How can we empower our kids to make good decisions about healthy living?
By Kakie Fitzsimmons, Vice President and founding partner, Farmer’s Hat Productions co-author Bur Bur and Friends book series
I can’t think of any parent who has never had power struggles with their kids about food. The challenge lies in how to overcome them in a way that makes it a positive experience.
In our crazy world of trying to balance work, social, sports and family life, the last thing we want to do is have an argument with our kids about what they are going to have for dinner. When I was a child, we were poor and we got whatever was placed in front of us or we would go hungry.
Recently there was a post on the Business Week parents blog section called ‘TV NUTRITIONIST WANTS US TO STOP KILLING OUR KIDS’
This article got me thinking about so many issues. What has worked for others? What role can I play? What can we do to empower our children to make good healthy choices and stay active? We all want healthy, happy kids.
I was heavy as a child and the emotional scars it leaves behind are not fun at all. Fortunately, I had a mother, who in her loving way, sent my sister and I to what we now call fondly call ‘fat camp’. I was 12 my sister was 11. Little did we know how it would set a foundation for us for the rest of our lives.
It taught us a lot about the fact that being healthy is about lifestyle choices. It taught us what are ‘normal’ choices, portion sizes. It was amazing to me. Apparently it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full. So that is exactly what they had us do at camp. I got full off of one piece of french toast, a glass of water and a glass of orange juice! Who would have thought that?
There are so many factors that contribute to healthy eating.
1. Balance and and learning what is ‘normal’. I used to know a guy who defined ‘normal’ as ‘the setting on your dryer’ which I think is funny. We all have different thermostats, settings, etc. The bottom line is we each have to establish what ‘normal’ is for ourselves. There is no such thing as one size fits all.
2. Habit - How easy is it to fall into routine? I think we have to create new routines for and with our kids that involve keeping active. We began writing Bur Bur and Friends book series to motivate parents and kids to get moving. Our hope is that our children’s books and the characters featured in them, will make a difference in this world. When was the last time you went outside with your kid to kick the soccer ball around or throw a football, frisbee, basketball, etc? Those are the things that teach our kids about interacting with one another. They will remember those moments. I don’t think it is likely they say: ‘Hey - remember that time we all sat around the house watching TV?” The time to create memories is NOW.
3. Portion size - How do we know what is a serving when american culture teaches ‘more is better’? It is important to teach our children that information. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Recently revised their food pyramid and established a website that can help figure out and track adequate portion size. They even have a special area for kids. My sister used to keep a copy of the food pyramid hanging in her kitchen so she could talk to her kids about it while cooking or eating. You can print out the food pyramid at the site referenced above.
At the beginning of the post I talked about power struggles with food. I don’t have all of the answers, none of us do. Perhaps if we teach our kids not just that they have to eat something, but why it could make a difference.
Please share what has worked for you in the comments section below.
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