My 10 year old son "had" a super morbidly obese mom, and still has an autistic older brother...talk about torture for the poor kid. He is also slightly chubby for his age...triple threat. My boys are the driving force behind my weight loss. My 10 year old is my biggest cheerleader, but sometimes he can be the food police....which drives me nuts! I remember how kids said things about my obese mother when I was in school and how it hurt. Some kids are just mean. Unfortunately most grow up to be mean adults.
When I was coming out of the school at the beginning of this school year (just before I started my journey) one of the girls said to another of the girls "wow... Madeline's mom sure is FAT!" Maddy turned around and said "my mom is beautiful and you guys are rude!"
My kids are supportive. I'm sure Maddy's been bugged about it but she's a sensitive and caring soul so I don't think she'd tell me.
My 6 year old has teased me about my weight, but he meant no harm by it. I've made jokes and he was reinforcing the joke I had made, and didn't really understand. My boyfriend heard him make one of these jokes once and was very upset by it. He say down with my son and "explained" things to him. When I then explained it to my BF, the jokes we made, he apologized to my son, but still said he didn't like them. He thinks I'm beautiful no matter what size, and wants my son to feel that way to (eventhough he absolutley does). I tend to made comedy out of things that pain me. It's my tolerence mechanism.
Well, on a slightly more positive note...my poor son has to go to the school where I am a teacher. I was playing in a school netball tournament and a kid said something about me being a good defender because I was too fat to get by. And apparently he was turned on by many of the kids I teach AND my son and shamed into apologising for what he said. Only embarrassing bit, they made him come and apologise to me and I didn't know anything about it. I have had a kid tell me I should go to weightwatchers to my face, and I'll bet the kids do make comments but you know what? I'm too old and too smart to care, and I hope my children know better than to tease someone about the way they look. I have brought my children up to understand that people come in all shapes and sizes, just like dogs and horses. Yes, I accept that one of my children might be fat, or short. They might be involved in an accident, or develop a disease which disfigures them. And if they do I'll love them just the same. Don't let the teasers win, looks are only skin deep and someone who can't see that isn't worth knowing. I'm here to get thinner because I want to, not because some insecure child is looking for a reason to pick on my fantastic kids.
And, to pass on a story another teacher told me about a fat kids in their class (much older children) being teased. Student one said 'why are you so fat' and student 2 replied 'cos every time I *&£$ your girfriend I eat a biscuit' !!!!!!!!
I agree with you farawayshore. Yes,children can be cruel.But I am so passed that, to care what people say.I went through so much in my life,if I hear a comment,I truley came to the point where I don't give it a second thought.I only care about,what God thinks about me.
Children should be taught to respect others.They should also learn early on,that some people don't know any better,or don't feel good about themselves,that's why they are mean to others.
E.mccoy, I don't know if you are involved in any challenges, but you are certainly welcome to come join the May Weight Loss Challenge and/or the May Exercise Challenge. We are all very supportive of each other's weight loss efforts (as one new member said, we're "chatty chicks," lol!) and it's extremely motivational and inspirational! The challenges are on this page if you are interested: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=159. You might want to come check it out!
Farawayshore!!!!! OMG, I know it is probably terrible, but I totally lmao! I just told my husband about the fat kid, and eating bisquits and he spit soda on me!!!!!!! Thanks for making my day!!!!!
I'm a bad person too, because I literally started laughing out loud when I read the biscuit thing.
I don't have kids yet, but my father was -- still is -- big (what I later came to realize must be around 400 lbs?) and I was not teased about this as a child. I remember that a few times some kid or another would remark on it in a 'wow' type of way, but nothing that fazed me.
I remember when I was in third grade a kid in my class told me my Mom was fat and I was so surprised! I had never seen her that way. To me she was my Mom and I loved her. Now I have a weight problem and my kids have seen me struggle and always been supportive. They never told me if anyone said anything until my son came into the living room one day spitting mad. He was in high school and someone told him that another person had made a comment about my weight. He took care of that situation! I do feel bad that he felt he had to. I agree that some people just say mean things to get a reaction.
I am sorry you had to hear this. But I think it is a great opportunity for you to do something good about it for, not only you, but your daughter. Your child is always going to love you...and stick up for you...but at age 29 YOU ARE LUCKY!!!!!! Yep...LUCKY....you can do something about your weight and you will have many-many more years to celebrate the victory with your daughter....just think....in 9-10 years when she graduates high school...you will still be around....maybe by then the kids will be teasing you...Miss Skinny!...
Kids are always going to tease and be nasty...big people too...
but YOU don't always have to be heavy!
Prayers for inner strength as you go through this ~ Gary
And, to pass on a story another teacher told me about a fat kids in their class (much older children) being teased. Student one said 'why are you so fat' and student 2 replied 'cos every time I *&£$ your girfriend I eat a biscuit' !!!!!!!!
Hey, I've found this thread very interesting, because although I'm not a mother I hope to be one day, and would hate the thought of my children being teased because I had a weight problem.
However, I'm going to become a secondary school teacher next year and am scared of how tough that may be if I'm still overweight. I know that kids used to make fun of some of the bigger teachers at my school, and even though it sounds a little weird, I would love to be thought of as one of the 'hot' teachers.
I'm shocked however how at such a young age, these kids have already had the 'fat-bashing' mentality drummed into them. When I was 7 or 8 I had been taught tolerance and think I would have barely noticed whether someone was fat or thin.
My son is 5 and I have heard a couple of the kids make comments to him about me!! All the kids in his daycare class like me but they have made comments. Just today one of the little boys asked me if I was going to have a baby because my belly was big!! Normally I would have been devastated but I just told him no...some people are little and some people are big....I am just big. I even heard my little guy tell one of the girls the other day "don't call my mom fat!" I don't want him to have to go thru this kind of ridicule and teasing because of me! It is one of the things that is motivating me.
I remember how kids said things about my obese mother when I was in school and how it hurt. Some kids are just mean. Unfortunately most grow up to be mean adults.
