Tad
Dimensions' loiterer
I know that there are a lot of parents on these boards, and all of us have at least had parents! So I think this can be a question for all.
I was IM-ing with someone this afternoon, talking about fat stuff. I have a son who is grade three, this guy has a couple of pre-schoolers. The question came up of what affect, if any, does having fat parents have on kids? (context of current North American society). I suggested that for younger kids, so long as the parents show confidence and pride in themselves the kids will pick up on that, and parent weight is only a factor in that it might make the parents prefer some activities to othersbut everyone has preferences in activities so that is not a big deal We never got onto talking about older kids. I know that some of the kids my son knows who are a grade or two older are showing more awareness of what is hip and what is not, and are doing more of the social ranking of their peers. So I guess over the next few years Ill get to start living through this. Not that my wife or I are particularly big, but we are certainly big compared to the people you see on TV or in movies. I suppose the issue is more apt to show up for parents who are farther from the mean, weight-wise.
A question we didnt get to ponder at all was how does having fat and fat accepting parents affect kids own body images, and their tendencies towards size acceptance?
So if any parents of older kids would like to report their experiences, Id love to hear them. If those of you who had fat parents have remembrance touching on these particular issues Id also love to hear. And of course, anyone and everyone is invited to share their opinion.
Regards;
-Ed
I was IM-ing with someone this afternoon, talking about fat stuff. I have a son who is grade three, this guy has a couple of pre-schoolers. The question came up of what affect, if any, does having fat parents have on kids? (context of current North American society). I suggested that for younger kids, so long as the parents show confidence and pride in themselves the kids will pick up on that, and parent weight is only a factor in that it might make the parents prefer some activities to othersbut everyone has preferences in activities so that is not a big deal We never got onto talking about older kids. I know that some of the kids my son knows who are a grade or two older are showing more awareness of what is hip and what is not, and are doing more of the social ranking of their peers. So I guess over the next few years Ill get to start living through this. Not that my wife or I are particularly big, but we are certainly big compared to the people you see on TV or in movies. I suppose the issue is more apt to show up for parents who are farther from the mean, weight-wise.
A question we didnt get to ponder at all was how does having fat and fat accepting parents affect kids own body images, and their tendencies towards size acceptance?
So if any parents of older kids would like to report their experiences, Id love to hear them. If those of you who had fat parents have remembrance touching on these particular issues Id also love to hear. And of course, anyone and everyone is invited to share their opinion.
Regards;
-Ed
