My Theories on Childhood Obesity Problems; Comparison of Children of the 50s and 60s and Children Now

I was raised in the 50s and 60s, and from my personal experience I never saw an overweight kid all the time I was in school or among childhood friends. Some people, especially those raised in much later years may think this is an exaggeration, or down right lie. They can believe what they want. These are my theories based on my personal experiences, and that's what I am conveying.

Although I and most kids I knew during that time period ate meat, potatoes, gravy, whole milk, and other so called bad foods on a regular basis, I never saw an overweight kid. In fact most of the kids including me were very slim and trim. Trust me, I ate like a starving horse. So, it wasn't that I was doing without. Far from it. My Dad was raised during the depression, and literally went hungry, ergo; our dinner table always looked like a Thanksgiving feast, every night. The difference is, we went and out and played after dinner, and had to be dragged in when it started getting dark. Calories in, calories burned!

So, then what's going on nowadays with so many overweight and obese children? As a retired child and family counselor I can tell you, some of it is the lack of attention some kids get nowadays. With both parents working, there is less time for the kids. Kids need a lot more attention from parents then they could ever imagine. No, this is not an article to beat up on parents that may need to work. However, many of the Moms of the 50s and 60s were there in the afternoon to supervise what their children were eating, and what they were doing. Most importantly, they were there. Most kids of the 50s and 60s, including me, were out playing, and playing hard, not in front of a TV, X-Box, or computer, munching on high calorie snacks all afternoon. As well, I have also found that kids that don't get enough attention from parents, tend to eat to comfort themselves more often.. How many adults do you know that use food as comfort?

The last problem I see is that kids ate a lot less processed foods and snacks back in my day. Yes, we had big breakfasts, lunch and dinners, but I believe that kept us from snacking a lot. Plus our diet included a lot more natural foods. Snacks were almost always fruit. I always saw kids with fruit in their hand when out playing. I know a lot of parents today that rarely serve a vegetable at dinner time. They tell me their kids hate vegetables. How would they know, they never serve them. My parents' home and all the friends' houses I ate at, had at least two different vegetables on the dinner table. Also, fast food was a rare treat, maybe once a month, if that. Fast foods loaded with calories, fat, unhealthy snacks, and a lack of exercise is making our kids nowadays, overweight, obese and unhealthy.

There you have it, my theories on childhood obesity nowadays based on my experiences growing up, as a parent, grandparent, and former child and family counselor. Whether you agree with my theories or not, let's hope you can at least agree that our country does have a problem with childhood obesity, and we should get kids back to being healthy and active once again!