Super-Obese Kids

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/should-parents-lose-custody-of-super-obese-kids-2510149/

My last post focused on a restaurant wanting to restrict young families from dining in their establishment.  This post once again focuses on children.  This is a heart breaking predicament. When a child is severely obese, who is to blame?  Studies show that children typically adapt eating habits from their parents, so in general terms, obese parents produce obese children.  Does this give the government the right to take children away from a parent when the parent is only reproducing what was learned from his/her parents?  At the end of the day, each individual must take responsibility for their own actions.  But at what age does that occur?  The article sites children aged 12, 14, and 16.  Granted, how does the child know normal food portions if he has never been taught, but there comes a time that the child must decide for themselves what is acceptable.  I have a child that has food allergies.  Since they are not severe food allergies, the schools did not want to go through the necessary paperwork to have alternate foods provided for him.  Since learning of the allergies in 4th grade, he has had to self-regulate his diet while at school.  Instead of getting milk, he asks for a glass of water.  I’m not there to make sure he doesn't drink milk, nor will the school take any ownership to provide soy or rice milk for him as an alternative.  He has had to make wise choices about what foods he intakes.     Soooo, back to the question… who is to blame?  It’s a complicated question with no easy answers, but I do think it would help if the government would subsidize healthy foods instead of subsidizing foods that are known to cause weight gain.  This would make healthy foods more obtainable for the poor and middle class.  Additionally, instead of issuing welfare checks, change the system to vouchers that allow “approved” foods similar to WIC programs (Women, infants, and children) to promote healthy food choices.   http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/        

Restaurant Bans Kids

When I saw this article, I must confess I had mixed emotions.  Being the mother of four children, I can relate to the seemingly discriminatory ideals associated with such a policy.  On the other hand, I also was recently distracted by a screaming toddler at a neighboring table when reuniting with some old friends.  It wasn’t that the child screamed that was the problem, it was that the child was allowed to continue to scream that put a damper on the last 20 to 30 minutes of our dinner.  Luckily the family with the screaming child didn’t arrive until we were having dessert.   

The question is: What is a restaurant to do when such a situation arises?

When my children were under 6, no one had to tell me when my child was being disruptive.  It was disruptive to me, so the child received the “evil eye” the “mommy means business look.”  Typically that would solve the problem.  However, admittedly that didn’t always work, especially when they were younger.  In those cases, either my husband or I would take the child away from the dinner table and would be dealt with appropriately.  It takes conditioning for the “look” to work.   Webster’s defines conditioning as:  a simple form of learning involving the formation, strengthening, or weakening of an association between a stimulus and a response.  Simple, yes.  Easy, no.  I relate to the fatigue associated with parenting, it is an exhausting endeavor.  Early in our marriage, when we were just starting our family so dear friends said the best child raising book they ever read was “How to train your dog.”  Yes, you read that right.  The basic principles are the same.  Be consistent.  Giving in is rewarding bad behavior.  Stick with it, even when you’re tired.  All of which falls under “be consistent.” 

So what is a restaurant to do when parents fail to parent? There are no easy answers.  I think banning families is the wrong way to go. Maybe a statement similar to a movie theater about “screaming children will be asked to leave” may be enough of a deterrent.        

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/restaurant-bans-kids-under-6-discrimination-or-smart-move-2509487/        

Michael Vey

Pre-order today at Amazon for $10.58 (hard cover). It is a great book! Elisa gave it 2 thumbs up (and she a hard sell!). If you pre-order, let me know. I'm am part of a grass roots movement to get the word out and Richard is trying to track the effectiveness. :) 



http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Vey-Prisoner-Cell-25/dp/1451656505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308837512&sr=1-1

New Book

Richard Paul Evans has a new Young Adult Book coming out in August. He was of my favorite authors. 



http://www.facebook.com/notes/richard-paul-evans/the-big-announcement-youve-been-waiting-for/10150194328888025

Hazardous Bus Drivers

Here’s an article about the bus drivers in our area.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/abc11_investigates&id=8127645

100 Bus accidents in a 4 month time frame when those months include spring break and a week off for Christmas.  Follow my math…  if there are approximately 4 weeks per month and only 5 school days per week, that’s 20 school days per month.  Multiply that by the 4 month time frame they are reporting on that is 80 school days.  That’s more than one school bus accident per school day.  Actually the statistics are worse than that because the students had a week off for spring break and a week of other miscellaneous days off from Christmas, student work days, and snow days.  That’s 1.4 bus accidents per day!   That’s crazy.  

Carpool Crazies

Every day I take or pick up my kids from school, the carpool line makes my blood boil.  First of all, it is beyond comprehension why there is only one crossing guard for 5 lanes of traffic.  No one can see that guard standing in the middle.  In fact just this week a police officer ran right past the stop sign holding crossing guard.  Yes, a police officer.  He stops just yards beyond where he should have stopped and lectures the crossing guard for several minutes after the traffic flow resumes blocking an already congested area.  My guess is that the crossing guard is a mom, either volunteering or earning a minimal amount.  Here’s an idea, instead of lecturing the crossing guard, why didn’t the police officer get out and help her?? 

At one school the crossing guard is only on one side of the intersection (see diagram - it didn't copy very well).  When the guard is walking children across the 5 lane road, people of the neighborhood and from the left side of the school think it’s there time to get into the school.  It happens every day.  Maybe this is “allowed” but what really gets me is when people stack up the line into the road so that when the crossing guard is no longer in the street there are several cars blocking 2 or 3 lanes of traffic. 

The other thing that drives me crazy is that the school has sent out notes about making a U-turn in the area of the school.  They ask parents not too because it makes it dangerous for the students and causing more traffic congestion around the school.  Even though when leaving the school you are not permitted to turn left, the school still prefers drivers not to make a U-turn.  But every single day, numerous people make a U-turn.  I need to go the other direction too, but I always go around the block to get back to the direction I need to go.  It’s so frustrating when these drivers could pull into the neighborhood next to the school to get turned around, but everyday numerous people make a U-turn right there on that 5 lane road.  When there are police officers around, they do nothing.  It is so frustrating!

Anyone know the laws concerning crossing guards or U-turns on 5 line roads?

Silence is Golden?

I know I have been MIA for....  a month.  It will most likely continue until after finals.  :(


But for your entertainment, here's a video of Chancellor Thorp playing jazz to promote arts in education.  Yes, that is my son on drums.  :)  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4kUC-Y6hvQ