Too Worried About Childhood Obesity?
Submitted by bedtimebear2729
My husband's cousin has recently gotten on this kick that his children should not be allowed to eat more than what he thinks they need because if they do, they will be fat. He argues with us that he is right and that the fact that we let our kids eat another plate of food for dinner or a few extra (healthy) snacks a day is not right and that we are overfeeding them.
I have a 9 1/2 yr old, an 8 yr old and a 7 mth old and all three are in perfect health, and though my 8 yr old is short for her age, all three are right at 50th percentile in their weight. We believe that if they eat everything on the plate we fix them for dinner and they want extra because they are still hungry, they should have it. Our cousin, on the other hand, says that he will fix his kids the same amount of food on their plate that he fixes himself (which at times is not much), and if they finish all of it and are still hungry, they are not allowed anymore food period.
To me, kids have higher metabolisms than most adults and therefore burn more calories than we do and need extra to suffice. I have asked my children's pediatrician and she says that all three are just perfect; they are not overweight or underweight and that our cousin does not know what he is talking about. Our cousin just says that we take our kids to a dumb doctor who has no idea what she's talking about. Mind you, three weeks ago his kids were allowed seconds if they were still hungry and he has just changed this since he "saw something on TV about overfeeding children into obeisity."
I grew up being allowed to eat anything and as much of it that I wanted, especially if I was hungry, and I never even gained any weight until having kids. I was three months pregnant and still wearing a size 0!! Am I wrong for thinking that he himself is in the wrong and will be hurting his kids in the long run????!!! I mean, isn't there a difference between feeding children when they are hungry and feeding children because you don't think they've had enough? NTM both his kids are 11 and 6 and tiny. His 11 yr old was wearing clothes that fit a 24 mth old up until she was like 8!!!
I have a 9 1/2 yr old, an 8 yr old and a 7 mth old and all three are in perfect health, and though my 8 yr old is short for her age, all three are right at 50th percentile in their weight. We believe that if they eat everything on the plate we fix them for dinner and they want extra because they are still hungry, they should have it. Our cousin, on the other hand, says that he will fix his kids the same amount of food on their plate that he fixes himself (which at times is not much), and if they finish all of it and are still hungry, they are not allowed anymore food period.
To me, kids have higher metabolisms than most adults and therefore burn more calories than we do and need extra to suffice. I have asked my children's pediatrician and she says that all three are just perfect; they are not overweight or underweight and that our cousin does not know what he is talking about. Our cousin just says that we take our kids to a dumb doctor who has no idea what she's talking about. Mind you, three weeks ago his kids were allowed seconds if they were still hungry and he has just changed this since he "saw something on TV about overfeeding children into obeisity."
I grew up being allowed to eat anything and as much of it that I wanted, especially if I was hungry, and I never even gained any weight until having kids. I was three months pregnant and still wearing a size 0!! Am I wrong for thinking that he himself is in the wrong and will be hurting his kids in the long run????!!! I mean, isn't there a difference between feeding children when they are hungry and feeding children because you don't think they've had enough? NTM both his kids are 11 and 6 and tiny. His 11 yr old was wearing clothes that fit a 24 mth old up until she was like 8!!!
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