Should Childhood Obesity Be Blamed on the Parent?

Should Childhood Obesity be Blamed on the Parent?

The rise in childhood obesity is in most cases the fault of the parent(s).   In most of those occurrences parents are only trying to please their children.   Many times however it is due to the parents inability to make time for healthier lifestyle choices, and it’s faster to eat off the dollar menu at the local McDonalds.   There is also the fault of the parents in choosing unhealthy lifestyles, and because parents should be leading by example they are leaving the idea of unhealthy eating as okay in the minds of their impressionable Children. Unfortunately Children are dependent on their parents for guidance and the necessities for living.
Nowadays parents are working two or more jobs to get by in this economy, and the numbers continue to rise. For example in Tarrant County, Texas the statistics show an increase in parents working multiple jobs from 67% to 70% in one year (Star-Telegram). One parent working is hard enough, but both parents having busy schedules, usually they come home tired. When the children get home to exhausted parents, often time it is a quick and easy meal that awaits them (Code for fast food, or easy meal choices such as frozen dinners). Fast food is also a quick and easy way to get the most bang for your buck. The dollar menu at McDonalds is an expedient way to get the Children fed, while still making it home to take a hot shower and bypass a pile of dirty dishes. Parents forget the need to prioritize their children first in order to avoid a constant run through the drive through after work.
Many times a person can take a walk through their local mall or wal-mart and see an overweight child with a bag of chips in one hand and a soda in the other. The sad part is this isn’t a once-in-a-while type of occurrence. The even sadder part is the fact that often times you see a parent exhibiting the same type of behavior. It’s hard to say to a child “Don’t eat that” when a parent is sitting...