Untouchable

My husband has a thing for documentaries. I enjoy them if they are well made, despite my cravings for more base forms of entertainment. (Think Top Gear or Farscape.) He found one the other day called "Obesity in America." I think the subject matter is quite obvious, and the first half or so was quite informative, but we didn't make it all the way through. There reached a point where the documentary started discussing childhood obesity. At one point, there was a scene of an overweight teacher leading a class of skinny teenagers (I swear there wasn't an extra 5 pounds between the lot of them) on the causes of obesity. The hypocrisy seems to have gone right over the producers head(s). And the cause of obesity in children? School lunches, vending machines, video games, and commercials were all culprits. Bad parenting was somehow not an issue, and it was up to the government to fix the problem. It should be fairly obvious to anyone who knows me that this is where we turned off the show.

The government solution was so frustrating because I know for a fact that it is unnecessary. The school lunch is a no-brainer. I made it through 12 years of school bringing my lunch nearly every day; homeschooling means my kids eat at home everyday and I have complete control. Homeschooling also means they don't have access to vending machines, and even if they did, it would ultimately fall to me to decide where, when, and how much they could eat out of the vending machine. I realize that for children there is something almost magical about vending machines. As soon as they see one, they are struck with the wants: Can I have …? But that's where the parent comes in: No, you've already had a treat, or yes, it's okay this time. That's my job, not the vending machine company's. They didn't create the desire for junk food in my kids, although they certainly make money off of it, but it's my job to moderate or gatekeeper that desire and in the process teach my children self-control. I won't always be there to tell them no. At some point, they must be able to tell themselves no; it's an essential part of what separates adults from children.

So that leaves video games and commercials. Again, these are simple parenting issues. If you think your child is spending too much time in front of the computer or television, send the kid outside. Or sit down and play a game together. It's not the game's fault if you can't parent your child enough to apply some simple redirection. If they are seeing too many commercials, turn off the tv. Or better yet, do we what did: Get rid of the stupid box altogether.

It is possible to remove yourself and your children beyond the reach of the influence of commercials or programs you find offensive, and it doesn't take Big Brother to do it. You alone can make your family untouchable.