They'll let anyone have a child

Pawwed Rig

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

I don't disagree with the point, but it's well established that those from lower income households tend to eat foods that are much less healthy for them

If only there was a resource people could access where there is an unlimited amount of healthy recipes and tips to eat healthy food cheaper.

Seriously though a person is being wilfully ignorant these days if they can't make a healthy meal.

HS3

The thing that annoys me is the parents who are doing the likes of slimming world etc, in the queue to weigh in....they're losing weight, but the kid is getting fatter. Why can't the kid benefit from a few apples/homemade meals?

Speedwell

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

If only there was a free resource people who are struggling to feed themselves could access where there is an unlimited amount of healthy recipes and tips to eat healthy food cheaper.

FYP

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Basic healthy food is not more expensive than bags of multi pack crisps, bottles of Coke and frozen pizzas

Junkyard Tom

The alternative is a quite the dystopian horror.

LexieOnRale

LexieOnRale wrote: »

Basic healthy food is not more expensive than bags of multi pack crisps, bottles of Coke and frozen pizzas

This is very true. You don't need to be feeding your children all organic foods from Fallon and Byrne if money is tight. Just regular old fruit and veg and a bag of spuds near by is just fine. Takeaways and chipper food costs a fortune to eat on a regular basis. It comes down to education, awareness, in some cases laziness. Some families just aren't aware of the importance of nutrition for their kids. Their lives are probably very chaotic so decent food is the bottom of the priority list.

It's the educated parents with a decent wage who still feed their kids crap who really annoy me. Is it laziness? I just don't understand it.

A_Sober_Paddy

andekwarhola wrote: »

Their, you mean?

Not that I'm making a snap judgement about a person's education based on a fleeting deduction, of course.

Dyslexic mate, but that was a silly oversight in fairness

groucho marx

Lol loving the armchair parenting
When you see the lady next tell her your thoughts on it.

A_Sober_Paddy

groucho marx wrote: »

Lol loving the armchair parenting
When you see the lady next tell her your thoughts on it.

Well I don't have kids yet, because I'm in a situation not suitable for kids. But in the next few years I will be. And will certainly be doing my utmost to ensure my off spring and feed properly

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

groucho marx wrote: »

Lol loving the armchair parenting
When you see the lady next tell her your thoughts on it.

Oh come on. Kids rotting the teeth out of themselves before they've even lost their baby teeth? You don't need to be parent of the year to know you shouldn't give a toddler a bottle of Mountain Dew when they're barely out of the stage of needing a sippy cup.

Pawwed Rig

[Deleted User] wrote: »

. Some families just aren't aware of the importance of nutrition for their kids. Their lives are probably very chaotic so decent food is the bottom of the priority list.

I'm calling bollix on this. There is a higher prevalence on smoking too so are you saying they are not aware of the risks? These people are not some stupid race of people that are clueless about everything.

Pawwed Rig

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

I'm calling bollix on this. There is a higher prevalence on smoking too so are you saying they are not aware of the risks? These people are not some stupid race of people that are clueless about everything.

I haven't a clue to be honest. I'm just trying to think of reasons other than 'not giving a shít'. However I do believe that there are homes where one or both parents are struggling with their own lives that unfortunately their kids don't get a look in. I would put money on it in fact. Right now there is an alcholic parent ringing the takeaway for their child or there is a family with serious mental health issues where keeping alive trumps healthy food.

lawlolawl

LexieOnRale wrote: »

Oh come on. Kids rotting the teeth out of themselves before they've even lost their baby teeth? You don't need to be parent of the year to know you shouldn't give a toddler a bottle of Mountain Dew when they're barely out of the stage of needing a sippy cup.

There was actually a bit on the news about this today. More children than ever before having teeth extracted because of this.

Perhaps supporting crap people to fire out a bunch of kids they can't/won't take care of properly is going to have long term implications for our society.

Sue Pa Key Pa

My wife had a shop and members of a certain sector of society used to buy rakes of Red Bull on a daily basis and hand them around all the family. Youngest would be around 6, but every age up from that

Pawwed Rig

Deleted User wrote: »

I haven't a clue to be honest. I'm just trying to think of reasons other than 'not giving a shít'. However I do believe that there are homes where one or both parents are struggling with their own lives that unfortunately their kids don't get a look in. I would put money on it in fact. Right now there is an alcholic parent ringing the takeaway for their child or there is a family with serious mental health issues where keeping alive trumps healthy food.

Maybe but 1 in 4 chldren are now obese*. I am going with 'not giving a shít' in a large number of cases and can't be bothered in the rest.


*http://www.safefood.eu/Childhood-Obesity/Facts.aspx

_Brian

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

I don't need school to learn basic life skills. I had parents.

Everyone has parents, but what if you had awful parents?? this is often a circular problem where history repeats and often spirals downwards..

If your second or third generation serial unemployed individual who knows nothing of what a properly functioning family unit looks like.. this behavior becomes normalised within these socioeconomic groups and indeed anyone trying to better themselves is laughed at for trying.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

You cannot expect a school to teach something that the parents will undermine.
Schools ban **** food for lunches, parents up in arms that school is dictating what their child can eat.
School makes kids run and partake in exercise, parents take to Facebook to shame the school for giving their child body image issues.

