A sad moment

I was at the Dollar Tree Saturday morning.  There was this family in there.  The Dad did not have a weight problem.  The Children are severly overweight.  I just wanted to cry.  THe little girl might have been 8 years old and im going to say a little over 3 feet tall and over 200 lbs.  It was doing all she could do to walk.  When i got out to the truck they were leaving also.  The kids were to big to sit in the backseat together.  It was doing all she could do just to get in the front seat with her dad.  She finally got inside.  I felt so bad for her.  Why do parents let them get that way?  Makes me so mad.

i know honey, i know... it hurts my heart to witness things like this and to feel powerless to help

Stacy, I feel the same way you do. It breaks my heart to see anybody that is severely overweight but especially kids.

I was a very overweight child.  Not that large, but close.  My mother never let me gain weight.  I actually, at a young age would sneak food into my bedroom and hide it.  I do not know why I did that, but I did.  Of course I was raised on fried foods and always a dessert after dinner.  But, momma just fed me like she thought she should.  I also have large sons.  I never wanted my children to have a weight problem, but a couple of them do.    It hurts so badly to see this.  Those children go through so much ridicule and pain growing up, also. 

Okay,  somebody brought this to my attention.  Maybe she was getting some help.  No i dont guess its the parents fault.  It just made me so sad and fall apart because she was stuggling so just to walk.  I remember when i was growing up how i didnt like to go to school or play softball because somebody might say something mean to me because i was overweight.  People can be mean to kids.  Maybe i just worded what i said wrong.  Im sorry if i hurt anybodys feelings.

Oh Stacey...you did not hurt my feelings.  I was just a big kid and I don't know why I snuck food into my room.  It was very psychological I am sure because I hoarded food...well I still do.  I have food in my freezer that we will probably never eat.  I have a problem that way.  I was telling a group of ladies Saturday how I still "collect" food.  That is awful, but true.  I was just real big as a child and I know these children hurt so badly.  I feel so badly for them, also.    You would never hurt anyone.  You are a sweetie pie!!!

I totally undrstand Stacy. Everytime I see child or adult that is struggling with obesity..It breaks my heart!!

We are seeing this increase in children.  The research says that diet education and exercise education does not work.  You can send them to "fat camp," but they just gain the weight back.  Most of these children are emotional eaters and need more than just a rigid diet to help control their weight. 

Probably the worse thing that has happened to our country is that we have allowed children to use electronic games instead of playing outside, and that we have cut out all the breaks to run and play on the playground in our school day.  Kids literally do not know how to play and those that do, are not usually obese.

If you go back and look at high school annuals from the 1960s and 1970s, you don't really see very many obese kids.  You see some weigh more than others, but not really obese kids.  Now, look at those high school kids in the last 5 years and see how many really obese kids there are.

Pretty shocking, isn't it?