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DEL.ICIO.USAre skinny starlets on TV hurting our girls?
Entertainment Weekly calls out the young stars on the new ‘90210’ for being too thin and offers a scary statistic that some of our youngest girls are now worried about their weights.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the Sept. 26 issue of Entertainment Weekly, the magazine questions whether the skinny starlets on the new ‘90210’ are setting a bad example for the young girls watching the show. (Check out the article and photos of the girls here.) Here are some highlights from the article in the News and Notes section:
“Almost without exception, the young actresses on The CW’s spin-off are alarmingly thin, with arms that seem thickest at the wrists, and legs that look, well, like arms. As we watched Kansas transplant Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes, pictured, left) graze on a side salad as her lunch entrée, one question lingered: Are we the only ones overreacting to these skinny minnies? The answer, as it turns out, is no.”
“’ Everyone says television adds five or ten pounds, so if you’re watching and someone looks like they haven’t eaten in forever, what must they look like in person?’ asks a Hollywood insider who works with young actresses on popular series (nearly everyone asked about this subject preferred to remain anonymous)….”
” ‘I know in discussions at ABC and CBS that ‘too skinny’ is no good. They talk about it as a minus point,’ says the agent. ‘But at The CW it’s a different story. They’re trying to pull in the Gossip Girl audience and that’s the image: hyper-skinny models.’ “
It’s not a new trend, but it may be affecting even younger girls. The magazine reports that: “Besides, weight-related pressure is trickling down to the youngest of girls: The National Eating Disorders Association cites data from the 1990s in which 42 percent of girls in grades 1-3 reported a desire to be thinner. Says the association’s CEO Lynn S. Grefe, ‘There’s no doubt it’s gotten worse.’ “
In the ’90s, Calista Flockhart, Portia de Rossi and Lara Flynn Boyle were under scrutiny for being too skinny. Model Kate Moss is another one that pops to my mind. Currently, Keira Knightley’s weight is also under examination, with one tabloid claiming she’s only 97 pounds. And on “Dancing with the Stars” on Monday night one of the judges told Susan Lucci that basically she should put on more weight.
What do you think: Is the skinny minny trend one that crosses all networks and age demographics? Do you think the girls on the new “90210” and the CW in general are damaging to your daughter’s body image? Have you ever discussed the thin actresses and models with your daughters? Do you worry about eating disorders? Have your elementary school children ever expressed concern about their weight? (I have to say I do know a young girl who even as a first grader said she needed to be on a diet — which worries me very much!)
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By lakerat
September 25, 2008 8:02 AM | Link to this
Whatever, theses girls aren’t really thin it is a figment of the general population’s imagination. These girls actually weigh 300 lbs and should excercise and stay off the pills.
I have no friends and no one likes me so I don’t care.
By My3Kids
September 25, 2008 8:27 AM | Link to this
I think some girls could be affected by the skinny scarlets. BUT…and a big but here is for the parents to remind their girls that this is not normal and most “normal” (if there is such a thing) men like curves.
Most of us grew up in a time when models were even skinny than the girls on 90120. My parents taught me that not all girls can be this skinny…their bone structure makes it impossible. And parents can teach their sons that the skinny girls on tv they all drool over are not the girl they will marry and to look for someone with some meat on their bones.
The mind set falls on the parents about how girls feel about their bodies.
My oldest went through a stage where she wanted to be a skinny mini…which she already is. I told her she was perfect the way she was and that I wanted her to gain weight actually. It took her some convincing but she got it after a few weeks. Now that she is 14, she is like look how skinny she is…ewww. She has asked what she can do not to gain the lot of weight some of her friends gained since hitting puberty, I have told her to exercise and not eat so much junk like she likes to do. But her and exercise is like work and she isn’t going to do it. LOL!
She knows she is perfect and that is all she needs to know.
I hope I made sense here…I am suffering from allergies and a sinus infection.
By MA
September 25, 2008 8:32 AM | Link to this
My 16 year old daughter does not watch those shows. She is overweight but has good self esteem. She sings and acts on stage all the time so she isn’t worried about what people think of her.
By Lee
September 25, 2008 8:34 AM | Link to this
Actually, what is happening is that girls are getting a distorted image of boys. The ones on the show are handsome, tanned and rich. As such, these are the boys the girls expect to meet, rather than the high school boys in Georgia that are really here. It gives them a set up for disappointment in life, because the men thay expect to be Prince Charmings on a white horse end up being the regular guy next door who mowed your lawn, and who is named Bubba or Earl.
