Favourite Books

  • The Green Mile
  • Animal Farm
  • Lord of the Flies
  • Lord of the Rings
  • To Kill a Mockingbird

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Fat Kids Fast Food

As you all know by now, I am not a Doctor, a scientist, or really, even overly intelligent. I am a 56 (soon to be 57) year old woman, who has managed to survive this long, and learn basic facts that have allowed me to make it this far.
  I grew up in the times when, spoil the Rod, spare the child, was a common motto. My mother baked cookies (sometimes), we had homemade dessert most nights after supper. The cupboards had cereal (usually puffed rice in a ginormous bag) and tins of evaporated milk, along with that nasty bag of powdered milk. Many times there were a couple of cans of Campbell's soup, and the ever present tins of Kippers and sardines, my parents loved. The fridge held the usual, milk (if there was some in town) cheese, maybe some left-over butter scotch pie which was totally off limits to us kids, because that was for my Father. My Mom might have had a bottle of her wine in there, maybe some Cheez Whiz, and some yucky marmalade. We had a bag of sugar, a bag of potatos,a bag of flour and most times, home made bread. Not sure what was in the freezer, besides the hunk of ice that we would attempt to break off and pretend it was a popsicle(really, we did that!).
  We did NOT go to the store, unless we were sent there on our bikes to pick something up for my Mother.We did not have a pocket full of money, as children. Some friends got an allowance. In my house, my Mother informed me that each month she got money from the government (as did every single freaking family in the country, no matter what their income) called the family allowance. It was a set amount, and she told me that any extras would have to come out of that, after expenses like flip flops, or rubber boots. She told me there was very little left, but, gave me the option, a set amount, each month, or the opportunity to have a sundae at the drug store, each week, change for a comic book, and a few cents throughout the week. Even at a young age, I realized, if I took the allowance, I would have to use it for things I needed(wanted) that were covered by the $32 she got each month from the government, taking a large clump away from me. I went with the possibility of getting my money spaced out through the weeks and months, and I am sure it was the best choice.
  I can remember going to the Drug store , as that was the single store in town that had the good stuff. I guess they sold prescriptions, but, really, I wonder, as those were usually given at the hospital. I am not sure why it was called the Drug store... It had a bit of everything in it. There was a Soda fountain in the front of the building. In this section you would find all the stuff geared to sugar hungry children. The Pop cooler was there, the ice cream cooler was there, the comic book stand was on the other side, along with all the chocolate bars and other crapola.
  I was a comic book fiend, so if I got 25 cents, I had to budget. I could get 2 comics at 10 cents each, and a 5 cent Pep Chew bar. The Pep Chew bar was not my favourite, but, it could last a very long time, because it was so hard and chewy, and if I bit a little off, each time, I could manage to make it last all day, and get my "read on".
  Hard to believe, I would make a chocolate bar last all day now,but, those were different times. I was always a little heavier than most kids, maybe that was because I did spend an awful lot of time sitting alone, reading. But, the rest of my childhood was spent outside, on the move, all the time! We were never allowed to stay indoors. We did not have TV, so there was absolutely no need to be cooped up in the house, that was called" Grounding", and no one wanted to suffer that punishment.
  Now kids ground themselves! They make the choice to sit indoors from the moment they get off their school desk seats . The cupboards at home are filled with junk food. Chips are an everyday thing at home, pop fills the fridge, puddings, cookies, ice cream, it is in abundance. The children now, sit on the couch, and play their computer games, stuffing their faces with things that were in my home, only on holidays. Their pockets are always filled with money, parents will buy them anything their hearts desire, because they do not want their children to suffer without like they did.
  I am sick and tired of people claiming Fast food is making Fat children! No, it is the simple matter of a lack of outdoor exercise, and too much available junk! The lack of the word No in homes, the lack of control, and the lack of parenting. Yes, I say that out loud! To give in to children is not something positive. They are children, they will eat garbage as long as their bodies can keep it down. How the heck is this suppose to be burned off?  If they sat on their butts, playing computer games, and ate toast with jam, they would pack on the pounds. If they ate cheese, they would pack on the pounds, if they ate steak, they would pack on the pounds. I am not sure if they ate Tofu if they would pack the pounds on, as I don't know anyone who would enjoy eating a lot of that,LOL.
  Ronald is not dragging children in, to stuff Happy Meals down their throats, to force them to gain weight. The person in control of where those children eat, is the one allowing this food to enter those young bodies. Likely, either because they are too tired or lazy to cook a meal at home, they are rushed, and it is simple, or they simply do not want to say NO to the kids. All of which are definitely not in the control of the Fast food giants. They are simply profiting greatly. Do we make government stop this? Cripes, this is what the country is built on! If we go about stopping restaurants, what is next?  Swimming pools, because children may drown? Hockey games, because children may get injured ? Bikes, because an accident could happen! Get a grip, people!! 
  The solution is simple, just use Common Sense!!! Say no!! Drive by, go to the local market, buy some good food, take it home, and feed your children something good, and then send them outside to burn the damn stuff off!! Turn the computers off for a few hours, give them a ball and bat, a skipping rope (just realized, you never see that anymore) hop scotch, hide and seek, Red Rover, Mother May I, all things that do not cost an arm and leg, all things kids do in a social group (that they actually can see).
  Being a good parent does not mean giving in to everything your child wants, it is teaching them that in the real world, often the word "No" occurs.We can't always get what we want, sometimes we should simply learn, it is acceptable to get what we need.

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