I agree with the issue of the parents needing to monitor their children's diets, but all too often, the parent has a weight problem as well. I remember having to shop at Sears in the "pretty plus" section when I was around 10 or 11....this was back in the mid to late 70's so I don't think a plus size section for kids is exactly "new". And also on this same note, if I had a young daughter that needed a plus size, I'd rather have the option of buying her age-appropriate clothing rather than having to buy her tween or teenager clothing just because she could fit into it.
Trust me, Plus Size for little girls is nothing new. When I was young (notice, I didn't say when I was "little" because that word was never applied to me after about age 3), my mother and I had to scour all over the city for Chubby Girl clothes. How's that for a self-esteem booster? There were only one or two shops to get anything made specifically for children and we lived in a major East Coast city. I can imagine how tough it must have been for the Chubby Girls who didn't live in/near a metropolis...
I often ended up wearing cut-down grown women's clothes. They looked horrible and matronly.
Thank goodness young girls today can have decent looking clothes to wear while they work through this journey. I'm not disagreeing that parents need to help the girls get it under control NOW, but they can't be expected to go naked until the control happens.
Kayley, how would you feel if plus size clothing only existed in senior citizen styles?
Just because a child is overweight for whatever reason, doesn't mean that they should be relegated to a life of further humiliation do to total lack of appropriate clothing options.
I'm only 19, and that's the first time I had seen anything like that...lol. I agree that it's good that these kids DO have options, I just think that parents need to get on their kids about their diets once they are "plus size" at that young of an age...
I wasn't trying to be mean or anything, I was just saying that it's ridiculous...I don't know. If the kids don't like dressing like that, they they should DO something about it...I wish I would have when I was younger.
I understand what you mean. Once a parent has to take their child to the plus size department to buy clothes, maybe it's time to rethink their menu and activities. Childhood obesity is becoming the mainstream, which is very frightening. I'm 44, and I still remember only one obese child in elementary school. Everyone else was skinny, myself included. In middle and high school, I recall only 2 or 3 really obese or overweight kids. Times have really changed! When I was a kid, we walked to school, spent a LOT of time playing outside or generally staying active. Most of us didn't have cable tv, and our only video game was Pong, lol. We ate meals with our families and fast food or pizza was only eaten when we were on vacations. Compare that to the lifestyle of the average kid or teenager today.
I know you weren't trying to be mean, Kayley . And what you said was absolutely spot on! Parents have the biggest part of helping their kids manage their weight. Sadly, because there are so many other influences on kids, including school lunchrooms, parents don't have complete control.
But you're right. It has to start somewhere and it needs to start now, when the kids are kids and lifelong habits are being formed.
Ironic that I read your post on the same day that I realized something about my own Mother.
A relative made the comment that "Your Mother was so obsessed with her own looks, she allowed her 3 daughters to battle with their weight".
As I thought about this comment, I was defending my Mother in my head that she didn't "allow" us to be fat kids..and I said to myself, she just ignored it. Well. That hit me like bricks. She did ignore it. She was so obsessed with her own looks, she never paid any attention to what was going on with our self esteem, looks, weight, ect. Until now of course. She almost had a heart attack when I told her over the phone that I lost some weight. "YOU made my day, oh that is so wonderful, am so excited for you, blah, blah, blah".
Mother=drama queen who weighs 103 lbs with blonde hair to her ***.
Whoa, mele, you jogged my memory about Sears' "pretty plus" section. I had forgotton all about that (and this was in the late 80's and early 90's, but I'm not sure if it's still around . . .) It breaks my heart that little girls have to shop in plus sizes, but like all little girls, they should have the opportunity to wear what the other girls are wearing. They shouldn't have to shop in juniors or women's because they are overweight. I didn't necessarily like having to wear "pretty plus," but at least I had those options. I remember never finding any jeans that fit though. I didn't wear jeans until I got into 8th grade! I remember my friends were like, "Wow, you're wearing jeans!" They were shocked. I always wore those pants with the straps on the feet. What were those called? My brain isn't working. . .