Quite a come down.
By MomMania#1Fan
September 25, 2008 8:41 AM | Link to this
No, TV image doesn’t effect our children.
We redicule the parents and growing number of fat little porker children who get bigger and bigger year after year. Girls who are 15 with gut rolls - some who look preggo when its just their belly expanding from all the junk they eat. Then you look at the parents.
We point out to our kids “look at that fat little Porky Pig and her idiot parents who let the kid sit in front of the computer or TV and eat and eat and eat”
If TV were effecting our children to be thin, why are so many kids just fat little pop tarts?
If you have a fat child, our family will ridicule you relentlessly.
By Jesse's Girl
September 25, 2008 8:44 AM | Link to this
I think yes…..they are way too skinny and they need a bacon double cheese burger desperately. Or at the very least some Varsity food! But I also think if we do our jobs as parents…we can undermind some of the issues this raises. I know peer pressure will always be at the forefront, particularly for our young girls. But if you do what I do….maybe it won’t be such an issue. I don’t allow more than one 30 minute show per day, per kid. They get to choose….and its a movie of their choice on the weekends. Its funny to hear them talk about being at a friends’s home and how the friend just wants to sit and veg in front of the tv. My kids don’t have the patience for it!! My girls do see the super skinny minnies…..but it hasn’t been an issue. And if it becomes one, we’ll deal with it as a family. I think it all boils down to your family’s overexposure to pop culture. Our oldest kind of freaked us out this morning. Apparently, yesterday she took a personality test to see what career might suit her. The results matched her with celebrities with the same traits. One was Bart Simpson. She had to ask who it was. She knew Madonna, Bach and Annie Leibowitz….but not Bart Simpson. I was both shocked and a little proud:)
By a complex issue
September 25, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this
Eating disorders are about way more than thinness. It’s about control, anxiety, difficulty handling life’s pressures. The entire family ought to get rid of all the snack food and take a walk together.
By Sarah
September 25, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
It’s almost impossible for young women not to be influenced by the media and the people we see in the spotlights. I did it growing up and I am sure many others did the same thing. I wanted hair like this person, a face like that one and figure like so and so. I think some idol worship is a rite of passage growing into adulthood. However, with the number of obese kids in the US today we do have a potential health crisis in the making. Too many kids today sit around playing video games, text messaging friends with little or no excersise incorporated into thier daily schedules. As a pre-teen and a teen I was always active in doing something physical, my parents amde sure of that. Parents should make sure their kids have a healthy self-esteem. They should also make sure they have enough phyisical activity in a single day to combat unhealthy weight gain. I am not so far removed from being a teen that I have forgotten what it was like for some of the bigger kids and the ridicule some took at school from cruel kids. Parents must make sure their kids eat healthy and excercise, just as you make sure your front doors are locked to keep out intruders, it’s your responsibility. There’s a huge difference between being a size zero starlett on tv and being healthy in an obtainable way.
By ConcernedDad
September 25, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
Maybe out of subject but forget the weight. I tried to watch this show with my wife (out of curiosity) as we both used to watch the original back in the 90’s and was in shock. Three minutes into the show, they show a guy ‘being serviced’ in his car before school. Of course it was implied, as the girl popped her head up from his lap, but not the type of stuff that should be marketed to teens. It’s OK to promote promiscuity but when you bring up abstainance it’s shocking??
By motherjanegoose
September 25, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
Will whoever is impersonating “lakerat” please stop?
By Jesse's Girl
September 25, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
SShhhhh…MJG. Maybe it will go away….especially if we avoid giving it ANY attention.
By Soon to Be Mom
September 25, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this
I think actress are damned if they are and damned if they aren’t in the weight department. Recently Eva Longoria was called out by the entertainment media for gaining weight. She is beautiful and looks much better than the rest of the Desperate Housewives cast. As parents and members of society, we esp. women have a duty to remind our young ladies that you can either too fat or too thin and establish healthy eating habits.
If we look to Hollywood to help us raise healthy children, then we have climb up a mountain rather than just up a hill . Use T.V as way to establish a conversation with your kids rather than just letting them watch it vacantly.
By FCM
September 25, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
YES—-It has been that way since Twiggy!
It is not just the girls, Susan Lucci is too skinny….did u see her in that short red dress on Monday? Cover those boney legs up, eat a sandwich!
