Is TV Making Our Kids
Fat?
By Sandy Baker
My youngest child often starts a conversation with, "Mom,
back in
the old days, what did you do when..." Sound familiar?
Take the subject of television. What
did we do before the
invention of the boob tube? How did we survive childhood
without
the all-you-can-watch buffet cable access provides
today? If I
remember correctly, I was a kid who had no problem
filling my
days with "stuff" to do. Most kids I knew
had a bike, or a pair
of skates, or could at least walk to pick up a friend
or two to
hang out together, enjoying each other's company. Television
was
reserved mostly for some Saturday morning cartoons
and the
evening news for my parents. Otherwise the set was
turned off.
For the most part, my childhood was
filled with activities that
required me to be an active participant rather than
a passive
bystander. Riding bikes and Friday nights at the
roller skating
rink lasted from childhood into adolescence. That
active
lifestyle was mirrored in our waistlines. Not that
it was unheard
of to be overweight until recent years. However,
the increase in
obesity was greatly influenced by subtle changes
in our pop
culture, such as expanded television schedules, fast-food
restaurants, and other forms of passive entertainment.
Obesity
and Type II (adult-onset) diabetes have risen to
all-time highs, and several factors seem to be contributing
factors; diet and lack of physical activity are at
the leading
edge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reports that
children
watch an average of three hours of television a day
and adults
four
hours a day. Dr. William Dietz states, "Almost
anything else uses
more energy than watching television. There is no
waking activity
that we do that burns fewer calories than watching
TV -- a body
in
front of the tube is a body at rest."
Is it the fault of fast-food chains
and television networks that
our children's health is in the state that it is? Or
is the
problem two-fold? I believe that the problem lies ultimately
with
our taking responsibility for the health and welfare
of ourselves
and our children. Would it hurt any of us to turn our
television
sets off just one night a week in exchange for a family
walk
around the block?
As parents, one of our biggest responsibilities
to our children
is to demonstrate healthy habits and lifestyles. It
may take some
getting used to, but over time, small changes in our
everyday
lifestyles can have a tremendous ripple effect on the
whole
family.
While writing articles on the side, Sandy aspires to
complete her
first book in the near future. In addition to caring
for, and
sometimes home-educating, her two very active children,
she also enjoys teaching private music lessons and performing
in local
orchestras. Sandy is the owner of two home-based businesses,
which she has operated for 13 years. She and her husband
of 18
years live just outside of Dallas with their two children
and
seven dogs. Contact Sandy at beautybyme@comcast.net.
