Dieting for Kids

I was torn when I watched this story on ABC News about mother, Dara-Lynn Weiss, who put her 7 year old daughter, Bea, on a diet after learning that she had gained 26 pounds in one year and was diagnosed by her pediatrician as clinically obese.  She wrote about it in Vogue magazine this month.

The diet is called Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right and teaches children to choose foods and gauge nutritional value based on color, rather than calories: "green light foods are nutritious, yellow light foods are eaten in moderation, and red light foods are occasional treats"

In one part of the article which the public found most controversial, Dara-Lynn talks about a birthday party her daughter attended.  Dara-Lynn and her daughter agreed ahead of time that she was allowed a slice of pizza and a piece of cake, however, when her daughter then approached the dessert table for more sweets, Dara-Lynn intercepted her and told her that she had already eaten what she they had agreed upon and wasn't allowed any more.  Sometimes this resulted in a "heated discussion" as her daughter argued with her to have more.  Some readers considered this public humiliation.

Bea started out at 4'4" (52 inches) and weighed 93 lbs.  I'm trying to visualize, so my son is 54 inches and weighs 65 lbs.  You can see below the child on the right:

I don't usually voice my opinions during Feedback Friday, but I'm still trying to figure out what the issue is here?  In my house that is called parenting.  Am I alone in this opinion?  I'm trying to picture my son above 2 inches shorter and almost 30 lbs heavier and not thinking we had a problem.

It's Feedback Friday...

Do you agree or disagree with Dara-Lynn Weiss' decision to put her daughter on a "diet"? (is "diet" the trigger word here? would you feel differently if the word "diet" wasn't used?)

Do you monitor what your children eat and does it matter if you monitor for health or for weight gain?

Have you ever had an argument with your child in public when you have said no to sweets?

Banning Happy Meal Toys - Feedback Friday

My friend Craig from The Constant Complainer brought to light a current issue that caused me to preempt my prom post till...closer to the prom. You understand, right?

It seems the La Times broke a story about lawmakers in Santa Clara County proposing to ban toys that are given away with fast food meals for children with a calorie count over 485 calories, such as Happy Meals.

Their reasoning is that these toys cause children to make poor dietary choices and will force restaurants to offer more nutritious options. Lawmakers believe this ban will help curb the rising crisis of childhood obesity by making fast food meals marketed to children less appealing.

It's Feedback Friday, so tell me:

What do you think of a bill banning Happy Meal toys to force children into more healthful food choices?

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