Overweight Kids

By Dr. Linda Mintle
Integrity Publishing

Helping Overweight Kids

As a mother, I want the best for my kids. I will do just about anything to help them become the man and woman they were designed to be. However, in today’s crazy world of diets and excess, it’s no easy task to raise children who eat right and feel good about their bodies. But it can be done! We can raise healthy and fit children, and Overweight Kids will help you do just that.

As a licensed therapist in clinical practice, I have specialized for over twenty years in the treatment of adults, teens and kids with weight issues. Our country is facing an epidemic of obesity as more than one-third of our kids struggle with their weight. As a parent, you play a vital role in keeping your kids from becoming another statistic of this growing national crisis.

We begin with a simple but important question: “How do I know if my child is overweight?” The good news is that the answer is easy to figure out…and having an overweight child doesn’t mean he or she will stay that way. That being said, we don’t want our kids to go on diets. We want them to stop gaining weight and grow into the weight they already have. And while the climbing obesity rates have to do with your child, family, and outside environmental forces, you can become part of the solution rather than the problem.

When you raise a child who is overweight, it’s easy to feel like a bad parent or feel guilty for letting this happen. That kind of guilt isn’t productive. So instead of blaming yourselves, let’s focus our efforts on becoming informed and then decide what kind of life we want for our children and our families. No child has to be defeated by their size. There is hope. As a parent, you can establish an environment that encourages success. There are changes you can make that will make a difference. It’s never too late to instill good eating habits in your children. In addition, the connection between body, mind, and spirit cannot be ignored. Our faith can empower us to move forward, to be transformed.  As parents we shape our children’s perspective for what they believe and how they esteem themselves and others — we are their earthly foundation.

There’s an old saying, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. As adults, we know this isn’t true — words pack a powerful punch. Our primary job is to help our children feel loved, accepted, and confident in life. With this nurturing, a healthy body image develops in our children and they learn to find enjoyment and love through channels other than food. Please don’t underestimate the power of our influence. Parents are the biggest motivators — both through their talk and their walk. While the focus of this book will be to help our children navigate this developmental journey, we must be acutely aware that our talk needs to be backed up by action in our own lives.

Our children are the greatest legacy we have. Their health and well-being are part of the chain that connects us. That being said, the battle of the bulge can be waged successfully as our children grow in confidence and look forward to long, healthy lives.

Are you with me?

Excerpted from Overweight Kids by Dr. Linda Mintle.  Used by permission. All rights reserved.