Building a Better Jay

I truly feel that the world went to hell when people stopped spending time with their kids.  Most of my friends and relatives that have children also have both parents working.  That means their children get a few hours each day with them to develop a relationship.  That also means that there is precious little time spent teaching children certain things, like how to cook good food (both appetizing and nutritious) or even what good food is.  For example, I know of certain children who prefer McFastFood to anything else on the planet, except perhaps handfuls of any sort of candy or sweet.  I think that the lack of time spent between a Mom & Dad and their child(ren) results almost directly in poor eating habits.

No, I have no studies to back this idea up.  However, I do have some anecdotal evidence.  My wife stays home with our son.  I love her for it and I know how difficult it is.  She takes time at each meal to make sure he is getting vegetables, fruits, good carbs, good fats, and a protein source.  My son was recently offered some McFastFood and absolutely refused to eat it.  Even at this age (just under 2), healthy choices can be taught.  He prefers whole grain breads & cereal, fresh fruits & veggies, and lean meats to their fatty counterparts.  He doesn’t eat candy and refuses to touch birthday cake.  I like to believe that has a lot to do with positive reinforcement and solid teaching.  So, why is our nation unable to stop the growing obesity epidemic?  Simple, we don’t have the time.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 12th, 2007 at 10:00 am and is filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.