The thread on the who should make the team got me thinking....

Do you think this is truely to blame on kid obesity? Do you think parents are just passing the blame to the schools or activities?

I think it would help a "little" to get kids more active. A lot of kids don't do sports because they don't want the rejection. So there is a little truth in it IMO. Not to mention, PE classes are slacking these days. BUT, parents play the largest role. I do think it is an easy pass off of blame. Parents are of course "never" the problem. ;)

personally i think everyone is to blame. not just the parents. for example i am obese for the most part my kids are normal with my oldest being rail thin. i feed them correctly and they exersize not just at school but at home as well.

if i had to pin point where my obesity came from i could .

for most kids i think their genes play a role in what their weight is like

also thefoods they expose their children to as well as the nutrition available in schools for the kids as well.

i personally know that in 2 of my kids have snack machines and snack lines available to them at school which feature chips sodas , cookies, candies and cakes. there are also pizza and french fries and a lot of other things offered at lunch that are not good for them.

so i say the blame is on the parent when they are at home and on the school when they are at school. i do not send extra money for snacks and pay the cafeteria for them to eat healthy lunches and they even have a block on their account for unhealthy items, and i still know that they get the junk or trade for junk with their friends.

no, i think good nutrition begins at home.

Good habits start at home-nutrition, exercise, etc. I know if Liam doesn't get any exercise at school at all he will still get plenty at home, and if they feed him crap I will pack his lunch. :shrug

The schools have slacked on nutrition in favor of revenue from snack machines and franchise food places, but if you teach your kids good habits and don't feed them that stuff at home, the chances they are going to eat it regularly are slim, IMO.

I think its both places... also they should stop offering Fatty snack food...
and those Soda vending machines.
Also for them to provide good tasting healthy food... when I was in school I used to hate even walking into the cafeteria... it smelt terrible and I would get sick to my stomach...
after that alot of kids started going to the snack bar... and in high school it got worse... they would go to the fast food places near by and buy all this yunk.

I think the schools do have a part in it, but it is ALWAYS the parents' job to pick up where the schools leave off. You can't just send your kid to school and expect them to be educated about everything. You have to teach them to make good nutrition choices (and not get mad when they screw up because they all do at some point) and also have to set a good example for them. It kills me that schools are starting to cut PE classes due to funding issues - I know that you don't need to know how to play basketball to make it in life, but kids DO need exercise. If they can't pay someone to teach a PE class, I'm sure that there are many teachers who would lead active games at an extended recess. I remember so many of my teachers in grade school playing with us (and supervising at the same time). However, the blame is not all on the schools, and parents need to step up and realize that THEY are part of the problem too. And so is that damn McDonald's with their tasty french fries and milkshakes...it may be time for a pregnancy craving run...

speaking ONLY on whether or not not letting ALL kids play on teams (rather than trying out) I do NOT think that is to blame at all.

There is NO rule saying that just because you didn't make the team means you can't play with friends (not on the team) outside of school... or with family.. or whatever. Being on a sports team or not is NOT the be all end all of childhood activity. I think blaming childhood obesity on not making the team is just a scapegoat for a much bigger problem...

... which brings me to speaking on a broader subject. I think parents AND school are to blame for childhood obesity. parents aren't playing enough with their kids... or not making sure their kids play enough with friends, other family, a big brother/sister from that program... etc etc. parents aren't making sure children get a balanced diet of the right amount of calories of "good" food and not "bad" food. schools are taking away gym class and even recess. schools aren't doing their best to provide healthy balanced lunches. parents aren't making sure kids get a lunch from home if the school is dropping the ball on hot lunch. too many parents allow too much tv and video games and not enough outside time.

when it comes down to it, NOT making the team will NOT make you obese. it is everything ELSE that will.

What is the point of sports if not rejection? If everyone plays.... there is a loss of exclusivity. It is mean to say for sure. But that is what sports are all about.