You can teach the kids all you like but unless the parent is willing to enforce what they're learning at home, you're wasting your time.

There's a lady from the town I'm on who has nominated herself as spokesperson for all big beautiful people. She's big and proud and happy. That's great. It's good she's positive about her body. She has no desire to change her image as it's making her quite a bit of money and gives her something to talk about. (She's into plus size modelling with an alternative clothing brand)

She has a daughter, maybe 5 years old. And the child is so heavy that her little head looks sunken into her shoulders, she doesn't even seem to have a neck. Her arms and around her wrists look like there's elastic bands on her wrists there's such a stark difference between her arms and hands. Her eyes are like tiny little holes in her chubby face. She's the only girl and the mother is regularly selling girls clothes in size 11-12 years old on her face book page.

She has every right to live her life whatever way she sees fit but parents like that have no right to project that onto young children

byhookorbycrook

PARlance wrote: »

I agree, it shouldn't fall on teachers. For one, they're probably not qualified to do so and secondly, it's not what they signed up for. That shouldn't stop it from being on the curriculum though, you can bring in qualified people from the outside to educate kids on nutrition, diet, cooking skills etc.

Healthy eating is already covered in school through SPHE and in science.Children know which foods should only be eaten occasionally , what foods they need regularly and so on, but given a choice, what do you think they will do if a parent gives them a choice between fast food and a healthier option?

There is actually a thread running on the parenting site rollercoaster where a parent is bemoaning the school having a healthy eating policy!

Most primary schools don't have the facilities for cooking and here is such overcrowding on the curriculum already that it's not practical to do much cookery anyhow.

Wanderer78

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Most primary schools don't have the facilities for cooking and here is such overcrowding on the curriculum already that it's not practical to do much cookery anyhow.

so why not start ditching some of the curriculum for subjects and subject matters that directly benefit kids such as food preparation and cooking etc?

Notsomindful

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Well I don't mean to pass all the judgement onto this lady. But just shine a light on the lack of education parents have. I see so many parents who have zero control over there kids everyday in work.

Parenting is very challenging, so why do people think having 3 in quick succession is a good idea, when they can't control one neverind 3...

The parents should be dictating not the kids. I have more control over my dog than some parents have over their kids.

I consider myself a strict parent but have a child with autism.
So it looks like i dont control my child but sometimes autism takes over and no skills work. It wish he had a neon sign that said I am no, t being bratty sometimes I get over stimulated and act out..

In regards to mountain dew, maybe he has low blood sugar in relation to diabetes and needed a sugar hit.

Mountain dew at 8:40 wouldnt be my style...

Wanderer78

Notsomindful wrote: »

I consider myself a strict parent but have a child with autism.
So it looks like i dont control my child but sometimes autism takes over and no skills work. It wish he had a neon sign that said I am no, t being bratty sometimes I get over stimulated and act out..

In regards to mountain dew, maybe he has low blood sugar in relation to diabetes and needed a sugar hit.

Mountain dew at 8:40 wouldnt be my style...

i actually think things such as autism are causing a lot of very complex social problems such as obesity and diabetes, amongst other things.

byhookorbycrook

Wanderer78 wrote: »

so why not start ditching some of the curriculum for subjects and subject matters that directly benefit kids such as food preparation and cooking etc?

Try telling the DES that, apparently we have to try and find time for coding first.

Wanderer78

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Try telling the DES that, apparently we have to try and find time for coding first.

i dont have much time for the des either, im not sure the well being of students and staff is the priority of our educational system.

JustTheOne

And all we ever hear about is child poverty and kids going to school hungry.

Of course it's the government's fault and not the parents.

Sam Kade

Fluffy Cat 88 wrote: »

It's true, anyone can have a child.

We adopted a dog from the local SPCA a few years ago. The SPCA came out to check our house and garden, asked a multitude of questions before they let us have the dog.

Have a baby, sure it'll be graaaannnd.....

Maybe they should have questioned the dogs before they started breeding :rolleyes:

A_Sober_Paddy

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Well I don't mean to pass all the judgement onto this lady. But just shine a light on the lack of education parents have. I see so many parents who have zero control over there kids everyday in work.

Parenting is very challenging, so why do people think having 3 in quick succession is a good idea, when they can't control one neverind 3...

The parents should be dictating not the kids. I have more control over my dog than some parents have over their kids.

This and the "probably never did her leaving cert" quip makes you sound judgmental. you're assuming she had the opportunity, you know fook all about her and seemingly by looking at a bottle of mountain dew, she's no leaving cert and less control over her child that you have over your k9!!

chilly up on that high horse then eh.

Notsomindful

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i actually think things such as autism are causing a lot of very complex social problems such as obesity and diabetes, amongst other things.

How?

Tbh, my child is really healthy in regards to food thank god and not too fussy. I wouldn't have best eating habits but my kids do because of a conscious effort on my part. I have worked in childcare and seen some horribly obese kids with sweets as their lunch every day despite a healthy eating policy in school.

