Health knowledge made personal
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In approximately 30 minutes, I will have to keep a promise I made to my son that if he gets all 1's on his behavior report today, I will take him to McDonald's. His reaction to me when he gets off the bus will let me know if I should back the car out of the garage.....
Rewarding with food -- this is something that has been a part of his life since he began Preschool. He would have done anything for a handful of Cheetos or Cheeze-its. Unfortunately, that behavior has continued through the years and I have picked up on the habit here at home. Food in exchange for good behavior is something he looks forward to. But, is rewarding in such a way a bad idea? Many say that it is.... Marlene Schwartz, PhD, co-director at Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders says, “Rewarding children with unhealthy foods in school undermines our efforts to teach them about good nutrition. It’s like teaching children a lesson on the importance of not smoking, and then handing out ashtrays and lighters to the kids who did the best job listening.” I find her statement to be true. However, as bad as it may sound, I don't teach nutrition here. I cook all the meals and make sure there are healthy foods on their plates. Fatty foods? Sugary foods? Yes, we eat them, too. Obviously, since I agreed to his request for McDonalds. As a child, I was never taught good eating habits -- I believe this to be the reason why I never taught nutrition at home. Andrea Vazzana, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and coordinator of New York University Child Study Center's Weight Management Program verifies this by saying, "Research has shown that a child's preference for a given food increases significantly when the food is presented as a reward. Consequently, parents of children who learn to eat outside of meal and snack times, rather than in response to hunger, undermine their own best efforts to teach good eating habits." My son has enough against him. Compounding his problems with obesity (he is a bit chunky) and the health risks that come with it isn't something I want to happen. It is my desire to change this lifelong habit, but how? Upon doing a bit of research, I adapted a few suggestions specifically tailored to him: *Offer fun video games *Give Stickers and Special Pencils *Present Ribbons or Certificates of Accomplishments *Allow extra time on the computer *Purchase favorite cartoon on DVD (He loves Kim Possible) *Allow him to prepare meals with me *Let him watch TV while laying on my bed (He would LOVE that!) He just came home and just as I suspected...He got all 1's. He also came home with a sugary orange soda -- a reward, no doubt. Oh....This is going to be long and hard road...for the both of us. http://feeds.feedburner.com/MomsterTheScaaaryBlog.1.gif |
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Posted by The Empress ..