WTF is up with all the obese kids in DC?
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Anonymous
MIL and FIL are literate in their own language but are barely able to read and write in English. They raised three skinny kids despite working 90 hours a week. MIL would spend Sunday nights cooking things for the week. The kids all had free school lunches but MIL would always make sure they had something for breakfast and dinner before she left the house at 6am. It was difficult but they did it and never was it processed foods they were leaving for the kids.
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Anonymous
This is the crux of the problem, at least in this particular immigrant community. Beans and rice flavored with a little pork is insanely cheap, with some Target-brand skim milk and cheap mass-produced imported apples from China. Super healthy and most definitely available every day on an immigrant's low wage. But those hot dog carts and mega bottles of Gatorade (3 for $1), well, they're alluring. Slightly faster to the "table." |
Anonymous
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I've observed teenage girls on streets of Georgetown in hoochie shirts with bellies rolling out in the summer month - maybe girls were always chubby but now fashions have changed to expose the chub.
Personally, as the mom of two young kids not yet in elementary school, I'm shocked by how many cupcakes, ice cream and other treats parents in DC feed their toddlers. I'm horrified by people thinking "organic" potato chips are okay -- its still junk whether organic or not! I don't think DC is worse than the rest of the country -- or at least not the Georgetown area, where I think kids get a lot of walking in and aren't in cars as much -- but agree with PP that lack of socioeconomic access to healthy/expensive fresh fruits and veggies could be a contributing factor to obesity in other parts of the city.... |
Anonymous
I'm a mom of a preschooler and I completely agree. There was just a thread on here last week about a mom requesting 'juice' not be served at EVERY event. That OP got slammed for being insane for wanting to deny kids juice. Every single week seems to be a birthday celebration with those HUGE cupcakes. When we were younger, we had those small, regular sized cupcakes. Now, the cupcakes are humongous. What 3 year old needs that big of a cupcake? What adult needs that big of a cupcake?? |
Anonymous
You're right, I rented a small space in Woodley Park so that my kid could go to a good public DC school. I paid an arm and a leg to do that for him and to provide us a safe space in DC. I could have rented somewhere else for less and been in SE but had more money at the end of the month or gone out to eat more often but didnt. I said I earned between 30-50 so you are quoting my top range. I was/am a musician who gigs and teaches. At the time, that meant me going to rehearsals, practicing, or trying to search for more work by audition or promo materials most of the time DS was in school, picking him up and then teaching every day after school with DS in the house with me until 7 or 8 every night. This is working two jobs in my book - the difference is that I love what I do so I was tired but happy and I realize what a huge difference that makes. Keep in mind also that I did not get assistance in any way, no child support, and no health insurance via medicaid. I paid out of pocket for the both of us to have health care and had no benefits through work at all. People seem to not recognize that working mothers who are single and not getting assistance are also in a very difficult situation hustling it out. I know there are differences but I think there are less than you think. And still, I dont look back on this as a bad time in my life. I did the absolute best I could and my son looks back on it smiling so I do too...I think it is definitely worth noting that what I prioritized for my son and I DID cost us money - where we lived so he could attend a great school, having good health insurance - that costs money. But eating good food and paying attention to nutrition didnt break our bank. That was not the hard part on my wallet. It still isnt. BTW I am the same poster who early on posted about family of four almost five now living on 100 a week in groceries. I make 2-3 times more plus now have DH but I dont waste money on food easily because I still love to cook and do most of our food from scratch. Some habits just stick. |
What I said was that I had a hard time believing that a single mom who doesnt model good nutrition would change their ways if their lifestyle changed because I know people who make great livings who serve their kids crap. You have to care enough about nutrition to put in the effort and some people DONT, money or no money. Also, how is me working my butt off doing random gigs and teaching most evenings including weekends not working two jobs at a low wage especially on the years when I was earning more like 30 in my lower end of the range I gave? We arent THAT different income wise. I was doing something I love so maybe I was happier but even when I have had very unhappy times ( abuse, divorce, cancer and death of a parent in my care...) I fed my kid healthy food because I care about it. I can read and write, yes. I can speak the language and network to better my situation, yes. But are you then insinuating that all single mothers are as you described? Obviously if you are destitute and living day to day and barely surviving, using your crock pot to make your kid a healthy soup is the last thing on your mind. When did the thread get to be about that? My point is that people of all backgrounds and incomes are feeding their kids crap because they are lazy about this subject - that is why I used the word complacent. And so no, I still dont think you can pull the "I am a single mom" card and get off the hook for not caring about what goes into the mouth of your kids. Maybe you can pull the desperate, destitute and living day to day barely surviving card.
