of the day due to the extreme angst you felt over not knowing that those naps would happen?

I don't remember much about kindergarten and pre-school at all. I rememer learning cool songs like, "I'm a Little Teapot" which my mother made me perform at the grocery store one time. I remember being more traumatized by a class trip to see "Bambi" and the fact his mom was killed in the movie than anything in the kindergarten classroom.

It is time we get a grip!

Pregnancy Pact

Ok, we have all heard about the school in Gloucester, MA in which there are 17 pregnant teens (ages 15 and under). This is a number which is much higher than the statistical average. It appears that all of these girls actively tried to get themselves "in the family way."

The question on everyone's mind is "Why?" What in the world were they thinking? According to one schoolmate, possibly the need for unconditional love was the reason. Why do these teens feel like that is lacking in their lives? Where the heck are the parents?

If these kids think a baby is going to make their lives better, they need to think again!

• Walking the floor in the middle of the night with a colicy baby is not feeling loved.
• Watching other friends going out on dates and parties and being kids will be very hard while they are home with a baby.
• It is hard to do homework with a baby to look after (hoepfully they will still go to school).
• Boys that age are only going to want to date them for one reason--it is obvious they put out and that is what the boys will want. It will be very hard for them to find a guy who will be interested in a serious relationship.
• Their figures are blown to all heck. Do they realize how hard it is to lose baby weight?

We parents need to see this as a wake up call to reassess our relationships with our children, especially our teens. Do they know we love them unconditionally? Do they know we are their greatest cheerleader?

Remember when you correct your child that it is important to separate the transgression from the person. Never tell them they are bad or useless. Never withhold your love as a punishment. Every day tell them how much you love them. Talk to them about sex and parenting. It is okay if you tell them that parenting is hard--it is!

Talk to your kids about the children in MA that are having babies. Find other things in the news affecting or referring to teens and discuss those. A family with an open dialogue is less likely to have a problem like the families in Gloucester are facing.

So go--give your children a big hug and tell them how grateful you are that they are in your life!