I know I posted yesterday but I am FURIOUS. I've heard that because my children, MY children are eating our clean food and wanting to run in funruns that what I am doing is 'almost child abuse.'
So I am being ACCUSED of abusing my children because we don't have junk food or sweet biscuits in the house.
I am furious and hurt and, no well mostly furious. I think the defiinition of child abuse needs to be made clear to this person, because of course, no names mentioned at all. Believe me if I knew your name this would be to your face. So not only do I think you are an idiot, I'm wondering which one of my 'friends' it is. I know which circle it is, just not who. A statement like that cheapens the real trauma children go through when they are abused.
Let's look at some figures shall we?
According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, 65% of children in Australia will be overweight or obese in 2020. Currently we are sitting at around 25-26%. And rising every year.
According to an article by Sydney Morning Herald, 20% of children last year were overweight or obese by the time they reached kindergarten. 4 years old and they are facing the same issues as overweight adults....HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, RAISED CHOLESTEROL AND BLOOD PRESSURE, etc etc.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/parents-blind-to-early-obesity-in-children--report-20121001-26vge.html
and they are just 4 years old, haven't even really begun to live. All health risks aside, what about their social life?
And why?
Poor food choices, lack of physical activity and a longer times sitting in front of the television or the computer, learning from overweight parents and a small, VERY SMALL number of rare genetic disorders. Funny, parents can do something about ALL of those except for the last.
So let's see how I abuse my children shall we?
They play in the afternoons after school, go on bike rides, play team sports at their choosing. They LIKE to run around with me or Troy.
They learn from Troy and I. We like to look after ourselves, we enjoy being active and no surprise so do our kids.
They don't have a TV in their room and have a set computer time rather than as long as you like. They get an hour each which they don't usually use all up.
I don't keep biscuits or a lolly jar or other crap foods. But I do have a massive supply of fruit, low sugar and low fat muesli bars, vegetables and dip, etc etc. Are they missing out? No. We keep the 'sometimes foods' for SOMETIMES! Birthdays, Xmas, Easter....we celebrate. You don't need to celebrate the fact it's monday morning with a chocolate donut, or make kids feel loved because you pump sugar in their bodies. They want your TIME not stuff that makes their bodies sick over time.
I don't reward with food. You do something great then we 'reward' with an experience together....go to the movies or we go somewhere special they want to see. They are bushwalk nuts so we go to the You yangs, or Hanging Rock or the Grampians.
I cook clean food meals which we all eat, I don't cook separate meals. And no surprise to me, Miss 8's favourite food is lentil soup. ( Such a hippie LOL) Do they get pizza and burgers? Yep, we make them here. They ALSO get a chance every now and then to go out and have Maccas with friends, or icecream, or pizza. We just don't do it every week, maybe once or twice a month. They still go to birthday parties and eat the fun food. But I'll tell you this....they also CHOOSE to eat healthy options when we eat out...Mr 11 has told us he doesn't like how he feels after eating the greasy crap food.
I can say NO. It's an easy word. Children won't hate you if you don't give them their own way all the time. so NO you can't stay up late, NO you can't have another soft drink, have a water instead.
They have a healthy lunchbox. My kids don't need a side order of chocolate bar in their lunchbox every day, or a handful of lollies. They pack their own lunches....a sandwich or two, 2 serves of fruit, yoghurt, and a muesli bar or dip with crackers or vege sticks.
So there you have it. Such abuse, I should be locked up. I don't comment on others parenting habits because we all do the best we can, right or wrong. But maybe you should have a long hard look at what you are modelling to your children, what you are feeding your children and educate yourself a little more before you start screaming 'child abuse'.
So thanks, thanks for sending me off to work today in such a happy (NOT) state. I can assure you my kids are fine. They are happy and above all, they are HEALTHY. Are yours?
Your house sounds like the one I grew up in...until I became a teenager and stopped listening to my parents and spent my pocket money on hot chips and potato chips. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteSadly, snack foods and fast food and catering the whim of children has become the norm and to do what is different from the norm is somehow wrong. You're a top Mum and your kids are going to grow up healthy, confident and without excess baggage. That's the kind of Mum I want to be if I am blessed to be one. :)
I don't think there is a kinder thing you can do for your children than to feed them fruit and vegetables and get them running around every day. The person who said that you are abusing your children for taking care of them appears to have confused nurture for cruelty, and advertising for education - just because the ads say that "LCM" bars, and most other sugary child snacks are members of the category "food" doesn't make it true.
ReplyDeleteI grew up on steamed veges, steamed veges, steamed veges, bikes, horses, steamed veges, meat, fresh milk from our cows, expeditions through the bush, chicken from our chickens, beef from our beef :P, steamed veges, steamed veges, steamed veges, water for a drink (no soft drink, cordial, or juice), more veges, and homemade wheatgerm and honey biscuits (as a treat!) How I suffered? Hardly. I'm a mad eater and I LOVE veges! I'm convinced that a diet of mainly whole foods when I was growing up made me more or less indestructible healthwise. While I now am a fatso when it comes to chocolate, biscuits, and chocolate biscuits, my favourite and most regular meal remains just veges or some relatively unadulterated fresh vege/meat arrangement.
Sounds to me like you're doing great, Kris. The gene pool is shallow in some places, and those poor folks who are hoodwinked by media and popular culture aren't really swimming in the deep end. You go WonderWoman! The deep end's all yours!
All I can say is that is a disgrace. Some people are so ignorant and forget that we don’t need to have their opinions shoved down our throat. My mum (like many) always said if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything. As you said, we all try to do the best by our kids, but due to circumstances our best might not be as good as others, but you don’t need to make comments like that to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI think the way you have described your lifestyle with your kids is wonderful and whilst my children are not all as good as yours they are rounded enough to understand that there are times for certain foods and drinks. My son has a lunch order a few times a week because he wants a salad sandwich and doesn’t like how the tomato and beetroot make the bread go soggy if we make it at home. The canteen lady commented to the principal how he has a salad sandwich every time he has a lunch order. She was shocked and proud of him and made sure he knew about it and how good his food choices were. This is not something we have forced on him, he chose this and asked if he could have it. This is only by us providing examples to him of what food is available and giving him the chance to taste them all.
You keep up the good work and your children will thank you for it, especially when they get older and realise that you saved them from a life of health issues and ridicule from being over weight like a lot of other kids they went to school with or grew up with.