It deeply saddens me how the obesity crisis is affecting our children and how parents are either too busy or they just don't care. My sister is unfortunately in both categories. All three of her kids are overweight and she feeds them pizza or Mcdonald's at LEAST 5 nights a week. It makes me cringe.
I too can remember shopping in the husky section. Then as a teen we had to go downtown to the only store in town that had large men's jeans. We also lived in a fairly big town.
Anyway I do agree parents do need to pick up the ball here but I know my mom had and has just as much problem with eating as I do.
I think there needs to be a lot of major reform going on. Starting with parents then moving to schools and then restaurants. I mean look at the size of serving you get when you go out to eat. Pile that on to what you get at home as a kid and then the crap they serve them at school. It's no wonder we are such and obese nation.
When I went to London (this was 9 years ago, so I don't know if it's changed since), it was HARDER and more expensive to get junk food...completely the opposite from here. It was crazy.
Wow. Blame the parents... I'm not sure I like this idea. I grew up the last of 4 kids, and my next older sister had a weight problem probably from the time she was a baby. I've seen pictures of her as a very small baby girl and she was fat then. My mom even said that when she was pregnant with my sister she was hungrier than she was with any of the other kids.
My mom tried everything to help my sister with her "weight problem". She was on 1000 calorie diets as a very young teen. She was on diet pills (amphetimines) prescribed by the doctor that were so strong that they made me feel weird when I once took one. She was taken to weight watchers, encouraged to exercise, was put on probably every diet that has ever been. She would weigh and measure food, tried crash diets, the kind where you limit food to one or two types of food (I clearly remember one that was a vanilla ice cream and pound cake diet, the theory was you got so bored you wouldn't eat much, and yes she lost weight on it).
I always felt like my mom focused on it way too much. Always felt like my sister felt like mom was ashamed of her. But she would always cheat on her diets and eat candy and coke. She didn't like to exercise and wouldn't unless it was during one of their sessions. I grew up with practically no junk food in the house ever because mom didn't keep it around.
STILL in spite of it all my sister is morbidly obese and has been most of her life. My other sister and I have put on quite a bit of weight as we have gotten older too, but we manage to take it off, and my other sister doesn't seem to be able to lose any significant amount and keep it gone.
I don't think you can blame the parents. At least not for not nagging on the kids, I think mothers can do too much damage to the child's self esteem by focusing too much on weight.
At 19.............you're still alittle girl yourself! What did you do?
This post has two subjects.....the first.......parents getting their childrens diets in control.........ok, that we all agree on! My daughter is 18 and has always been a very active, healthy, yet chubby little girl. If we wouldn't have had the Arizona jeans from JC Penney's to fall back on, (along with the other darling things that they, sears and fashion bug carry) my daughter would have been in stretch leggings and wearing clothes you should see on my grandma! I for one am truly happy for the plus size departments! And kudo's to all the designers for finally bringing the hip styles around!
I'm 41 and when I was a chubby little girl my mom couldn't afford the plus clothing because it was always $5 - $10 more! Like it took THAT much more material! I wore very boring, blah stuff!
You also made the comment that if kids don't like wearing that stuff, they should do something about it! Your suggestion on how a 9 year old is suppose to get a handle on something like food? Just curious as to your thoughts here. I'm definately not trying to beat you up.........but you hit a touchy subject since so many of us here are OVERWEIGHT so, chances are, we have overweight children.
Good Luck in your endeavors.
Hi Kayley, I too am interested what someone could have said or done for you 10 years ago to change your path. I see more and more obese kids in my children's schools as well. My own children are trim, don't eat a ton of junk, and are active in sports. What would have helped you? (I am not trying to be challenging here, I am truly curious). I am learning habits from my kids: 1) Move!, 2) It's okay to not eat everything on your plate.
Ridiculous
. And what you said was absolutely spot on! Parents have the biggest part of helping their kids manage their weight. Sadly, because there are so many other influences on kids, including school lunchrooms, parents don't have complete control.
