Reply to WTF is up with all the obese kids in DC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]bingo!

And you were comparing yourself to - let's say - a mother of 15 yo who is illiterate in her own native language, working around the clock in two low-level jobs to make ends meet?  (I know several students who fit this scenario.)

Which PP said apples and oranges???

I wasnt comparing myself to anyone.  You are a kind of a shit stirrer but whatever:) 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.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was a single mom for 10 years before I remarried. I lived in DC with my son (5 yrs old when we moved) in a small apt for 5 years before meeting my second DH.  We cooked at home, walked everywhere, learned to love the metro, used a cart for groceries and made it fun.  I dont buy the single mom excuse card at all.  Kids mimick you when you eat or cook so why is it that now being single or living on a smaller wage is an excuse to teach them things that will inevitably harm their health? I know we all do the best we can do but we also need to prioritize better. I have a hard time believing that a single mom who excuses herself from modeling good nutrition for her kids would change her ways once she was no longer single or living with a larger salary.  I know dual income families that feed their kids crap and they dont have a problem with resources - so to me, this is not a marital status or income issue.  This is a complacency issue. [/quote]

What's your level of formal education?  No snark, just curious.[/quote]

FWIW, [b]I have a doctorate[/b] but I earned less than 50K when I was single with my son.  We lived in a small apt and were very very frugal.  I am a musician so having a degree means literally nothing for your income.  I am educated certainly but [b]only in music as I went to a conservatory[/b] so I have high school education plus the conservatory education which is very tunnel visioned.  Besides the limited income I was making as a musician doing my best with local gigs and teaching out of the home, I would have had to think about waitressing or minimum wage if I wanted to earn more money because I had no training in anything else at the time.  I couldnt do that and take care of my son. So we had very little. We still managed.  Some years I made less than others - anywhere between 30-50.  It was challenging at times but honestly, I dont look back on it as a tough time.  We were very bonded and we laughed a lot.

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Not to minimize your situation, but you had a few things going for you vs. the low income mother.  You made somewhere under 50K, which is 2x the poverty level.  You probably didn't have SE as your shopping area.  And you probably worked one job.[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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