On the road again...
Quote from WillRunForBeer:
I told Harriet about this and we were both outraged.
For goodness sake, what are we teaching our children these days?
I hope this really wasn't much of a fight, as the school should just say, "yes, you're right -- this won't happen again"
Quote from Bugs:
Lou thank you so much for your support. The teacher responded with "I rarely do this". She did not promise not to do it again, although I think she knows my feelings now. I'm still going after the principle having a policy on food-rewards. I look around and my kid and other kids are fat. I had to buy my DS bigger pants in the waist. What do I do when the huskies don't fit? Thank God this got my husbands attention, as you really need both parents on board to change eating lifestyle at home. I'm determined to turn the situation around for my son, he's just 9. When I talk to my friends with kids they are worried too, but too worried about their own weight, lacking time resources to do anything about it, or just plain feel like it is out of their control to do anything about. It's really sad.
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I thought I'd copy this to the new thread because it's a pretty important discussion and I hate it when those get lost at the end of a weekly thread. Check last week's thread if you want more background.
Bugs, when i first read what the teacher had done, I got more angry that it was done AFTER you had talked about your concerns. It's frustrating when you feel like the teachers don't really even hear what you're saying. Overweight children is def something we need to take action about, and it's encouraging to see you stepping up. I bet there are A LOT of parents at the school who are glad you are.
Ran 4 just now. Had an itch to run faster and am trying to incorporate more hills in the plan since my target marathon is hilly. Somewhere in the 4th mile I was hating myself for deciding to do this in the 90F temps of the afternoon instead of the 60F temps in the morning. Oh well. I didn't die.
I write. I read. I run. One time, I ran a lot on my 50th birthday.
Paul
I just commented about what happened at the end of last week's thread before coming over here.
I'm sure I will have more to say, though.
I ran 4 miles this morning with a friend. Felt easy and strong.
Good run, Paul!
Hope we all have a good one.
Good run in the heat, Paul.
Bugs, nice race and sweet prize! I'd love a $30 gift card to just about anywhere, much better than burritos (ick).
As for the issue of food rewards and overweight kids, good for you on stepping up and speaking out! Childhood obesity is an alarming crisis in this country and teachers who give donuts as prizes should be reprimanded. That's totally unacceptable. Any chance you can get the PTA involved? In our schools, that's usually the best way to get things done. A single parent, or even a small group, can make noise and sometimes get something changed on a local school basis. But the PTA usually is heard on a higher level, and listened to. The key is to make changes at the school board level, so the policy can be consistent throughout the schools and there would be repercussions for those who break it.
I've got another problem, some would say they'd love to have. I have two healthy, thin, muscular active teenage boys... who love junk food, computers and gaming. They're sleek and healthy now... but so was their dad at this age. Trying to impress on them that the gift of youth and a strong metabolism won't last forever is very hard. Just about impossible I'd say. They've got this idea (common in kids) that it won't happen to them. Their dad struggles with his weight now, and has knee and other ortho problems probably made worse from a few too many lbs and a job behind a desk. But they can't see the connection, and blow it off. Just mom being the food nazi and fitness nut again. *sigh*
And Kimmie, you've got a very real concern with trying to impress upon your daughters healthy eating and healthy weight, without tipping over into eating disorders. Girls are so susceptible to that (but so are boys, I know). I have a friend who never discusses her weight in front of her kids, but she's always dieting. Not sure that's the way to go, either. Just because you don't say it, they still know it's what you're thinking about.
Argh. As a society, indeed as a worldwide society (it's not just in the U.S.), we've got a very big problem facing us.
And we keep on running. I ran a lot on Saturday. I didn't run yesterday but got caught up on some laundry, berry picking and visiting my sister. A good day, and I felt good. Just very very hungry all day... Race went ok. I got a PR but paid a high price in cramping and other problems. But... finished 5th in the women so made the article in the paper, and 13th overall. Better placings than last year by a bit, and a 3 minute PR with time of 5:06:41.
Bugs
Erika,
Great job on the Ultra. Was thinking your marathon season was coming up. Congrats on another very difficult race in the books. That is amazing. Sorry about the cramping, that sounds miserable.
I think the best you can do is introduce them to lots of different foods, and keep the junk food at home to a minimum. I try to teach my kids what keeps them full, what makes them more hungry.. Right now I take responsabilities for his husky pants, but after highshool they are going to have to make lifestyle choices for themselves.
I think getting a written policy is going to be tough. Everybody is always resistant to a rule. I know these treats make-up a very small percentage of what the kids are eating, but school should be the easiest place for treats not too exist. And it is not just the extra calories, but the sugar makes you crave more sugar syndrome. I just don't think they'll be willing to have a policy without prooving it is a problem consistantly, and I doubt she'll do it again with my kid. Mostly it the "lesson" of it all that makes me angry. I understand the desire to spoil but it is better to lead by example. And it was this incident followed by others (Grandma giving them a pop after I just told her I'm trying to help him, etc...) that makes me frustrated.
Friends have also warned me about giving my kid an eating disorder. I think it is more likely he will want to be a live on junk food as a teenager. I'm treading carefully, but I also have to deal with the problem at hand. It is hard work preparing better food too, I get up early to fry him egg whites, a waffle, cut-up strawberries and a dab of syrup. The boys love it. Both eat green beans almost everyday, as their veggie like list is short. But they are stoked about the smoothies planned for the week, and Saturday's we do kids treat night where anything goes. I monitor what they eat, they decide how much. The tricky part is knowing if what I'm doing has turned the situation around. I can't put him on a scale once a week. I just have to wait and see.
I really appreciate you guys. We can talk about eating healthy, cutting back and improving ourselves, and the topic is encouraged and given 100% support. You guys get it. Anywhere else people want to avoid the topic, not think about what they are doing and just enjoy the treats.
