The Kids Speak Out

Kids and Obesity, Part III

Parents are robbing their kids the experience of childhood and the fun of being a kid by enrolling their kids in too many after school sports, music, dance competition.  Childhood is all about teaching kids they do not have to be perfect.  It is important for kids to discover themselves through play. Physical exercise, competitive sports and down right play time needs to be incorporated into a kid's life - it is difficult to determine how much of each is necessary.  What does this have to do with obesity?  Kids natural way of life is to play, play and play some more.  Obesity, so I have read, so often is a mental "thing" and a sign that life is just not right with the person.  When a kid is limited in their creative play time, life somehow is just not right with the kid..... 

Kids and Obesity, Part II

In Part II of Kids and Obesity we are going to explore one of the ways kids have chosen technology over outdoors activities.  In Leedstoday Evening Post Alison Bellamy wrote that not many years ago when you entered a kids bedroom you would most likely find a clothing mess, a teddy bear, a train and other miscellaneous toys flown on the floor.  But computer technology has changed all of that.

Go to your kids room and see how many of these items you can find:

• a stereo system
• a video player
• a iPod or mp3 player
• a PC computer with printer with lots of games installed
• a digital TV or Sky TV
• a DVD player
• a X-Box with challenging games

If these items are not in their bedroom do your kids have access to them in your house?  It is estimated that a third of kids own these gadgets, entertainment and hi-tech equipment worth over $2,000 - $4,000 range......

Kids and Obesity, Part I

I have done a lot of research and reading on Kids and Obesity because of one sentence I read in one of the first articles on the subject:  "This is the first generation where the kids will not live longer than their parents".  I thought "what in the world" is this all about.  The newspaper and magazine headlines all over the United States are referring to report published by the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity.  Dr. Phillip James, chairman of the International Obesity Task Force and author of the editorial, said, "We have truly a global epidemic which appears to be affecting most countries in the world."

After half North and South America children will be overweight by year 2010.  The reasons stated are......