Childhood Obesity and Parental Involvement

We hear a lot of talk about the obesity problem with many today and this problem is growing in our children. It's our jobs as parents to protect our kids from this potentially deadly condition but how can we do so in a healthy way?

Parental involvement in the prevention of childhood obesity is very important. The problem is that many parents don't fully understand the problem themselves nor have a good understanding of what it takes to start your child off right with a healthy life.

Over the past few years, childhood obesity rates are climbing and one big factor in this is that we are just not living the same lifestyles we did in the past. Children live more sedentary lives and they don't eat the same. Many eat processed foods or fast food and not fresh diets of people in the past.

All of this lack of physical activity and poor diet has led to an epidemic of obesity and other health problems. Poor health habits can also lead to obesity later in life so even if your child is not overweight now, it does not mean he won't be one day if you don't teach him the right habits.

The flip side of the problem is that some well-meaning parents try so hard to keep their kids "skinny" that they create other unhealthy situations for their child. This can lead to eating disorders, poor body image and other complications that are dangerous to your child.

It's important to set positive examples for your child in how to be healthy, including diet and exercise. If your child has already been diagnosed as obese, it is essential that you don't single the child out as the only problem, even if they are the only one in the family with obesity. A child cannot be blamed for such a problem and it is up to the parent to get to the root of the underlying causes of the problem and then correct it.

There could be underlying health problems or medications contributing to the obesity but if it is just a diet and exercise problem, this is still not the child's fault. As a parent, it won't do you any good to take blame and then stew over it. It's never too late to start doing something to change it and this is something that your entire family will need to be committed to.

Parent involvement is very important in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The positive influence begins in infancy as you teach your child healthy behaviors and your serve healthy foods. However, it is never too late to make a difference in your child's life. Get involved today and make a difference in your child's life.

In addition to prevention and treatment of obesity in your own children, it is also essential that you teach your children tolerance and empathy for others. To a young child, being called "fat" at a party or teased at school because of your weight can be heart-breaking. It is one of the cruelest things you can ever do to a person but especially to a child who cannot be responsible for their weight or possible unhealthy habits or health conditions that lead to being overweight. Teach your children to have tolerance of other children who are overweight and to be a positive influence, instead of being judgmental or mean.

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content in more than 10 years as a professional writer.

Author of "100 Days to Better Article Writing" as well as other books, guides and articles on writing and writing online.

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