Anonymous
I'm the poster you quoted. I forgot to mention that my Pre-K program does home visits. Although I'm not able to visit every one of my kids' homes, some of my families have communal living and shared kitchens that let's just say aren't exactly conducive to cooking. So unless you've been in someone else's shoes and can offer ideas for positive change, I find it useless to make self-righteous statements about the way other people live. |
Anonymous
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Kids in our family our chubby until 3-4ish...and then they all are very tall later in life. We also have a few professional athletes in the family (both sides of the family).
DH and I are very, VERY athletic. He's a boxer, lifter, etc...I run marathons, workout 1.5 hours a day. Our firstborn was the biggest chubbiest kid...30lbs at one year. We used to get 'jokes/comments' from friends about how large our son was up until he was almost 4. Then they started saying 'wow-he's really thinned out'..did you put him on a diet. WTF?! He is now 6, the lean, mean...fighting machine...and, btw, an outstanding athlete. His 3 year old little brother is still adorably chubby-cheeked and rounded belly...but I know that will be only for another year or so. No fast food, nothing but water and low-fat milk. We eat extremely healthy. My nephews are 6'4", 6'2" and 5'7 at 18, 17 and 11...they are all skin and bones..and they were as big as my kids in babydom/toddlerdom. Babies are meant to be rolly-poly. |
Anonymous
lol, yes, yes, you did. Corn on you! |
VivienneJ
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| Lotta poor people |
Anonymous
| I highly doubt the OP was in an actual part of DC where most obese, chubby kids live. She was most likely in some touristy area where every one was NOT from DC. I am actually surprised at how FEW overweight kids are in my DC charter school. Like literally, in my daughter's class there is not ONE. |
Anonymous
| I was the first PP to wonder if OP was a troll. I have a BMI of about 21 and I exercise daily and eat mostly healthy foods. Most of the kids in my daughter's preschool are thin. The kids in our neighborhood are thin. Probably because it's one of the richest zip codes in America. (our elementary school literally has 1% of kids eligible for FARMS, compared to 80% in a few South Arlington schools.) I called "troll" because of the way she expressed herself and compared us derisively to Cali. (which has a huge hispanic population and a big poor one, so I'd be surprised not to see overweight kids there.) |
Anonymous
This. Did OP say where she is from? |
Anonymous
Great. Do they have a fridge? If so, that's where the tub of plain yogurt comes in, supplemented with cold cereal and an apple. Turkey slices. Target's Archer Farms brand of low-cost hard cheese. My idea for a positive change I guess would be mandatory nutrition classes, with government assistance being contingent on successful completion / attendance of the nutrition class. |
Anonymous
| Americans, as a general matter are really fat. They may be slimmer out west and fatter down south, but most of them could stand to drop some or a lot of weight. I know Europe and Asia are getting fatter, but I was continually amazed this year to see how much slimmer the French. Your average French person was downright slender. Even a "normal" size American is a lot bigger than they used to be. |
Anonymous
A "tub of plain yogurt," "an apple," and "turkey slices" aren't gonna cut it for every meal. As far as your second point, with so many people on food stamps nowadays, how's that gonna happen? |