Dear Moms and Dads,
As parents, we are responsible for the environment in which we raise our children—emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. That responsibility is so huge, so hard to get your arms around the enormity of the endeavor we embark upon once a child is born, it's hard to grasp. All the years our children are home before spreading their wings and beginning the next chapters of their lives, our children are listening to us, watching us, and soaking it all in. We simply must strive to do everything possible to get it right because we don't get do-overs! ... and nothing is as important for a child's emotional and physical well-being as is good health ... and the eating habits that contribute to it.
On December 5, 2007 the NBC Nightly News Show highlighted two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine that talked about the significant increase in potentially fatal heart disease cases that will occur over the next few decades if the childhood obesity epidemic continues. It also said that by mid-century, more people will die of obesity than all types of cancer combined. In the November 3, 2008, issue of USA Today, it was reported that the number of children who take pills for type 2 diabetes (the kind closely linked to obesity) more than doubled to 6 out of 10,000 children, and that pediatricians see big increases in prescriptions for high cholesterol. The November 12, 2008 issue of the Los Angeles Times reported on a study that found that obese kids have arteries like 45-year olds, that many overweight children and teens could have severe cardiovascular disease in their 20's and 30's, and that the number of children who take medication for chronic diseases has jumped dramatically. More currently, as reported in the May 18, 2010 issue of The Wall Street Journal, 12.5 million American children and teens ages two to 19 are obese—17% of the population; and, according to the Office of the Surgeon General, an additional 16.5 percent of children are at risk for becoming overweight.
These are frightening statistics, to say the least .... and quick-fix diets won't help—overweight children need a serious lifestyle change to get their weight and health under control. Healthier foods, smaller portions, and regular daily exercise are necessary to solve the problem.
With very few exceptions in the many years of our experience, overweight children have overweight parents who are almost always in denial about their overweight children. If you are an overweight parent, it is selfish to think that being overweight is OK with your child. It is not. Slim kids do NOT like having overweight parents; they are mostly embarrassed by it and, secondarily, feel insecure because an overweight parent has greater health risks, and is less active in a child's life. Overweight kids do NOT like it either: They feel lost; they have no role models, they have no parent they can speak to about how they feel about being overweight, they hold things in, they can't ask for proper lifestyle guidance because they do not believe their parents can help them.
If you are an overweight adult, and if you are honest with yourself, you know you don't like what you see when you look in the mirror. Ask yourself the following: Do you think it's OK for your child to grow up overweight like you? Do you think your child will be happy? Do you think your child will be healthy? Do you think your child will not blame you for the food and weight issues that will surely be a battle for them? You are responsible for grocery shopping. You are responsible for cooking and preparing meals. You, therefore, are responsible for the eating habits that will be cultivated in your children. Like it or not, it is so.
To an overweight parent we say it's time ... time to begin the journey to a healthier, slimmer life. How best to do that? ... in a manner that most closely resembles the way you can eat for the rest of your life; in a manner that if it's good enough for you, it has to be good enough and safe enough and healthy enough for your child. No better way to do that than just learning how to eat correctly from each of the food groups from food you buy in the supermarket. Let us help you. LET US HELP YOUR CHILD.
At Weight*No*More Diet CenterSM, our mission when it comes to children is straight-forward:
To TEACH kids of all ages how to eat correctly, from each of the food groups, in a friendly, warm, personal and private, and nonjudgmental environment.
To CULTIVATE a confidential counselor-client relationship, where children are encouraged and feel comfortable speaking freely.
To EMPOWER children to understand that every action they take has a re-action, that what and how they eat affects their sleep, their energy and stamina, their attentiveness at school, their athletic and scholastic abilities, their self-confidence, self-esteem and social interactions.
To GUIDE parents not only in what and how to feed their children, but to impart to them the importance of including their children in the process, thereby enabling them to take responsibility for their own well-being and achieving success.
To ENCOURAGE parents of an overweight child to practice what we are preaching to their child, to set the example for their child, to make it a 'family affair.'
Teach. Cultivate. Empower. Guide. Encourage. These are the fundamentals that we, as parents, must use in all aspects of our children's lives, and nowhere is it more important to do so than in their eating habits.
With the alarming rate of childhood overweight and obesity, it has been in our hearts and heads for a long time to create a place where kids of all ages could come, with their parents or safely without, to learn about eating right and why that is so important. We believe
Kidzville accomplishes that. Please take a few minutes and check it out. Have fun!
