Are the parents to blame for children becoming fat?

Question

Are the parents to blame for children becoming fat?

Answer 1

The parents are responsible for food, clothing and shelter.

A parent should model good healtlhy dietary eatting habits.

If your child eats and is getting fat, and obese, then one should consider if you (the parent) are over feeding the child?

Is the child getting 30 minutes a day exercise?

How much time do you spend talking about healthy food choices?
do you have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies to snack on?

Is your house full of sugar and junk food?

When healthy choices are provided, and not sugars and cakes and cookies, children will eat healthy if the have the proper foods to choose from.

If you pack you child's lunch, and you put an apple in the lunch with the sandwich, you have control over what your child eats.
If you put chips and cookies and lunchables in the lunch you are over feeding your child.

there are many therories.
Growth Hormones in milk and many foods contribute to the child becoming fat.

The main thing, is that very few children walk to school anymore, they are car pooled.

Lack of exercise and nutritional education on Parent and childrens part play a key factor in why children become fat.

YOU as a parent are responsible for the health and well being of your child from conception to 18 yrs of age.

why not learn together? take a nutrition class.

www.bobgreen.com
www.oprah.com
YOU ON A DIET by dr. oz

Eliminate all sodas, and sugar drinks
Read Labels.
Eat 3 healthy meals, with 15-25 grams of protien per meal
2 snacks
include 5-8 fruits and vegetables a day.
Offer non sweetened juices, water.

READ the labels!!

common sense.

no cakes, twinkies or ho-hos!

low fat milk 1% or nonfat milk.

The nation has a problem with obestity.
With Parent/ child education on healthy ways to eat, and
having PE back in school every day of the week.
A lot of these issues wouldn't exist.

OH-- no drive-thru food either!
Yes, the parents are responsible, and accountable.
But, they cannot police their children, only offer healthy choices, and model healthy eatting lifestyles.

Answer 2

If the child has no medical reason for weight gain it seems acceptable to blame the parents. It is the role of the parents to instill good eating habits. The problem is most parents are overweight. How can you teach a child to eat right and exercise when the only example you set is how it overeat?

Fat kids usually grow to become fat adults parent should take action early on.Too many people want to blame fast food places for advertising to kids. It's true that advertising works, but it doesn't if you get off the couch and turn off the TV.

Answer 3

Absolutely. Medical reasons for being fat are very rare-especially in children.

Once again it's all about parenting.

When children are weaning you sit and eat with them-children will basically eat what is put in front of them if you lead by example. My 19mth old will eat anything,(literally at the moment but that's another subject), and her brother was the same. At 7yrs he will try anything you put in front of him-and 9/10 times he likes it.

If you feed your children fattening or processed foods as 'the norm' you will have less healthy children who are more prone to excessive weight gain than if you feed them a balanced diet with fresh fruit and vegetables.

It's not rocket science here people. For those amongst us who take the argument that 'little Freddy won't eat anything but crisps and cake though' try giving him 'proper food' at meal times, if he won't eat it take it away and have the courage to say 'NO' to the snacks. He'll eat when he's hungry. Children will not starve themselves-they get away with it because they've learnt that they can.

Jamie Oliver has had a remarkable effect on this country's school dinners-and yet there are still parents out there who are droning on about wanting chips 7 days a week. What IS that all about?

I've said it already this morning but I'll say it again, we, the parents have to take responsibility for our children-and that includes their health, diet and fitness.

Answer 4

Largely, yes. Because for the larger part of the day, it's the parents or guardians of those children that dictate what they eat and how and when. At the very least, the parents' own eating habits play a significant role in forming the child's own perception of what constitutes a normal diet. Simply put, children will learn bad eating habits by example. Parents who eat junk tend to have children who also eat junk, and have more of a difficult task with trying to get their children to eat a better diet.

And for the most part, eating habits of children tend to stay with them well into their adolescence. So if a child is to be brought up to eat junk and lots of it from when they were young, it's no big stretch of the imagination to think that they are more likely to continue eating junk and lots of it as they get closer to adulthood.

Answer 5

Well its not just in Australia its true here in America too. I think it is partly parents giving in to the childrens request for "fun" foods and our insistence on snacks at night while watching TV. Its also that we all, not just the children, are not as active as our ancestors were and yet we eat like they did. Inactive, urban young people have different needs from the children who live on farms or ranches in terms of what to eat and what not to. Cant really talk about this subject without talking about advertising and its influence on kids. Advertising does its job well and we are all influenced by it but children more than adults. Children see lots of what look like superfun toys on TV but when they get them they arent nearly as fun as it looked. The same is true of foods that are advertised- the Big Mac in the advertising looks sooo good but the reality is not what it looked like on TV. Unfortunately fast food tastes really good while be only on the fringe of healthy eating. There are soo many factors but one thing to consider is that the human race may be evolving in some way causing this increase in body weight. When ever more than 1/2 of any population has something then it is then the norm. So in that case being overweight would be considered healthy and being thin would not. Children getting fatter can be caused by parents allowing he child to eat whatever he/she wants, in some ways by genetics( fat parents-fat children), by the use of food as an emotional bribe( giving a child with a boo-boo a cookie) and later in the childs life by their own misuse of food.

Answer 6

If a child is overweight due to a poor diet and no exercise then yest. It's down the parents to educate the child in good nutrition, not only for the child's weight sake but also a good diet helps with brain development as consequently makes a child able to concentrate and learn.

I disagree with these people who allow their children to eat and drink whatever they like and then when they are older say it's OK for them to use surgery and medical intervention to lose weight like having their stomach stapled.

Having said that people are too quick to judge and see someone who is overweight and automatically assume it's because that person is constantly eating or being lazy when it could be a medical condition.

Answer 7

I think the majority of cases yes they are!

From a young age children should be given a healthy diet and encouraged to help in the kitchen. They should also be encouraged to play and take an interest in sports. Families should spend time together as a family playing sport, riding their bikes etc.

Sadly convenience has taken over! It is easier for a tired parent to sit their children in front of the TV or computer. It is easier to take put frozen food in the oven rather than cook a meal from scratch. It is easier on the weekends to sit round the house as a family or climb in the car and drive from place to place.

Children can be very stubborn and make your life hell if you try to take them out of their comfort zones. However, as a parent you are responsible for the health and well-being of your children. Sure it is easier allowing them to sit in front of the TV for hours on end, but it's not helping them out in the long run.

Answer 8

I would have said yes, if I hadn't had the experience of dealing with fat children. They seem obsessed with food (not unlike fat adults) and ae constantly asking for food. One little girl told me repeatedly she was hungry. I think blaming the parents is the easy answer and I can't help but wonder if there isn't something missing.
None of my kids are fat but then, I never make them finish the food on their plate, for example.
I do't know what the real answer is, but I think there is a deeper problem.

Answer 9

yes i think it starts from when they are young also on what the parents are like if their fat then there is a chance that the children will be to. i have right from the start to when my kids first went on to solids always given them veg, fruit,salad and cooked meals and not this microwave ready dinners or fast food and NOW they have grown up they still eat health with some fast food but only now and again which don,t hurt anyone in moderation.
Children will eat whats in the cupboard and if there is junk in there that's what they will eat, some people today just can not be bothered to cook its to easy to all pile in the car and go to MacDonald's, its a shame because its the kids that get picked on

Answer 10

Yes, parents should feed there kids proper food not just junk, sweets etc should be treats or rewards not an everyday occurrence. My daughter is only five and has been brought up on wholesome foods wholewheat pastas and breads loads of veg and fruit with the occasional treat. She is really healthy and has a great attitude towards food and best of all hates burgers and fries!