Do we really need to do this? January 11, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Kids , 3 commentsI was glancing through the NY Times and found THIS health article. If you can’t read it, it is about schools sending home the child’s BMI and percentiles with the report card.
This is scary. I went to CDC and calculated Soleil and Luna’s BMI. Soleil is 15.5 (46th percentile), Luna is 13.6 (3.something). So Soleil, is good but Luna is UNDERWEIGHT. Yeah, so my child who lives on air and has size 4 pants falling down and size 3 pants are floods, but fit her waist is okay, but my toddler who eats as if she is a vacuum cleaner is underweight even though she is in T3 shirts (okay, she also has the pant problem, the size that fits her height doesn’t fit her waist).
I am from a stocky build. At 5′3", my calf muscles are THICKER than Jay’s are (he’s 6′1"). He is from a tall, lanky build. His genes are clearly more dominate than mine and the girls both have his build, although Luna will probably be taller than Soleil.
The question I have is this: Do we really want our schools reporting to us and our kids where they stand in the fight against obesity? In the article, there is the following quote:
Seventh graders traded scores during lunch periods. And more than a few
children, like Karlind, no longer wanted to eat, students and parents
said.
So kids are trading where they fall based on BMI and some children as young as 6 (the girl named Karlind above is 6) are not eating because of this score. Is this what we wish to teach our children?
How about teaching kids how to eat better and provide better choices at home and school?
How about making sure there is plenty of time for phys ed and perhaps teach all students how to stay fit?
How about teaching the benefits of healthy living instead of accepting soda machines for profits or having kids sell candy bars and popcorn to raise money for the schools?
This bothers me on SO many levels. I worry about what happens to my girls when they get out in the mean world that worries more about looks than on the person inside…
Delurkers Unite! January 11, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Life...otherwise , 3 comments
Hey guys,
Leave a comment, Say hello!
I would love to hear from you!
You don’t need to leave your real name, make something up like "Cap’n Crunch" or "Martin Black and the Trilobal Fibres!"
