'Mom, Am I Fat?' Weight Issues Pose Challenges for Parents

Eating disorders are a dangerous and frightening reality. Parents are challenged to try and instill healthy eating to children in a culture that favors thinness but practices lousy eating and exercise habits.

In many cases, parents want their children to adopt eating habits far better than their own. There is no shortage of problems today from both overweight and underweight youth.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Americans spend more than $18 billion annually on dieting practices or diet-related products.

Media and fashion tend to glorify very skinny people. Celebrity women who gain even small amounts of weight are either ostracized or rumored to be pregnant. Men are not immune to “fat jokes" and criticism either.

First Lady Michelle Obama has recently taken on the cause of helping to combat childhood obesity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that the percentage of obese American children has risen from 5 in 1976 to 17 in 2008, the most recent data available. One in seven low-income preschoolers in this country is obese.

NEDA also reported that there are far more Americans battling life-threatening eating disorders than Alzheimer’s disease. New eating disorders are in the process of being identified.

Anorexia nervosa remains the top cause of premature death from psychiatric disorders because of the severe physiological damage it causes to sufferers. Millions of men and women in the U.S. are affected by eating disorders, and the number of children experiencing serious weight problems is continuing to rise.

Have you noticed your children becoming conscious or even preoccupied with their weight? Do they have habits that concern you? How do you help them develop a healthy attitude toward weight issues and diet?

Some of our Strongsville Patch Moms Council members share their thoughts:

Julie Lawson: My 5-year-old has commented on weight in the past and I just try to stress a healthy lifestyle.  We talk about exercising to keep our bodies healthy and to feel good, not for weight control.  And we try (this one seems harder in my house) to eat healthy foods too, again stressing the health benefits, not focusing on weight. I also make sure to not be critical of my weight so that my daughters don't imitate that behavior.  Sure, I'd love to be a few pounds lighter, but I avoid making negative comments about my body in front of my kids.  I want them to know that their worth is unrelated to their jeans size!

Dana Petry: My son is on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to weight.  He is not worried about losing weight but is worried about gaining enough in order to play football each year. He has already begun asking me to "fatten him up" with protein shakes and wants to know when he can start lifting weights.  The problem I have with this is that he is only 9 years old.  I do admit that he his very skinny and the doctor does want him to eat fattier foods but I am not ready to allow him to push himself too far.

As a girl, I can understand why so many girls are worried about how they look even at a young age.  If you turn on any channel or flip through a magazine, you are bombarded with young, beautiful girls.  It can be very overwhelming when you are going through such an awkward stage.

If you continue to set a positive example to your children by eating healthy and show them that you are confident in the way you look, I think they will start to realize that looks are only skin deep.  As always, keeping the lines of communication between you and your children will allow you to talk to the about how they feel.

Mary Canonico: I was very surprised when my 9-year-old son started making comments about his weight earlier this school year. He is very active in sports, eats a well-rounded diet and has maintained a healthy weight for years. I sometimes wonder whether comments from family members about how he was a chubby baby make him self-conscious. He occasionally asks me if I think he’s fat. Every time he does this, it scares me a little that he might be developing an unrealistic view of himself. I try to praise him when I see him make healthy food choices. I tell him that he’ll feel better physically and perform better in sports if he feeds himself nutrient-dense food and drinks plenty of water.