As to Hollywood….when did you think they were role models? River Pheonix, Charlie Sheen, Lindsey Lohan (the drugs/alcohol part), Jamie Lynn or Brittany, Mary Kate or Ashley?
Raise your kids to be healthy and happy with themselves. First it takes parents who are ok with whom their kid is!
By Dixie Dog
September 25, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
Why are you focusing on the extreme? Eating is an issue with our children but there are more overweight young girls out there than there are super thin - just look around at your school or park. This isn’t going to get better either, fat girls at 14 are not going to typically be in good shape at 24 and probably worse yet at 34 & 44. Girls, and all children should be coached on proper eating and exercise and parents need to step up and set a better example. Really I can’t tell you how many parents talk about their perfect eating habits, working out for all of 15 minutes three times per week when really they just sit in front of TV’s and computers (and not just for work). WE are addicted to bad habits and need to focus on quality habits and our children will follow. Cook them a REAL meal at home instead of the drive thru line and go biking with your children this weekend. Sign up for a race or run with your children and work toward improvement. We also don’t allow our daughter to watch such junk on TV so that helps out as well. If she is busy with homework and outside activities then they will not have much time to watch such junk on TV.
By Vantari
September 25, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this
TV shows are the primary source of social and psychological validation for our children. What they see they must do, or else, they are “loosers”. These shows present beautiful young people, being witty and frolicking in a world of hedonism and wealth. It is no wonder that teens are the most frustrated people on earth, they can not reach their ideals. They don’t even understand that it is all a “suck” staged for them, a fiction created by scripted rehearsal and fake values. Tune out and get a life!
By med student
September 25, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this
You know what, Im sick to death of these shows which glamorize a lifestyle of utter oppulence, self-indulgence, sex, drugs and one’s worth as inversely proportional to one’s waist size! I marvel everyday that there are very few shows which highlight strong, ambitious, yet vulnerable young teens/20-somethings. I mean, where is Felicity when you need her?! I sincerely pray young girls don’t grow up believing that Paris Hilton or Nichole Ritchie are the epitome of perfection…maybe on the outside by society standards but definatly lacking in inner sustinance.
By Renee
September 25, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this
OH MY GOD!!!
Let’s lock our kids up in their rooms with no television or radio or anything! Heaven knows we wouldn’t want them to ever see a fat person, a skinny person or an ugly person. It could destroy their self-image and they’re not equiped to deal with that!!
Save my babies!!!
By Robert
September 25, 2008 11:17 AM | Link to this
Having girls watching skinny models on television is the least of our concerns. Most kids are wayyyyy overweight. If they decide they should lose some of that weight, we’d all be better off. Show more of the show!
By MomMania#1Fan
September 25, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this
That darm media ruins my children. Gotta get back to the good ole days so let’s copy the Talliban: no TV or media and just have them read the Bible all the time, locked away.
The same argument over “the media” was also said over the radio, rock-n-roll corrupting our children or being a Communist plot, TV and now we’re up to today…..
Sterilize half of the parents and that’s a good start.
By Blue Devil
September 25, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
I have 7 “No fat chicks” t-shirts, one for every day of the week!
By orlandofl
September 25, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
They’re just tring to come up with a story. National stats claim we are the most over weight country in the world, up from last year. If anything we are too overweight. Who are these so called “skinny starlets”? I can’t think of anyone who looks dangerously thin since the Olson chick.
By nurse&mother
September 25, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this
Med student- I agree with you exactly! (although I don’t know who Felicity is)
I tell my daughter that God made us in all shapes and sizes. I also tell her that if you eat when you are hungry and stop eating when you are full, then whatever size you are that is the size God wants you to be. I also tell her that she needs to get plenty of exercise (play time) to help her heart to be healthy.
Lee- I agree with you too regarding boys. It is a two way street!
We try to steer clear of typical prime time TV shows. Right now we are able to get away with TLC, Discovery, etc. I realize that this won’t be the case forever, but I will hold out as long as I can. In the meantime, I hope to instill values into my children. We also do not subscribe to magazine like teen mags, Cosmo, People, etc.
I found a magazine article recently that showed before and after pictures of celebrities before and after airbrush. I showed it to my daughter. She was amazed. I think that this had an impact. I explained that whenever she saw a picture in a magazine, she needed to remember that they have been touched up and that no one is perfect.
