Because then I hesitate to post, because I want to be sure I'm being as honest with myself as possible, so I put it off to think about it, then life intervenes--business trips, family trips, taking a kid to college, and a little back spasm.
But this is not so hard to answer.
There was a long, intermediate period between "he'll grow into it" and "we must take this more seriously." I would notice how heavy he was getting, fret about it, look for an answer, then put it aside. I mean really, I would feel, especially in the middle of the night, like I'd really failed my child. It was awful. It's a lot of why I want to write this blog.
Giving straight answers, but not wanting to create failure. That's the tightrope. If I could go back to the first "Mom, am I fat?" question I would give him some height/weight numbers, introduce him to the BMI, but make very clear that we're all going to work on being healthier. We're going to watch what we eat and we're going to get more exercise. I think it would be a bit like walking a tightrope - not overemphasizing the goal, but really commiting to the project - but I think the possibility of "failure" could be avoided. We are walking that tightrope here at this very moment and will continue to. As parents we're totally committed to this program and are finding it easy. Bob has lost 15 pounds and I've lost nearly 20. It's not as easy for Matthew, but he's committed.
My neighbor's pediatrician informed her at a well-child checkup this summer that her six-year-old daughter was obese. The girl is as cute as can be, and seems minimally chubby. My neighbor didn't even consider giving the news to her daughter, because the girl has no awareness or being overweight whatsoever. What the mom did, though, was gently and gradually say no to the requests for juice, the desserts, and she increased exercise in her whole family. She has one beanpole daughter and two who love to eat. I think she took the right approach, and I wonder if I would have done the same if my pediatrician had brought out the "O" word when Matthew was that young.
How's it going with Sadie?
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I've not posted recently either due to that feeling I referred to in the post: wait, this isn't just something you do and then it goes away! I've felt like "what is there to say"...this is just one long journey of thinking about everything that goes into your mouth". It creates the sense of unsurmountablility...is that a word? I need to get to "sustainability" on this issue in my life.
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