So do you risk talking to her about fat?

[lisab]

But they are bullied and treated harshly in American culture Monique and how would I be instilling that it's ok to do this to fat people? I've give no indication of that? Sometimes I think you guys don't understand big-business: I would weave the story around a little girl that lived on a farm and had plenty of pets then she and I would go get a kitten and name her "me-nu" like I've always named our cats.

So I've planted the seed, then deflected it to something nicer. See guys . . . big-business. :)

Well telling a kid a story is one thing, the real important lesson comes from how the parents act.

If you want to encourage your kid to be fit, you have to be fit. Model that behavior for them.

If you want to teach your kid that discriminating against fat people is wrong, you have to have a lot of fat people in your life, so your kid sees you interacting with them and treating them like anyone else. Model that behavior, too.

Actions teach much much better than an occasional story.

 

[jackmell]

Look guys, she's gonna' hear the story and if mom disapproves and says something like, "Jack, don't you dare tell that story to her or I'll be very angry at you!" then I'd say, "look sweetie-pie, don't tell mom we had this little talk ok?" and she'd say, "why not dad?" I'd say, "well, cus' she'll get all mad and stuff at me cus' I mean Jesus, she thinks you'll get all worried about your weight and all, and stop eating, and get real skinny, and unhappy, and start to dislike fat girls but I mean that won't happen cus' mom doesn't understand big-business like you and me right?"

She shakes her head in typical little-girl-I-don't-quite-understand fashion.


Next morning Monique is mad as hell at me. Lil' tattle-tail . . .

 

[DaveC426913]

Look guys, she's gonna' hear the story and if mom disapproves and says something like, "Jack, don't you dare tell that story to her or I'll be very angry at you!" then I'd say, "look sweetie-pie, don't tell mom we had this little talk ok?" and she'd say, "why not dad?" I'd say, "well, cus' she'll get all mad and stuff at me cus' I mean Jesus, she thinks you'll get all worried about your weight and all, and stop eating, and get real skinny, and unhappy, and start to dislike fat girls but I mean that won't happen cus' mom doesn't understand big-business like you and me right?"

This is just getting worse all the time.

Nothing says good parenting like obliging a child to keep secrets between mom & dad.

 

[DaveC426913]

What does "big business" mean to you, and what on Earth does it have to do with the topic? :very confused:

 

[leroyjenkens]

How do I know what exactly training regimen he has ? Do you ?

Let's assume he only trains by riding a bike. If he were to pedal uphill, which requires leg strength, he couldn't do it any better than the average person? Since pedaling a bike only gives you microscopic amounts of leg strength, bike peddling that requires strength, like peddling uphill or accelerating quickly, he'd only be able to do microscopically better than the average person.
Now does that make any sense?

Give me a break. Go spend the next years under a squat bar and then tell me those stories to send kids to bed.

Squatting is one of the best way to build leg strength, but it's not the only way. Some people have bad knees and they can't do squats. Are they doomed to have weak legs forever? No, there's other exercises that can build leg strength. Riding a bike is one of them.
I can't see how using your leg muscles to pedal doesn't build leg strength. Do runners not build leg strength because it's an endurance exercise? What if they're sprinters? Of course they build leg strength, since it's not an endurance exercise. But why can't you sprint on a bike? Why do the gods preclude that activity?

 

[DaveC426913]

Now does that make any sense?

leroy, DanP is speaking in hyperbole. Without supplying facts, he's really just blowing smoke. If you feel the need to challenge his claims, have him quantify them, or at least factualize them (the phrase "...wont do anything for your leg strength. If you want strength..." has no teeth whatever as a claim).

Until then, this is little more than a 'is not / is too' argument.

 

[Proton Soup]

I mean when she's what 6,7, 8, or 9 or even earlier. Or do you just say nothing about it and just let whatever happen, happen or even worst, handle it improperly throughout her adolescent life?

It's quite a bit more than just talking about it once of course. Gotta' guide her along a healthy path without upsetting her, like for example having very little junk food in the house, and not making a big deal about it. Delicate operation for sure and things could go horribly wrong. Still though, I'd risk explaining to her just what's involved with . . . being fat.

Would you?

i hope you do realize that a girl this age will soon enter puberty. maybe 11 or 12 in the past, but typically earlier now because of so many fat kids. so, you're going to warn her about getting fat, then in a couple of years she's going to start gaining some fat naturally so that her body can make that metabolic jump.