Great Chitter Chatter - Stories from Loud Voices

It is well known that children follow the example’s set by the significant adults in their lives. Their teachers, carers and parents all have an important responsibility to set children the best example possible. So can you say that you are proud of the example that you set for your children?

It has been reported that many children born from 2001 onwards have a lower life expectancy than their parents. This is a shocking statistic. How would you feel if your child was to die young, of a weight related illness largely due to the lousy example that you have set?

Do you eat too much fatty food? Do you take little or no exercise? Do you spend too much time transfixed by the television? You need to start by being honest with yourself.

And then consider, how much time do you actually spend playing with your children. Are you so busy at work that you get home after the children have gone to bed? You may well have spent some serious money on fancy play systems and expensive outdoor play equipment but if you never join in with your children, praise them when they climb a rope or push them on their swings are you really performing a good parenting role.

Without doubt, the problem of childhood obesity is largely the responsibility of parents and carers, not the children affected. They are the victims of what some are calling the biggest crime of the 21st century.