By MomMania#1Fan
September 25, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
Go to Europe: you’ll be able to spot the Americans from a mile away. Huge blobs.
Back to Theresa’s topic of discussion: I hope the media can influence this generation to slim down. Give young girls a phobia that its not cool to be Moo-Moo Cow.
By Looking for Thin
September 25, 2008 12:52 PM | Link to this
I haven’t seen a skinny teen age girl in months. When did it become acceptable to be 15 and have a gut hanging over your jeans?
Just who the heck is being influenced? Childhood obesity is at an all time high. Being thin puts you in the minority.
By DB
September 25, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this
The nice thing about not watching that dreck on TV is that you aren’t as easily influenced by it. :-) Outside of my husband and son watching football and soccer, I probably watch more TV than anyone in the family — and I only watch “House” or Law & Order reruns while I’m ironing. My daughter probably watches maybe an hour a week, if that. Not having the cultural references is a disadvantage when we’re playing Team Trivia, but otherwise … I don’t think we’re missing much.
When my daughter was a young teenager, I discouraged certain magazines — “Cosmo Girl” the prime offender — because I strongly disagreed with the messge they were putting out regarding self-image and self-respect. My daughter and I stood in the bookstore one day, and gathered all the teen magazines together and she discovered that all the covers had some variation of “how to get the guy, how to keep the guy” — in other words, completely focused on the luring and trapping of boys, down to “sexy” clothes and “alluring” makeup.
My daughter spent about nine years dancing before she decided to pursue music performance. Dancers, especially ones that dance 10-15 hours a week, have serious muscle, and for a while, it caused her angst that she wore the same size as her friends, but seemed to weigh 10 lbs. more. She finally figured out that muscle weighs more. I had a rather pointed talk with one of her dance teachers who made a crack in class that “if you weren’t a size 2, you might as well hang it up now” — to a group of 10 year olds! Augh!
By lakerat
September 25, 2008 12:54 PM | Link to this
No Fatties allowed!!!!
By snglemomof2
September 25, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this
The sad part is when you look at those girls and all you can see are there ribs showing through there skin. That is really dangerous. Does anyone remember Karen Carpenter? I tell my daughters all the time how beautiful they are. That being that thin is not healthy for them. Its ok to be thin, medium or even a little hippy, but as long as you are healthy and exercising eating right and taking care of your body then that’s all that matters.
By Joyce
September 25, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
As someone pointed out earlier, eating disorders are way more complicated than just diet. Food is just a control tool when you have an eating disorder.
By barter man
September 25, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this
My company goes out to find legal aged girls with esteem issues to work in the adult film industry. Right now the current craze is ATM which ironically makes them sick for a few weeks and they lose those unwanted pounds.
By nurse&mother
September 25, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this
Eating disorders are “way more complicated than just diet”, but it stems from a distorted self body image. These girls (and guys too) look in the mirror and see someone that is fat and ugly. I truly believe that media plays a role in this. Does anyone truly think that there were many cases of anorexia or bulemia during the late 1800’s or early 1900’s before the media revolution?
Kids today have all these images that tell them what they should wear, how their hair should be, etc. When they realize that they don’t look like Brittney Spears( barf) then these kids are too hard on themselves and are not realistic about what they should look like.
Then IMHO, these kids that are strong willed are out to prove that they can “make” themselves look good.
That said I am not saying that obesity is better than an eating disorder. I will say that it is extremely difficult to overcome an eating disorder. It is hard to change one’s mindset.
OK, I am now off my soapbox. I must go to work and do 8 hours this evening. Have a great day.
By MomMania#1Fan
September 25, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
Eating disorders are so small in percentages. The main cause is porking out and eating too much and not exercising.
Who is going to date these big girls? It’s going to be hard to date in the future.
By nurse&mother
September 25, 2008 1:37 PM | Link to this
Alright, one last comment before I go. What is so erotic about urination? I don’t get it. Sounds a little disturbing to me. Those that find this facinating,may want to go and see a mental health provider.
By DB
September 25, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this
Theresa, while censorship is often considered a dirty word, I think I would make an exception in this case to delete obviously provocative, off-topic comments such as some of those that have been popping up today. Of course, i’ve noticed that the same person has been on some other blogs with the same fetish, so hopefully it’s just a one-off thing, but if you were to delete this idiot’s postings, I think most of us would appreciate it.