Obesity is a lot of problems coming out at once. It is parents' fault, kids' fault, society and television. I swam on a team from 5-19 and did it competitively and never had a weight problem, once I stopped swimming so much I had to re-learn how to eat properly.
People should take responsibility more often

Obesity percentages have risen over the last few years. As our technology advances so does the rate of obseity in children expecially.

When I was a kid our only option was to play outside or play indoors. We didnt have video games. We didnt have computers. And we didnt have vcr's until I was a little older. Nor did we have cable with hundreds of channels etc

That being said. There are many things that CAN be linked to obesity. Some of it, in some people is medical. And not alot they can do about it. PCOS is a prime example. It makes weight gain easy and weight losing hard due to the way the body process's food.

The key is to make sure healthy eating habits are started young. This includes portion sizes, healthy foods, activity levels and the like. If it isnt medical then this will help. The thing is that fatty food is cheap. And with the economy the way it is, it is easier for parents to buy the crappy food instead of the healthy food. Also we as a nation are busier so it is easier to buy the fast processed foods

Should their be rejection in sports? Yes unfortuantly. But only to an extent. When sports are started young there is no rejection. Everyone plays. As you get older they focus more on competiveness and winning. And if an overweight child can play just as good then yeah they should be on the team. If not then no. They shouldnt. However I have seen more and more trying to get into sports and I think that is great. Just the other day I saw a young girl who was overweight iceskating. She was VERY good and could even do the jumps and turns. I was VERY impressed. Not only was she trying to better herself but doing an active activity that she was good at.

EVeryoine should be given the chance to try out or play tho. No matter what the circumstances....

I think it starts at home...Why do parents let their children sit inside and play all day...go outside!!ds is 7 months and he is taking swimming!

Parents Parents Parents. Give your kid an apple or carrot sticks for snacks. Cut out the soda a kid under 16-18 shouldn't be drinking them anyway. Cut out the processed food instead of poptarts (which yes I'm guilty of) give them cheerios or something. Instead of juice all day give them water.
If you teach nutrition at home it will follow through no matter where they go.
UNPLUG YOUR CHILDREN. Turn off the tv turn of the games send them outside. Take them to a park, go in the backyard and read a book while they play. Or GASP get up and play with them.
Parents are 100% to blame with obseity in children in this nation

The parents. Honestly being a PE major I have been in kindergarten classrooms where 10 out of 20 kids are overweight. This is how they come into the school systems. There is only so much educators can do, we only see the kids (depending on the school district) for 30 minutes twice a week. Rhode Island mandates 100 minutes of physical activity in school a week, to get around the rule schools consider recess in the minute count, the kids that need the extra activity probably aren't doing a whole lot at recess. That is not enough time to really combat obesity. Our goal is to get the children active and teach them things they can do for the rest of their lives to stay active. But if they are going home and eating crap while sitting in front of the TV the things we do and say are not going to make much difference. Part of what we are taught to do now (besides not just playing sports with the kids) is to try and educate the parents by sending home information about eating better and exercising, because honestly if no one taught the parents these things they won't be able to teach their children, and the cycle will be perpetuated.

no, i think good nutrition begins at home.
Exactly. By the time kids start school and sports activities, they have already established their eating habits. You can not blame child obesity on the fact that a kid is not on a sports team.

I think that a lot of it has to do with TV, video games, and computers. We had some of each of these growing up, but there were always time limits, and my parents always encouraged us to go outside and play. So, we were very active children, even if we enjoyed an hour of television in the evenings. We rode bikes, ran around the neighborhood, played games, went "exploring" (walking to new streets with older siblings), climbed trees, everything!! I think there's a lack of this sort of constant activity. We didn't eat sugar all day long, but our food wasn't particularly nutritious... we're a meat & potatoes kind of family, and I was a really picky eater, too. I think it was just all the activity.

On the note of competitive sports - I played volleyball in middle school and was on a B team, much like Dr. K's scenario and loved it. I was nowhere near good enough to join the high school team, but I participated in a community winter league - they took everyone, and placed on teams according to skill level. We were not so good, :giggle. But we loved every minute of it, and it kept me VERY active! No losses from not being good enough to make the high school team, you know?