It's sad, but many parents today are ill equipped to understand what constitutes and to provide healthy meals for their children.

Too true !

All it takes is an active after school
program at a church with a certified kitchen and a willing safe serve accredited teacher to open the door.

Remember Home Economics that was offered as an elective in High School? That was to prepare them for the future...
They took that out about the time they removed cursive writing. So they now can't read or feed themselves...

Shaking head.

My kids cannot read letters and cards from Grandparents.I did start teaching them theur signature but its an odd combo of cursive and printed.

Cursive is a secret code that the young can't crack.

And for the same group, a stick shift on your car is a theft prevention device.

------

Too much of what we eat now comes from a box or bag with way too many non-essential, Frankenfood ingredients in it.

And since they have at least this country believing that fat is bad, there is too much sugar. After all, the flavor is either in the sugar or fat. Take out one, you need the other.

But we can't cure the world, just take care of our own loved ones.

Bob

My kids ate calves liver, scallions, bacon and browned beef fat to start off their dinner spree.

And a batch of cookie dough made of 5 ingredients: sugar, flour, butter, eggs, almond extract. To share with their schoolmchums.

I lived there from 8-19 and never got used to it. Combined with the humidity, it slammed my pores shut. This caused all kinds of skin problems which didn't clear up until I moved to more temperate climates. Now, I'm in an arid Alpine climate, where summers are no more than 75, and which can go down to 40 below, without wind chill. And I'm so much more comfortable. Cold doesn't bother me.




I raised children on Long Island during the 80's, and they have such a rabid sports culture I was once shunned at the office, for a whole day, because I said I wouldn't force them.

To each their own.

IMO anything under 70F is too cold for man or beast

I think some of us are designed for different climates....Im thick and heavy built like Swedish grandfather. Cold doesnt bother me.

My youngest has become a sport fanatic. Got it from school. DH doesnt watch pro sports, nor do I. Always kept my boys on second or third string teams. To play for fun and exercise. The coaches were not win win win but about technique and effort, working together. My youngest son can play all soccer positions, but is usual put close to goal as a defense player. The defense talk to each other and cover each other. He doesnt care about being the one to get the goal, but is happy when he does. He is a team player and lives to win. He is in the dumps if team doesnt win, but shakes it off. His brother didnt let losing bother him. His whole team walked off field happy even if they lost, knowing they tried. Their last season together, they took the championship ---- at their second, third string level.

Good learning experience.

Team sports are an excellent learning experience. Usually, it's the child who determines her/his passion and should be allowed to follow it within reason. The trend in all sports today is to achieve the highest level possible whether in a team sport or tennis or anything else. Sometimes our priorities get distorted and often there are parents pushing kids as a contributing factor. I sometimes have observed that certain parents want to re-live their lives through their childrens' sports accomplishments because they never experienced that success themselves or were never very good athletes. Usually, the parents who had success and satisfaction participating in kid's sports are the ones with the most realistic expectations and allow their children space in the experience.

Of course, I've witnessed parents with the same attitudes about their childrens' schooling. It's a very competitive society.

Now, to come full circle, 1 in 5 children being pre-diabetic requires intervention, and sports or other outdoor activities are a positive factor, but at the end of the day, our collective knowledge about how to establish a healthy lifestyle is likely to have more of an influence than anything else.

I have encouraged my kids but not the pushpushpush.....they will not get into top tiered colleges. The top junior of the class of 2019 wont be going either.... she committed suicide. But I hope my boys will have happy, healthly lives and find sucess thru other tracks, even if that is second or third tiered schools.

I usually have to pull myself back, know when to push , when to back off. They are both capable of more than they do but at what price ... ?

Their food is the same issue. Pizza is synonomous with Boy Scouts. NO traditional junk at home, but bread still plays a role. Youngest son and class having a bbq with gamburgers and nacaroni salad. My boys eat better than most kids but is it enough...

You can't imagine how some of these parents pressure their kids to excel in sports. They hire trainers.
I've seen bribery twice. Once to a coach for my DS's football team and the coach later called it a donation but it was done in secrecy and this Dad did it on two teams. Everybody knew, it was a bribe.. His DD and wife would stalk my naturally athletic DD1 at events to see what her scores were and the girl would cry if my DD had better scores... Same family, what is wrong with these people??
Then there was the girl who got on the track team with DD1 and she did not have the time to make the team, but again, her father bribed the school coach, no other explanation.

There's always cheaters who think they "win."

Yes and this is exactly what has been going on with college admissions. Those parents are ruining their children for life because they never learn ethics, or respect for doing it the right way.

These are the same kids that get into top tiered schools. Mom and Dad put in lots of money to push their child to the top.

These schools create connections.
Sadly, it still matters who you know to get good jobs.

Look at the endless line of parents showing up in the Boston courts....

There is no fairness.....the rich get richer. Nothing has chsnged. Actually, thee is LESS money going into supporting colleges....College costs too much when graduates cant find jobs after to pay back the loans. Or the salary is too low.

My neice is a gym teacher, and works Three jobs. She is the vegetatian.... that will catch up to her at somepoint sadly. Both she and her sister played multiple teams at the same time thru H.S. Her mom was there for every game and worked full time,too.

1 in 5 are prediabetic.... bet that is low balling reality.