By Jesse's Girl
September 25, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this
Here, here
By MomMania#1Fan
September 25, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
Yes, no more pee-pee unless we’re talking about babies and diapers.
By MARCEL MARCEAU
September 25, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
,.,,?.”“,. ?,?,.!!!,
By Joyce
September 25, 2008 2:50 PM | Link to this
My point was that the basic issue with many eating disroder patients is control. If society’s big concern were something other than body image, the anorexic or bulimic’s symptom would be related to that issue, rather than food.
By zoesmom
September 25, 2008 2:57 PM | Link to this
MomMania#1Fan - I do hope you were joking about making fun of people who are fat and allowing your family to do so. It is very sad to see that a Parent would allow this kind of behavior and let alone do it herself.
As a parent of a beautiful daughter, I teach her that we all come in every shape and size and that to be that skinny doesn’t look healthy, they look too thin. You can be healthy and have curves. It saddens me in today’s society that that is not taught. If a child eats right and gets the right amount of exercise, then what they look like (with what MomMania#1Fan, so elequently put it, a little pug on the stomach)should not matter. That is called post puberty pug and baby fat, which they will eventually loose once they grow more into their “womenly” bodies. I certainly hope I never run into MomMania#1 Fan on the street or at a child’s event because there certainly will be words if she or her family ever make any obnoxious comments about “fat” people.
By MomMania#1Fan
September 25, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this
With late teenage daughters we privately do ridicule the obvious:
Yes, we ridicule – a lot of people do. It’s a great way to educate on how stupid people are today and learn from their obvious mistakes. This is all private of course with my daughters and they do not spout this in public. Believe me, so many families do comment once they get in the car “OMG – did you see that?!”
By the real lakerat
September 25, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this
zoesmom -
Unfortunately, today we have had a “troll” on this site who has written many things today under other bloggers names - I even had one blogger with whom I have had differences take up for me, though I doubt it was the “real” person blooging at my defense - probably the troll there, too.
Hence, it is highly unlikely that what you took offense to as being written by MomMania#1 was not written by her at all but by the “troll”. All you can do is ignore it and hope that the person gets tired of making fun of some serious stuff - you can rest assured that most of the regular bloggers here do not communicate the way this person has under assumed identities.
Now, I will have to change my identity since he/she has smeared my name.
By My3Kids
September 25, 2008 3:46 PM | Link to this
As a normal posters to message boards and blogs, I typically ignore all troll posts. But, is it me or what…are there most trolls the last few days than normal? I really don’t recall this many posts on earlier topics.
@ the real lakerat…I am so glad to see that you weren’t suffering from multiple personalities.
By the real lakerat
September 25, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this
I am the most intelligent person on the planet.
You all wish you could be me.
By FCM
September 25, 2008 5:31 PM | Link to this
“Eating disorders are so small in percentages. The main cause is porking out and eating too much and not exercising. “
HELLO? Do you realize that ‘porking out’ is just as much an eating disorder as bulemia or anorexia?
Oh, I get it. Being too thin can be a disease. Being overweight is obviously the person just being lazy.
Yes, I am overweight. Yep I know it and don’t need you pointing it out. However, I can tell you that my disorder is very much as psychological, and hard to control as the ones that make you ‘skinny’.
I heard on the radio to expect 3 thigs right now: people to get too thin, too fat, and not enough sleep…all due to the stress that is nationwide right now.
I do know I react to some things by over eating. Yes it is very much a control issue.
Now, when you walk in my shoes of awhile you can know the hurt and pain…just like if I walk in yours. But Damn it I am tired of people judging me just because I am not a size 10 (let alone a size 2).
By diva
September 25, 2008 6:28 PM | Link to this
I don’t have kids, but I’m around them quite a lot through family and volunteer activities. I am also involved in theatre and film, so I feel somewhat qualified to respond.
As with any group of people, there are extremes, but most actors watch their weight by eating healthy and exercising. And they do eat- try working 12-14 hr days on set under extremely hot lighting and in a parka or outside in freezing temperatures while wearing a summer dress without adequate sustenance. Yes, on the whole they are thinner than the average person (which isn’t that hard to do these days), but they have to be- their body and image is their livelihood. But the majority are not suffering from malnutrition.
Everyone can discuss how superficial Hollywood is but be honest, it‘s a visual medium. We use films/tv as an escape and we want to see people that are better looking than those we see in every day life. Even in the movies that are based on true stories where the normally glamorous actors “ugly themselves up”- they still look 20 times better than the real person! We don’t truly want to see “reality.”
