An interesting article from The New York Times came across my newsfeed the other day title "Parents Should Avoid Comments on a Child's Weight." As I was reading it, a question came to mind:
It is mentioned that parents shouldn’t comment on a child’s weight, but what about other people?
In "Weight Labeling and Obesity: A Longitudinal Study of Girls Aged 10 to 19 Years," the researchers indicated that being labeled as fat at 10 years old by anyone was a predictor of obesity at 19 years old; the study does suggest that parents have more influence than people who are not family (Hunger and Janet 2014). Overall, I think the conclusion that could be made from this study (and I believe should be made out of politeness if nothing else) is do not comment on a child’s weight or, going beyond the scope of the study, do not comment on anyone’s weight. People respond to comments on weight in different ways and people are probably already aware of their weight. Some solutions for helping a child manage his or her weight were keeping junk food and sodas out of the house, having family dinners, the parents being physically active, as well as family outings that involve some sort of exercise.
The suggestions sound good to me on paper, but I’m curious as to how the child responds when they get older and have access to soda and junk food that they didn’t have growing up. I think that being able to choose between healthy foods and junk foods after not having a choice, the child would be more inclined to try the junk food and may indulge in the unhealthy option more often. I think the family dinners could be effective in helping a child to be healthy because of benefits such as promoting family togetherness, communication, and slower eating. I think that parents should let the child choose the family activity and encourage the child to pursue activities he or she enjoys. I grew up in an environment in which family dinners were the norm and I always had the opportunity to pursue what interested me, whether that was dance team, softball, a brief stint in track and field, reading, writing, music and much more, my parents always supported me in those interests and because I was doing things I enjoyed, it never occurred to me that I was exercising. One thing that I appreciate my parents doing would be how they approached food. My brother and I were never made to eat everything on our plates but we had to try at least a bite of everything on our plates. We did have some junk food and sodas in the house, but we usually chose the healthier foods and stuck with water, coffee and teas to drink.
I believe, even after reading this article and the studies mentioned, that parents should determine if it is appropriate to comment on their child’s weight and should have strategies to encourage healthy behaviors. I think that it would be inappropriate for anyone else to comment on a child’s weight because the only people who know enough information about the child are the parents and the child’s doctor.
