If Only Kids Came with Instructions, We Could be Perfect Parents.

If only kids came with instructions, we could be perfect parents. Regrettably, there are no instructions and therefore no perfect parents. We try to do our best raising our families but the busyness of life gets in the way. The problem rests in the fact that sometimes we do not have enough information to make the best decisions. I am a firm believer that "when you know better - you can do better."

When a baby is born, we are so excited. Counting their fingers and toes, we ask the doctor if the baby is healthy and, if we are lucky, the doctor says "yes." We expect that this initial pronouncement of health means for the next twenty-one years our child will be well. But no one explains to us the important part that we must play, and we receive little if any specific training for the most important role of our lives. As parents, we consider just two possibilities - sickness and health - the spectrum in between is lost. We need to pay attention to the gray area.

A parent lovingly fulfills every basic need for an infant, and as the infant grows, he or she learns to do these tasks by mimicking the way of the parents. As mothers, when babies cry from hunger we pick them up to comfort them, speak soothingly to them, and feed them. It is an enjoyable time between mother and child. But some babies come to associate food as the comfort. Unless we expand upon this coping mechanism, this baby is destined to a life of emotional eating.

Helpful Hint #1:

Choose an enjoyable activity that models for our children how to cope with daily stress.

Try walking, biking, or dancing to deal with frustrations instead and include your children in this activity. Children copy what we do, not what we say.

Helpful Hint #2:

Ask your pediatrician what a normal weight range is for each of your children.

Parents are forced out of denial and empowered by this knowledge. No longer will weight be a forbidden secret, but a symptom that can be healed by the family.

Many pediatricians feel helpless dealing with this obesity epidemic because it requires intense education and assistance to put the family on a healthy path.

Helpful Hint #3:

We must teach that food is fuel. Similar to your car, we need the right types and combinations of fuel for our bodies to run efficiently. Good nutrition, or lack of it, will affect a child long after a parent is gone. We need to set our priorities straight. The brand of tennis shoes is not nearly as important as the type of fuel we buy our children.

Practice Daily Tips from Camp Jump Start 1. Walk tall and hold in your belly 2. Drink a glass of water 15 minutes before each meal 3. Put eating utensil down after every bite 4. Portion control by reading labels 5. Do not take second helpings except for veggies 6. Leave a bite of each food on your plate 7. Eat on schedule - plan your week 8. Eat only at the kitchen table 9. Do not do anything else when you are eating - NO television! 10. Eat only when you are hungry 11. Know hunger versus boredom versus cravings 12. Serve dressings on the side 13. Everyone eat "Kid's meals with healthy choices when available" 14. Drink 8 glasses of water everyday - carry a water bottle with you 15. Equal exercise activity for equal screen-time - television, computer, video 16. Do not eat after 7 p.m. 17. Do not reward with food - spend time together in an activity as a reward 18. Use a small plate 19. No soda or sugared beverages 20. Walk, walk, walk - take the parking spot farthest away! ***Remember that you do NOT have to be PERFECT to be WONDERFUL!