It’s different in theatre- there is usually distance between the actor and audience; and theatre audiences as a whole tend to be more artistically inclined and not overly judgemental of appearance. So, if this truly worries you, by all means- please go see theatre! (Yes, shameless plug since most theatres, especially now, are struggling for an audience.)
I’m not so concerned about the appearance of these actors as I am about the quality of much of the film/tv that is being propagated. It, quite frankly, is a good deal below mediocre. I’d be more worried about my kids thinking that the so-called “stars“ (along with the writers/directors, etc..) of these shows/movies actually have talent and holding them up as something to aspire to in that regard.
By new mom
September 25, 2008 7:27 PM | Link to this
I’ve been away today, catching up now…and reading posts where people actually are proud that they ridicule others.
MomMania#1fan, I’m really surprised that you would think there’s nothing wrong with ridiculing others because it’s done ‘privately’ with your teenage daughters. Do you not think your own daughters will be affected by your snide comments? Even if they are just as perfect as you think they should be, they will still be affected by the words you (as a parent) say more than any other outside influence.
And you don’t know what issues they may have that they are scared to tell you about—because they might be afraid you’ll turn your ridicule toward them. I hope not, but when you come across like that in front of them, you are closing down any chances of communication with them.
By motherjanegoose
September 26, 2008 6:10 AM | Link to this
Morning all…do we have some problems? I have not posted all week and someone posted under my name yesterday at 9:33 a.m. I am working in the Midwest.
By Numbers Guy
September 26, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this
With all the crap she’s pouring into their brains about body issues, it’s gonna be interesting when MomMania#1Fan’s kids pick up their own eating disorders…
Sad.
By the real lakerat
September 26, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
I am so much better than any and all of you.
My poop doesn’t stink.
By Amy in the ATL
September 26, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
I disagree with the comment that eating disorders are more of a problem now than in the 1990s. When I was a teenager in the 1980s, there was a lot of pressure to be thin, and most girls who weren’t skinny were embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit. This was a big problem, since even healthy girls who were at their idea body weight FELT like they were fat.
Fast forward 20 years, and we have the opposite problem. The average teenager is fat, and society is largely telling them that’s okay, and that they need to accept their bodies. That’s wrong, too, because being fat is very unhealthy. To add to the problem, most of us put on weight in college, after pregnancy, etc. So if you’re starting off overweight as a teenager, you are most likely headed towards obesity as an adult.
So while I certainly don’t condone ridiculously skinny role models, anything that makes some of these kids wake up and realize that being fat is not good or attractive may not be altogether a bad thing.
By nurse&mother
September 26, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this
Amy- that’s why I explain to my daughter that you should eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. I also tell her she needs to get plenty of exercise to be heart healthy. That pretty much takes care of both extremes.
I’m not sure the answer is to ridicule or shame children into eating less. I think the answer is to provide more family time outdoors and have less junk food available in the house. That is more of a parent’s responsibility than the child’s. IMHO.
One thing to mention (from the nurse) is that a majority of excess calories in many Americans’s diets is colas and sugar laden drinks.
By FCM
September 26, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this
@N&M I agree with you on the sugary drinks…My kids might get a single soda on the weekend…that is one can split between them (6 oz each). They rile about it all the time but water is always available for them….and it is standard at dinner. 1% milk at breakfast.
How is unsweet tea on the growing body? I would be willing to consider doing that during a snack or lunch for them.
The gorgeous weather AND lack of gasoline is a great reason to take the family on a walk.
By tired of rudeness
September 26, 2008 6:59 PM | Link to this
To Blue Devil You probably has a small penis anyway so it doesn’t matter whether you get a fat or skinny chick she will never fill it.
By tired of rudeness
September 26, 2008 6:59 PM | Link to this
To Blue Devil You probably has a small penis anyway so it doesn’t matter whether you get a fat or skinny chick she will never fill it.
By tired of rudeness
September 26, 2008 7:01 PM | Link to this
To blue devil You probably have a tiny penis anyway, so it really doesn’t matter if your chick is fat or skinny, she’ll never fill it
By tired of rudeness
September 26, 2008 7:08 PM | Link to this
To mom mania #1fan Your entire family have a low self esteem problem. I know this family, so all I have to say is people who live in glass houses should never throw stones. keep your mate close.