WARNING...this post is dreadfully long and full of venting, it isn't warm and fuzzy. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
I am so hoppin' mad about this little book my 7 yr. old brought home yesterday! Seriously, I lost sleep last night over it! My poor neighbor was roused out of bed at the butt crack of dawn to me wondering if I was over reacting. She said I should blog about it...so here goes...
Now I want you all to know that this is a sensitive subject for me. I am heavy, I actually weigh more right now that I did nine months pregnant with any of my kids. Believe me, I DO know why, I eat the wrong stuff, too much of it and sewing doesn't burn many calories. Do I wish I was smaller? You bet! Do I convince myself that I am just fine? Absolutely! Do I die every time I see a pic of me? Yup. Am I doing anything about it right now? Not really. Do I consider myself morbidly obese? No. Do I still participate in my active families lives? Very much so. Dieting however isn't for me, lifestyle changes is what I'm looking for.
What I do not need is my little man Jack telling me that I should go on a diet (oh yes he did!). Why did he tell me that you ask? This book has something to do with it. Please read along...
Note the cover...mom looking miserably at the "healthy" salad she obviously feels resigned to eating. First thing, why are they using the word "Diet"? I have two little girls (who luckily will not have my genetic tendency for being heavy), we don't use the word "diet" here. We use the words, healthy, beautiful, active...I'm sure you get the idea. I am very careful when talking about weight in this house. My mom (bless her heart) wasn't, she still isn't. I was weighed everyday when I was 13 for a period of time and I wasn't overweight at all. I also grew up in the era of "there are starving children in Ethiopia, you finish your plate then lick it clean". My mom was "chubby" growing up and it really bothered her. She was bound and determined to make sure I didn't suffer the same fate. To this day, I have anxiety when my mom sees me, isn't that sad? I know she means well, but really, I don't need to be asked if I have considered lap band. Please understand that I love my mom dearly and none of us are perfect. I am certain I will and have made serious parenting mistakes that will come back to haunt me. 
This is the part that I ask "What the **ll?". Really? The kids are watching her on the scale? They are soaking in her face of discouragement.
Now here she is trying to button up her jeans. Notice the dialogue. Have you ever had this conversation with your children? Nope, me neither. My husband, yes. My friends, yes. Sister, yes.
Now here is poor mom feeding her family a very balanced diet of....lettuce and tomatoes. I'm sure these kids are really getting the whole eating healthy concept now. Even better, they are so excited about it!
Forlorn boy being told he's going to eat parsley, carrots and fish. Hey, at least there is some protein in there. Carrots are good too, but parsley? Really? One word...yuck.
Umm...yeah. You don't even want to know what I have to say about this page.
Ah hah moment! Mom is divorced! That's why she has to talk about her body image issue with her small children, because she certainly doesn't have friends or sisters. Dad of course is "Disneyland Dad" with that yummy looking cake in the fridge. Mom has obviously been on lots of diets, because dad seems to smuggly know all about it.
On the scale everyday? Really? That's scary, how much do these kids think a person can lose in a day? Look at her face. How sad that the kids are portrayed to be her counselor.
Uh oh...mom crashed and burned on her "diet". Bet that's happened before. Now they can really be "happy", spaghetti is on the table and mom isn't so sad anymore. They love their "cuddly momma". My kids love their fluffy momma too :o)
And this is how we end the book all about eating healthy, having a healthy body image and having confidence in who we are. Mom eating a donut, so that in month or so, she can start this whole thing again. I wonder at what point her daughter will start to mimic her antics?I am really sorry to post about this here, it's kind of a downer. What do you think? Can we talk about this? I realize it's only a book, but really to me it's disturbing that my child and other children have been sent home this garbage, especially all those little girls. I understand that obesity is a real problem in our society. In our house we have good food and right next to it there is junk, that may not be the way you do it in your house but at the Parry home that's exactly what you'll find in my pantry. In my experience the kids that are denied so called "junk" binge the minute mom isn't looking. There are kids in my neighborhood who come to my house just to eat. I can have a bag of M&M's sitting out all week and my kids won't touch it because it isn't off limits. However, I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought a 7.99 bag of clementines (yikes!) and guess what? As of this morning, they are gone, all twenty something of them. My kids are very active, they play all sports and they really aren't interested in the Wii that we own. They eat fruit, vegetables and yes, candy too.
So what's my problem? Geez, where do I start. I like food. I have 7 kids that are running nonstop from the minute they walk thru the door. I really don't like to exercise. I am not as organized as I should be. My grandparents are heavy. Blah, blah, blah. Basically, I just am not willing to make the changes that I need to make right now. My husband lost a little over 100 pounds almost 10 yrs. ago. He just got tired of being heavy and decided to change. It took a long time, he didn't take pills, shots or have surgery (I don't think there is anything wrong with those things if one chooses to use them). He simply got up one morning went running, puked his guts out when he got home and quit eating sugar. That's it. He didn't watch protein, carbs or fat...just sugar. Food is nothing but fuel to him and because of that he's kept it off. So until I am willing to do that, no "dieting" for me. Been there, done that, didn't work. Sorry for my vent, but really I laughed, fumed and then cried when I read this book. I just don't know what to do with this situation.
What do you think? How should I handle this with the school? I don't want to make an idiot of myself, am I just overly sensitive or is this book what I perceive it to be? Seriously, your thoughts are valued and I consider you all my friends and I want to know what you really think.
XOXO,
Shasta
