Stop Killing Your Kids

To the Editor:

You have all read, watched, or overheard the chilling realization that American children are fat, and obese. We have all been told it is leading to an epidemic of childhood-onset diabetes, and of course all of the negative social stigmas that accompany being fat. Like depression, drug addiction etc. So why does it continue? Because it is easier to give your kid a Coke, video game, and a Twinkie than it is to turn off your TV and go outside and play with him/her. I am only 32 and can vividly recall my early childhood years running around the neighborhood or riding bikes. Kids were all over the place, we shut down roads to race go-carts and to play baseball. Kids weren’t as fat then.

Nowadays, the front yards are empty, parks uninhabited, and basketball courts vacant. Look inside most of our homes, almost all of you have a video game console of some sort. I can probably take it a step further and bet many of your kids have their own TV and video game setup right inside their bedroom. Better yet, they have their own PSPs so they don’t even have to put the game away when they leave the house. Think about it. Hours a day sitting around playing video games, eating junk food, and getting fat and sick. It is not the kids’ fault.

I have been a health and fitness consultant in the Newtown area for about ten years and work to instill the philosophy within my clients that if you don’t have it in your house, you won’t have it to eat. Yet it is astonishing to hear parents tell me that their kids simply demand the junk-food snacks and sweets. It’s almost as though the kids are running the households today. This is part of the problem. Parents, we have a responsibility remember? Wouldn’t you rather your kids be upset with you today for depriving them of their carbonated soda or candy bar? Or would you rather they hate you forever because they are fat, lazy, depressed or perhaps suffering from some other dilemma which resulted from their nutritional and physical activity habits which you instilled in them?

With the limitless sources of information available at our finger tips via the Internet we really have no excuse for killing our kids. Here are a few quick tips to make some health changes that your kids will thank you for later: First, do not make drastic changes all at once. Next, lead by example and start eating healthier yourself. Let your kids see you exercise and be serious about your health and fitness. Set time parameters on video game use or make the use of video games contingent upon some sort of exercise or physical activity (like team sports). Go outside and play with your kids, don’t you remember that as a child? Good Luck!

Daniel R. Gaita

121 Dodgingtown Road, Bethel  April 5, 2006