I don't know what it's like to be the fat kid. I had the opposite problem growing up; everyone thought I was anorexic. That's teasing and hate of a different sort.
Today, I am raising a daughter who weekly claims that she is fat. Somehow in the two years when she was in her father's custody it got put into her head that she's fat. She's not. She's beautiful and strong and tall, but got her dad's body type instead of mine. Because she is not stick thin, she thinks she's fat. I have to remind her every day that she's not. That she is stronger than most of the boys her age and that she is *FIT*. Being skinny does not equal being healthy. But I am teaching her healthy choices and what it means to have a healthy lifestyle even it if means she will never have my body type. I am teaching her to be strong and healthy so that she won't have to worry about diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. We are all too familiar with these diseases because they run rampant in my family.
Yes, Georgia has a shock campaign that highlights children but is aimed at parents.Seriously, sometimes you have to be shocked into taking action.
Ignoring this problem is what got us here It's time to wake up. We can’t continue to ignore the fact that Georgia has the second highest rate of childhood obesity in the country. Kids are now suffering from diseases once seen only in adults. Start by joining the community. It’s a small step in a long journey, but together we can get there. Now is the time to fight back:"I'm pretty and I want to help other kids"
Mamavation claims "We are refuting however tactics that would inadvertently harm children in the process. .... Campaigns that have a focus on hope, support, and education are far more beneficial to children."
The children in these ads volunteered. They are intelligent. They know they have a weight problem. Not just a weight problem, a health problem. Children at the age of 10 SHOULD NOT be diagnosed with heart disease, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, or continually told that they are "big-boned". The parents need to be educated. If they aren't listening to their doctors, the First Lady, or being shamed by society, maybe they will listen to their kids.
The obese children in GA, and nation-wide have already been hurt by their peers and others who do nothing to address the problem. GA might not be doing it right, if there is a right way, but they are doing something to bring awareness to the parents that PARENTS need to change what they are doing and bring down the shameful statistic of being the second most obese state in the nation.
Watch this video of one of the participating children in the ad campaign. She knows she's overweight and she chose to speak out. She's also choosing, with her mother, to make healthier choices. She chose to take her health into her own hands and is a role model, showing other kids that they can speak up and tell their parents that they want change. How empowering is that?
By the way, Strong4Life does offer hope, support, and education. Check out the site and decide for yourself.
For the record, I would be less upset with Mamavation if in the blog post (http://www.mamavation.com/2012/01/ashamed-twitter-party-and-petition-for-children-in-georgia.html) or in any of the myriad of tweets I had seen an open invitation to @Strong4Life to have a conversation about the ads instead of what is quickly appearing to be a flame war lambasting them for contributing to the shame of being obese.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can tell they want to shame Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta instead of having an open discourse about the real problem of childhood obesity and what parents can do to change their diets and lifestyles to promote health. I don't think any of them have researched the site or the campaign. If they have, they are clearly ignoring the clearly stated message and community that Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is trying to create.