I Need To Go On A Diet

This is what I heard from Caleb this morning after breakfast.
"No you don't!"
"Oh, what is a diet?"
"Something you don't need. You go on a diet when you want to lose weight."
"Well, then I need a diet. I am fat."
"You are not!"
"Yes I am, for a kid."
"Caleb, you are not fat for a kid or otherwise. You are perfect. You don't need to change anything...."

And so the conversation goes. I would like to give a big thank you to society, the media, etc for making anyone feel like they are not good enough, but ESPECIALLY our kids! It used to be just the girls you hear about that take drastic measures to "fit in." I was talking to someone yesterday who said her 8 year old nephew was making himself throw-up. He was caught at school, by his teachers, several times.

Caleb was not around when I was hearing about this. It is very disturbing to me that I hear this, and the next morning my 8 year old is telling me he is fat! For the record, if anything Caleb is underweight, but I really think he is right where he is supposed to be!

What should I expect in a society where a parent can sue a fast food restaraunt because it made their child fat. Not only CAN they sue, but they WIN! What happened to parents being in control of their children. If YOU take YOUR child to McDonalds for breakfast, lunch and dinner because you are too lazy to cook a semi-healthy meal at home, then maybe YOU need to be sued!

What message does this send to our children? Instead of complaining about our children being overweight, lets encourage who they are on the inside. As long as we are responsible for the grocery shopping and the cooking, then we are responsible for the size of our children (in most circumstances). A child having one unhealthy thing to eat everyday is not going to make them overweight if they are eating healthy meals everyday. Many schools have done away with vending machines and soda machines, so if the parents by HEALTHY food and PREPARE healthy food, there should not be a problem!

This is just another example of the media says one thing but does another. They talk about how we should encourage our children and let them be who they are, but every billboard, magazine and tv shows say the opposite. They are continuously bombarded with images of who they are "supposed" to be and then feel that they "have" to fit into that mold or they are noone.

This has always been an issue that has really bothered me. Caleb has jokingly said something about being fat or calling himself "gut" because he can eat A LOT!! He was not joking this morning. He really thinks he is fat!

Just another case of where you want to protect your child from all of the sad, bad and evil. But, you can't! Some day you have to release them to the evil embrace of the world. To completely shelter them now could prove fatal later - but it is HARD!! Instead, you have to build their self-esteem and self-confidence up to where they can handle anything they see or hear.

Just another lesson in parenting that slaps me in the face when I least expect it!!