When I was growing up there was about one child per class that would be classified as overweight. Now it is almost the complete opposite in certain parts of our country, only one child per class that is NOT overweight. Kids are not as active now days and with busy working parents some eat a lot of fast food for meals. It is important for us to teach them about healthy relationships, with others, and also with food. Moderation is everything! It is okay to let kids have an ice cream cone now and then, do not deprive them, this could cause them to over indulge when they do get their hands on some ice cream!
Teach your children that they have control over their own body. The are ultimately responsible for the food choices they make, and this carries over into other aspects of life as well. We need to teach our kids to recognize the differences between healthy and unhealthy choices. Always encourage healthy choices by letting them know how awesome it is for their bodies and they must expect and accept consequences, both good and bad for the choices they make. Children will learn to change their eating habits when they are in touch with their own hunger signals. It is when someone else take responsibility for that, they lose touch with it. So do not force your kids to finish their plate of food, let them learn to know when they are full.
Sometimes the body says what the mouth cannot. Significant weight gain can be a child’s body armor, protecting themselves from something that is painful but they may not be able to express it verbally.
So lead by example and also enforce to your child that they are responsible to make smart choices even when you are not around!
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