Читать книгу Why Can't My Child Stop Eating? - Debbie Danowski - Страница 9

THEY NEVER LET HER DO ANYTHING FUN. Even though she was almost ten years old, Fiona’s parents didn’t allow her any freedom. Most of her friends were able to at least walk around the block in groups. Fiona’s parents, however, refused to discuss the possibility until she was a teenager. It had been like this her whole life. Fiona’s father had been a wild teenager, even serving jail time in his late teens. And though he had never been in trouble since, Fiona’s father made sure that his daughter had little opportunity to repeat his mistakes.

“Fiona, it’s time for dinner. Hurry up!” She could hear her mother’s voice even though the music on her iPod was loud. Turning toward the window, Fiona could see her friends laughing and walking across the street. If it weren’t for her stupid parents, then she would be there, too. Her friends were probably talking about what a baby she was, for not being allowed to take a simple walk around the block.

Grabbing her math book, Fiona flung it as hard as she could against the wall. Within seconds, Fiona’s mother was at the door, banging.

“Fiona! Fiona! Are you all right? What was that crash?” As usual, her mother opened the door without waiting to be invited in.

“Nothing,” Fiona glared at her mother.

She watched as her mother’s eyes scanned the room. Fortunately, the book hadn’t left a mark where it had hit the wall.

“Oh, well, okay. Come on then. Your dinner is getting cold. I made your favorite fried chicken and french fries.” Fiona’s mother smiled broadly then gently guided her in the direction of the kitchen.

Fiona knew that no one would yell at her for eating too much tonight; her parents always felt guilty whenever they refused to let her do something she wanted, and letting her eat whatever she wanted without comment was their way of making it up to her. Fiona was even planning on asking for a second helping of dessert. After that, she would sneak out of her bedroom while her parents were watching television and grab two snack-size bags of potato chips, being careful to fluff up the remaining packaging so as not to draw attention to the missing ones. Maybe her parents could stop her from seeing her friends, but Fiona wasn’t going to let them stand between her and her food.

AT TEN, FIONA HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED what will grow into a lifelong habit of associating happiness with unhealthy food. And a marketing-savvy industry has created a customer for life among the ever-growing number of obese American children.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, “the number of adolescents who are overweight has doubled since 1980 and the prevalence [of overweight/obesity] among younger children has more than tripled.” Making matters worse is the amount of time these children will be obese. According to Dr. Roger Unger, an internist and professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, “Youngsters today will have been obese much longer than any preceding generation. The consequences could be deadly. Everybody talks about an epidemic, but they don’t think about what it’s going to be like twenty years from now when these kids are approaching middle age and have heart disease and all sorts of complications of diabetes.”

Despite all of the current efforts, obesity rates in children are climbing with no end in sight. Is it because parents don’t care enough about their children? Of course not. Something is missing in their efforts. But what is it? Certainly it’s not a lack of nutritional information. Newspapers, magazines, and television programs are filled with information about healthy eating. Bookstore shelves and pediatricians’ offices overflow with advice about properly feeding children. Yet, nothing seems to help. Why?

While most of us know what constitutes a healthy meal, very few are aware of the emotions behind the food that is presented to children on a regular basis. And even fewer understand how these emotions are entangled with childhood overeating.

Think about how foreign it would seem for you to celebrate your birthday without a cake. How about getting through a holiday without baking and/or eating special desserts? Think about your childhood. Did one or both of your parents or grandparents have a special food that they made for you, or was there a certain treat that you were permitted only when you were ill or unhappy, one that was supposed to make you feel better?

Even though all of these things may seem like normal childhood behaviors and none of them is necessarily harmful in moderation, there are emotions attached to each event. For instance, having a cake made specifically for your birthday makes you feel special and loved. Eating dessert is often associated with family love (for some) or as a shield against explosive family gatherings for others. And being given special food as a child may be related to feelings of love and nurturing. This being so, is it any wonder that obesity is becoming a “national scandal,” as one expert notes?

It is the intention of Why Can’t My Child Stop Eating? to first create awareness about the current attitudes and practices in society that contribute to emotional overeating in children; then, to provide concrete actions to initiate and maintain lifestyle changes. Since this issue is so crucial to the health and development of children, helping parents help their children heal from the emotional aspects of obesity by addressing these issues and providing practical activities is vitally important.

This book is also designed with busy parents in mind. It is intentionally kept short so that you will have time to read all of it. Chapters 2–6 contain a “Things to Remember” section that summarizes the main points of each chapter. This is to reinforce what you have already read. It is not designed to replace reading the entire chapter. There are many things in each chapter that are not included in the “Things to Remember” sections. Think of these sections as a quick reference guide for after you have read the entire chapter.

And though many may point to genetics as the cause of childhood obesity, it is important to remember that according to a nursing professor at Michigan State University, the majority of overweight cases—approximately 60 to 80 percent—are due to lifestyle, while only 20 to 40 percent have genetic causes. This being so, the rate of childhood obesity can be greatly reduced with the lifestyle changes outlined in Why Can’t My Child Stop Eating?