Bugs, there's also hope that if you instill good eating habits, help him learn to make good food choices, and keep him active (that's key), that he'll "grow out of" a lot of his weight problem soon. In the next couple of years, he's going to grow like a weed. My youngest went from 5'9" to 6'3" in less than a year. He had some friends who were a little chubby as younger kids and they're now pretty lean. Teenage male growth spurts are amazing things.
4.8 miles slow and easy at lunchtime. I don't usually run on Mondays, but it's just too nice out not to take advantage of it. This weather won't last...
I told you I'd have more to say.....
first of all, Erika, that's amazing... how many miles? 50? Unbelievable time.... sorry you had cramping. Any race report written somewhere else?
And to the topic of eating and kids...
I have a friend who told me that I was setting up my kids to be binge eaters because I require them to ask me if they can have sweets, etc... I don't keep that many sweets in the house, though.
I tell them that we have "anytime" snacks... which is fruits and vegetables and then we have "sometime" snacks which would be the cookies that I sometimes buy.
I don't know how you're supposed to transfer the ownership of the process over to them. I think they both would have at least 3 cookies if I just let them manage themselves (they're 9 and 7) This friend that said that to me has teenage girls who both have weight problems. My friend is a runner and does not have any weight problems but she's constantly finding stashed wrappers under the bed.
So, I don't know.... but I also agree with Erika about getting the PTA involved.
It's a hard topic, that's for sure.
Thanks for bringing the discussion forward, Paul.
3 miles for me this morning. I guess I'll be tapering this week.
Lou, (aka Mr. predawnrunner), MD, USA | Lou's Brews | lking@pobox.com
Oh, sorry Kimmie. I guess I left that out. It was a 50k, but actually a little longer at 31.2. I'll work on a race report, just haven't had the time or energy, really. I remember coming up on mile 24 thinking "no way in hell would I do a 50 miler," but I know that's sort of like saying never again after giving birth. If I ever did try a 50 miler, I'd aim for one with fewer or shorter hills...
Don't kill me, but I thought it was a bit ironic that I read a lot of this thread sitting at the drive thru waiting on 2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. I chuckled a little, because in the back seat were my sons who had just run a XC meet.
Tonight at supper they had one glazed donut for dessert. The lightbulb moment came when I told the boys that the donut had more calories in it than they had burned during their 2 mile race. One son said, "When you say that, I feel kind of guilty." My comment: "Or you can be glad you ran that race."
Happy Camper
Very nice running for both Bugs and Erika!
Have to laugh also about the food because I fed my sweet-tooth a couple of frozen toaster strudels sans icing. I did this after trying to fend it off with some grapes. It's usually how it goes. Cravings, then fruit, then what I wanted in the first place. Hopefully since I've filled up on fruit I don't eat as much of the crap.
I got a nice suprise last Friday. I went to pay a 5k entry for this Sunday and was told that I was being given the Schulte award for the Heart of America. They had miscalculated before the post race awards. Turns out the 42 minutes I dropped was the largest improvement in both total minutes and percentage of those who ran it under 5 hours in 2009. It is a nice framed and matted print of the Marathoners Sculpter by Larry Young which is in Flat Branch Park here in Columbia. Very cool hanging on the wall.
Determination: The feeling you get right before you try something incredibly stupid.
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Congrats p2r for the big improvement win
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
P2R, that's awesome! Congratulations on the award!
Paul, I hate to hear kids say they feel guilty about any food, but glad they recognized the irony... and good comeback, dad.
DS2 has been having problems with hives since Saturday. Sort of strange, they seem to have come out of nowhere, not a contact thing (but we haven't changed detergents or soap or anything), and hard to think it's a food thing (no food allergies in our family, and he says he hasn't eaten anything new or unusual), so we were stumped. We were trying to treat with benadryl and cortisone cream, but it wasn't working. So, took him to the doc after work. Well, went home first, got the roast in the oven gave DH the request to carmelize some onions and roast some garlic, then we went to the "first care" center. Turns out, it's some "idiopathic" allergic reaction hives, which basically means they don't know what the cause is, but the first order of treatment is prednisone. Just thought this was interesting, but poor kid is pretty itchy when they flare up. When we got home, I had time to dig some potatoes and get some broccoli in the steamer. Fresh carrots also from the garden to round things out. Yummy dinner. Hope DS2 is ok soon. What a bummer.
p2r, that is so cool -- definitely a neat award!
And Erika - nice PR on the 50k. Sorry about the cramping, though. And about DS2's hives.
I can't remember the last time I had a glazed donut. I struggle only a bit with my weight, but I need to keep the calories for beer.
So I have Freedom's Run Marathon in just under two weeks. But then I have Marine Corps four weeks after that. I set up my training schedule to finish at Marine Corps, which has this week a bit confused. I guess I will do the standard "week before race" mileage this week, maybe only a bit more, to try to rest my legs a bit for the first race.
Interestingly, I just broke ahead of the 2000 mpy pace bunny for the first time this year. I had injuries in January and April, and frankly it's a surprise to me that I put in that much mileage in since. Not sure I'll stay ahead of PB through these next couple of races, though.
MTA:
7.1 miles, 59:26, 8:22/mi, AHR 154 (75% MHR)
3@8:41(147), 4.11@8:08(158)
45° this morning. Just perfect!
Freedoms Run looks like a great marathon course through some awesome parks and trails, Lou. Have you ran it before?
Yeah, but a bit hilly, I guess. This is their second year. We considered it last year, but decided not to try it on their first outing. I have to admit the fact that they have water only every 4-5 miles is a bit worrisome, but we're using this as a training run, and will carry our own to supplement. Last year we ran Wineglass in Corning, NY instead -- a beautiful course.