A new thread already!!!!! WOW. Go BFLers
I am off to school and then to an UBWO.....looking forward to it. LIke MrsJim said, it's SPRING in the Bay Area and I want to go play. Unfortunately I have papers to write.
Piggybacking on number 41: Sorry if this is a rant about kids and food but MrsJim's post got my brain cells flowing. If you dont' want to hear my views on the unhealthy youth of the nation, go to the next reply.
First: AbEnergizer:
The first time I saw the commerical for the Ab Energizer, I'm thinking "HOW do they get away with this?" (as someone more than half way through law school, it still baffles me that this is even legal). There is NO way that works. I can't believe they haul Miss Cleo into court every 10 seconds but this stays on the air unimpeded (not that psychics aren't fraudulent, but this seems even more so). I don't get it!!!!
Kids and nutrition:
My boys are all grown and the oldest was in the care of Nana a lot who pushed the sweets and treats and fast foods. The youngest were not and were fully influenced by ME. They got McDonald's TWICE A MONTH (every other Friday) ONLY (and now I think that even that was too much), they NEVER had sugar cererals for breakfast, they had one small snack every night, they NEVER got snacks at the movies (to this day they never eat in the movies) and I insisted that they be active. They actually thank me now because they don't have weight problems. The oldest has to watch his weight when he's not active because of grandma's great influence. I also never rewarded or punished my kids with food. WHAT A MISTAKE!!!! That is what my mother did to keep my oldest "good" when they were out "We'll get icecream if you behave." WHAT A HORRIBLE LESSON FOR A CHILD TO LEARN. Be good=food. or "You're sad...have a cookie." Be sad=food. "If you're not good, I'll make you eat spinach." Be bad=food. EVERYTHING EQUALS FOOD!!!! WRONG! I NEVER EVER EVER equated behavior with food.
I took STEP training. Strategic Techniques for Effective Parenting and used the techniques all the time. They are very very powerful if you use them consistently and are willing to put the effort in up front. A very effective way of parenting children and there are no food rewards involved. I find that a lot of my friends who have out of control kids and use food to try to control them just don't know what else to do. I think it's a parenting problem more than a food problem. There are just so many parents who have no clue and the food thing goes along with that.
I hear parents ALL the time in the store, in the bank promising children all kinds of things if they just behave. What is up with that? My kids were told "I will leave this bank right now and bring you home and put you to bed." and if they didn't stop, I did exactly that. You can't threaten things you won't do so I did it. I didn't do it with anger, I didn't yell, scream or hit. It was very matter of fact because I was in charge. I'm the parent. HELLO. It was a pain to have to leave my stuff and do it but after a few times of that, no more problems because they knew I meant it. Not "NO McDonald's for you if you keep it up." and if they pipe down you reward them with food. uh uh. AND it stops working when they're teenagers. If they've only listened to you when you've rewarded them, what do you do when they're teenagers and insatiable and nothing will satisfy them? You have a big problem on your hands.
There is a BIG problem with fast food (McDonald's is garbage and I refuse to give that company one red cent. I NEVER take my daughter there and haven't eaten there myself in 20 years) and the continual marketing of garbage food to kids through toys and playlands etc. Also when I read "The McDonalization Theory" a few years ago I went "I KNEW IT." They import their garbage all over the world. McDonald's is not just food, it's a whole mindset. Representation of a whole way of life that is just fat, dumb and not so happy. Again, it's part of the reason why parents won't take the time to learn effective parenting skills and to take the time to carry out natural and logical consequences. They think it's a bother, they don't have time etc. For me, it was WONDERFUL to put the time up front and have 3 boys who listened to me when they were teenagers and bigger than me and "we won't go to McDonalds" no longer works.
Also, because they don't equate snacking/food with any emotional state, they can pretty much eat anything they want. They don't hoarde food/hide food/have some unhealthy relationship with food. I just sent them boxes of GS cookies and I sent it to one to distribute to his brothers. I know he'll do it (won't try to get extra), I know they'll each enjoy some GS cookies now and again. They'll share them with their friends (people with food addictions are not big on that) and might even put some away for the future. Because they don't have unhealthy relationships with food. So that is a BIG bonus, when treat foods are really that...a treat that you can enjoy without horrible side effects, physically and emotionally.
Okay, that's my fast food rant but part of the challenge of eating healthy is PREPARING food. Shopping, cooking, packing for the day. In our fast food society, that just gets harder and harder for people to do.
Whew. Didn't mean to piggyback off MrsJIm's rant, but there you have it. My story and I'm sticking to it.
Sorry for that but we are talking about health, eh?
Susan