Generational Curse

This is one of those that’s going to get me in trouble.

Somewhere between coming back from WWII to the dawn of highly processed, prefabricated suburbia and the self obsessive, angst driven narcissistic me generation of the late 20^th century, we as a culture have learned to fail at one of nature's most basic metrics for success, successfully raising offspring to ensure the survival of the species.

I've said before that we're failing our children by allowing our 10 year olds to become pre-diabetic from nothing other than lifestyle choices. But it goes beyond that. We're failing our species. We're failing nature's most basic test. Pass or fail. Survive or not. Somehow giving the next generation a increased risk of cancer through a glut of hydrogenated oil and saturated fat doesn’t read as surviving very well to me.

Why? How? There isn't a single person out there that has yet to understand McDonalds is bad for you. We know sugar levels in Pepsi & the caffeine levels in Mountain Dew are so off the charts they'd keep Goliath buzzing for a week. So why is it still happening? Why are our kids still getting fatter?

Is it because we can't stomach "denying" our children their favorite tasty treats? Because we can't stand to see that pitiful pouty face they make when they don’t get the chocolate pop tart with the sugar sprinkles in the frosting? By continuing to feed our kids as we are, we’re denying them an exponentially improved chance of avoiding diabetes. We're denying them a head start against heart disease & cancer. But you know what, they got their happy meal, so it’s all good.

But “it's ok to be fat." “I’m proud of who I am.” I've also heard this next one too. "I know my kid has a gut. I have one too. I'm comfortable with that." Get past the insecurities and the damage done by schoolyard teasing. Be proud of yourself. Understand that you and your child are wonderful, complex & beautiful people. BUT, the extra 60lbs of fat will kill whoever happens to be carrying it around, you or your kids. It's not an "if." You're not bad, the extra fat is. If you don't respect your own life enough to take control, love your child's life enough to help him/her.

Please.