So many times these days we see an overweight adult walking around with an overweight child. Very seldom do we see a thin or athletic parent holding the hand of an overweight youngster. Why is that?
Well the plain, simple, and easy truth is that children, or any species for that matter, don’t learn through directing. True, we can learn certain tasks by being told how to accomplish them, such as reading, but even then there is a certain amount of leading occurring. As humans, we learn more through watching and imitating than any other way. If you asked the professional sports players how they got so great, their responses would be 99.9% the same: emulating their idols.
If it is true that a professional athlete can learn most of their skill through emulating others, than doesn’t it stand to reason that your child will learn other skills in life the same way? Of course it does. That is why it is so important to lead by example rather than tell them how to live and hope for the best. This means you can’t just tell your child to eat their veggies. You have to eat them yourself first, and let them see you enjoy them. This is key! If you try to swallow some broccoli by forcing yourself to hold back the urge to regurgitate it, do you think that your toddler is going to think it is a fun food to eat? Probably not.
So what happens if you don’t like eating healthy? Well, then you are going to have a heck of a time teaching your children to eat healthy. If you have no desire to change your own thought processes, then you will never be able to encourage your child to think positively about living a healthy lifestyle. In other words “Good Luck Chuck!” If however you have realized the importance of your child’s health and future, you will be willing to change your way of thinking, and thus change both you and your child’s lives for the better.
If you want to change but don’t know how, then you can check out my companion website, Stop Childhood Obesity, or speak to your primary care physician. Other sources for help are BeverlyMonical.com, or the Mayo Clinic. Whichever choice you make, be sure it is not a selfish one, but rather a choice dedicated to improving your child’s overall health and well being.
Best of Luck!
