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."