Childhood obesity is a sign of shame in our hoods. And it weighs on my heart just how much we are ignoring the issue, as if we don't even see it. We allow our young people to stuff their emotions down Flamin Hot Cheeto bags and eat away their insecurities, to the point of where they're insecure.
And we watch, we criticize, we point fingers at the local schools for their bogus excuses of lunches, get mad at our aldermen and mayors of neighborhood food deserts...and our kids fall to the waist side; neglected and facing an issue that can dictate their lives and possibly, their deaths.
I wonder if it's sometimes our fault as parents for our overweight and unhealthy children? Is it our laziness that serves McDonalds for a late dinner as opposed to getting our asses up and cooking a healthy meal? Is it us to blame when our child dismisses vegetables the same way they see us dismiss them? Not sure who is to blame, but I worry about the health of these babies out here. Some of their bodies are on roads to destruction, and their only option to detour is mixed on a plate of food that's to damn greasy. We need help. Let's face it.
First Lady Michelle Obama and other prominent figures have called this a national crisis. You're damn right. It's national because it will impact all of us. Anytime our young people's bodies are in danger of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, prostate cancer...we need to stand up and recognize that we are all responsible. We are responsible for what we teach them about their health and bodies; and we're responsible for what we don't teach them. And like we should hold ourselves accountable, we should reassure that our young people hold themselves accountable and learn to value their bodies and the things that go in them.
Truth of the matter is, some of these young people escape to food because it's the most comforting thing they got to look forward to. A bag of 99 cent chips and pack of Now and Laters may just be what clears your mind before going home to a disfunctional house and to a disfunctional family. So let's be sure we're evaluating the issue thoroughly, because it came from somewhere. The root of childhood obesity is one that we may not like to be held accoutnable for, but we should be.
Our kids are not forced to do much moving anymore, hell, not even in their gym classes. Since the days of internet surfing, reality television and video games...their leisure is not guaranteeing good health. Most of their entertainment involves sitting down and most of that involves snacking, mostly on empty calories that are either causing extreme weight gain, and/or health issues. And we know the diseases that plague our hoods and the futures of our young people. Yet, we still sit back and watch the severity of childhood obesity, complain about it... and do nothing.
Not sure about other adults out here, but I'm not willing to lose future generations to Little Debbie honey buns, double cheeseburgers and large fries. They don't deserve to go out like that. We don't deserve to witness it. We can all do better. And when we know better, we do better.
Love,
Vee
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