 |
| The kids didn’t look this bad last night, but pretty close! |
I am a bit of a football nut (and even worse about hockey), so going straight from my younger stepson’s football game to watching my Steelers play on TV was a little piece of heaven for me last night. My stepson’s team lost, pretty bad actually, but he got to play and did very well, so I loved it.
My stalker, Psycho, was there, with both of my stepdaughters. Psycho seemed to be there mostly for the concession stand. She even missed my stepson playing because she couldn’t resist yet another trip for nachos and soda.
What truly bothered me, though, was watching both of my stepdaughters do the same thing. They were already munching on hot dogs when we got there. Both of them trotted to the concession stand several times, for pickles and candy bars and soda and more nachos and bags of candy and then more soda. Every time I looked at them, they were coming back from the concession stand with a fresh round of junk food.
I freely admit to liking soda and sweet things. But there is no way in hell I’d have kept giving them the money to cram more junk into their bodies. Seeing them display the exact same binge-like behavior was scary. They honestly didn’t think anything of their non-stop eating. Why would they? Their mother was doing it, encouraging it.
None of the kids is overweight, but they are out of shape, if that makes sense. They get out of breath easily. I remember being in constant motion as a kid, and I played sports in school. Sitting in front of a TV or video game was out of the question. Combine that with the kind of eating I observed last night, and it’s really just a matter of time before one of the kids has a real weight problem.
They are more active with us, since we go to the park or break out the football or soccer ball or go for walks, and sometimes they work out with me. But they are only with us for so little time. I’m not convinced we can offset the inactivity and bad eating habits they have already learned.
It reinforced me how direly the kids need a healthy role model in their lives. I am ashamed I have not been that for them up to this point, but it is a huge motivator for me to kick this weight to the curb and show them what a strong, fit woman is.
Sweat & Sparkle 