Adolescent Obesity

Something has been weighing heavily on my heart for a long time now. With American obesity at what I'm sure is an all-time high, I am greatly saddened by obese adolescents.

Now I was never a small kid. Actually I was pretty big. Not fat really, just big. In fact, I haven't grown a lot since 5th grade. My feet are and since then have been a size 9 and I've never worn a pants size below a 9. Ever.

But this is just ridiculous. I see overweight and obese children ALL the time. It's out of control. And for the most part their parents are obese and teaching them terrible habits. Children don't realize the expectation they are tuning their bodies to when they eat and eat and don't exercise. Adults have a hard enough time taking weight off; just imagine a generation of adults who have always been obese and have taught their bodies that this is the way it goes.

I mostly blame parents. Children can't be expected to have self-control. This is a concept I'm still learning today! Letting children eat whatever and whenever they want is detrimental to say the least. Setting them up for disaster. And it makes me very, very sad. How difficult is it to set some boundaries? How hard is it to say, no you've had enough?

We can't keep teaching our children that obesity is the norm and its OK to be that way. It's not. It's truly not.

I have struggled with weight my whole life, it seems. So I can show some sympathy to the love of food. But this epidemic has gone too far. I'm tired of seeing 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds eating twice as much as me and constantly going back for more food. But I feel helpless. You can't tell someone how to raise their children. If they don't feel bad that their kids are going to turn out exactly like them, there is little I can do. Except feel the sadness.

A link from my friend Mandy: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24842630/