Parental Wisdom Asks "Why Is Johnny Obese?"

Note: Charlie Seymour Jr is an Advisor to ParentalWisdom.com because he so believes in what this beautiful website does for parents and families. Afterall, kids don't come with manuals yet they need lots of help and guidance. Please be sure to visit ParentalWisdom.com.

Why Johnny is obese. Let's follow a day in the life of a nine-year-old boy:

Johnny wakes up and asks for a sugary cereal for breakfast because the TV commercial was so appealing. It was an easy selection for his mom, as the cereal box was poised directly at eye level of his three-year old brother sitting in the shopping cart. And there's a chance to win a really cool prize.

After breakfast, his mom drives him to school even though they live 5 short blocks away. It's just easier and faster.

While at school, Johnny no longer gets to play at recess. The school had to cut back since they needed more time for math.

During lunch Johnny eats pizza, fries, and a sugary juice, even though this contradicts the lessons he learned about the new food pyramid.

After school his mom picks him again by car, even though it is a beautiful spring day. Johnny doesn't want to walk home because he is afraid of the kids that often tease him about his weight.

In the car ride home, Johnny's three-year-old brother points to the fast-food signs signaling to his mom that he wants a snack. Even though the toddler can't yet read, he can easily distinguish the logos for Burger King and McDonald's. The toy prize given away with the kids' meal coincides with that great new movie they saw last weekend.

Johnny changes into his little league uniform but at the game, he spends most of his time standing in the outfield or sitting on the bench. The brief warm-up was the closet he comes to physical activity that afternoon.

When the game is over, the team mom provides microwave pizza and soda, which after all, is the fun in coming to the game.

Johnny has stopped asking if he can go outside and play because he knows the answer – No, it isn't safe. Anyway, no one plays outside anymore. Even if they did, they are so accustomed to organized sports they wouldn't know how to start a pick up game of baseball.

He eats his prepared dinner alone on a tray in front of the TV. His mom is putting the baby to bed and dad had to work late, again – it's ok, he is used to that. In fact the only time the family seems to sit down and have dinner together is when they have company over.

Later that evening he plays an online computer game which rewards him points for all the cookies he could dunk. When his mother finally lures him away from the computer he has a desire for milk and cookies, before bed.

If you can relate to any of these issues, listen to our experts discuss solutions in our Park Bench audio broadcast.

You can also see read about our experts, and learn about some wonderful resources by Discovering Free Reports and printing Park Bench – Are We Feeding Our Children to Death?

As always, we would love to hear your stories. Please send them to stories@parentalwisdom.com