Wanderer78

Notsomindful wrote: »

How?

Tbh, my child is really healthy in regards to food thank god and not too fussy. I wouldn't have best eating habits but my kids do because of a conscious effort on my part. I have worked in childcare and seen some horribly obese kids with sweets as their lunch every day despite a healthy eating policy in school.

i think theres a possibility some parents could also be suffering from things such as autism, asperger's, adhd, mental health issues etc etc, which actually could be leading to obesity in parents and/or children. some of these parents may not be diagnosed with these issues.

mdwexford

_Brian wrote: »

Serious tax on sugary drinks for starters, 500ml bottle of soft drink should be costing near €5

Why should it?

Notsomindful

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i think theres a possibility some parents could also be suffering from things such as autism, asperger's, adhd, mental health issues etc etc, which actually could be leading to obesity in parents and/or children. some of these parents may not be diagnosed with these issues.

I agree..hence why I try not to judge. You never knkw whats going on in other's luves.

Chuchote

OP, is your neighbour's child-rearing really any of your business?

I once lived near a family with a bunch of kids. They all ate lots of sugar. Terrible teeth. They'd had their teeth out before they were 21, every one of them.

They were a fine family: intelligent, courteous, loving, brilliant neighbours, hard working. I didn't like the diet they fed their children; perhaps they thought the diet we ate in our house was awful. The kids all turned out great.

Notsomindful

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i think theres a possibility some parents could also be suffering from things such as autism, asperger's, adhd, mental health issues etc etc, which actually could be leading to obesity in parents and/or children. some of these parents may not be diagnosed with these issues.

I agree..hence why I try not to judge. You never kniw whats going on in other's lives.

_Brian

Wanderer78 wrote: »

so why not start ditching some of the curriculum for subjects and subject matters that directly benefit kids such as food preparation and cooking etc?

Why not teach these at home..

My 8YO daughter can make brown bread, scones, buns. She helps make lasangna when its being done washes veg etc..

14YO can make a range of basic meals from lasangna, chicken curry from scratch, home made pancakes, boil eggs..

They help with homemade jams etc from our fruit bushes..

They look after chickens that we have in the back garden, help feed pigs we have for meat..

None of this is taught at school, its our responsibility as parents to do this, we both work outside the home but switch off the TV and make time to do these things together...

Chuchote

In Communist East Germany they used to have a vegetable garden in every school and a canteen where the meals were cooked using vegetables grown in the garden. Gardening and cooking were part of the curriculum, so by the time they were 12 every kid could grow their own food and cook it properly and deliciously.

Wanderer78

_Brian wrote: »

Why not teach these at home..

My 8YO daughter can make brown bread, scones, buns. She helps make lasangna when its being done washes veg etc..

14YO can make a range of basic meals from lasangna, chicken curry from scratch, home made pancakes, boil eggs..

They help with homemade jams etc from our fruit bushes..

They look after chickens that we have in the back garden, help feed pigs we have for meat..

None of this is taught at school, its our responsibility as parents to do this, we both work outside the home but switch off the TV and make time to do these things together...

i do of course agree with you but as you can read from this thread, some kids just dont obtain these skills at home for whatever reasons. this truly needs to be tackled in our educational system, as by not doing so, we re creating reactive situations, and kids are left to sink or swim. unfortunately some sink, creating even more complex and costly problems for society as a whole.

Chuchote

All kinds of things should be changed in schools - including especially the way teaching is done. It's highly unnatural for children to be expected to sit still paying attention all day, and as we now know, sitting for hours is unhealthy.

lawlolawl

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i think theres a possibility some parents could also be suffering from things such as autism, asperger's, adhd, mental health issues etc etc, which actually could be leading to obesity in parents and/or children. some of these parents may not be diagnosed with these issues.

Enough that we are being told by experts that obesity is heading toward epidemic proportions?

It is becoming an important public health issue now but we seem to have an attitude in Ireland that this kind of harmful behavior is "none of your business" even though it will cost us all millions if not billions in the future.

We dance around obesity and come up with excuses and flowery terms for it. People might have a 'condition', we shouldn't shame people, all their family are big etc.

A prime example came up earlier of some woman being large and proud and being a "plus size model".

She isn't; she's a fat that models fat people clothes for other ham planets to buy. I guarantee she looks like **** in the clothes and so would anyone else who would need to buy them. She should be embarrassed about her state because of the damage it will do to her and her family's health.

end of the road

_Brian wrote: »

Why not teach these at home..

My 8YO daughter can make brown bread, scones, buns. She helps make lasangna when its being done washes veg etc..

14YO can make a range of basic meals from lasangna, chicken curry from scratch, home made pancakes, boil eggs..

They help with homemade jams etc from our fruit bushes..

They look after chickens that we have in the back garden, help feed pigs we have for meat..

None of this is taught at school, its our responsibility as parents to do this, we both work outside the home but switch off the TV and make time to do these things together...

and that's great, and in an ideal world that is how it would be for everyone. but unfortunately we live in the real world, and for various reasons things can't happen for everyone like it does for you and your children. so we have to recognise that the school teaching children skills like cooking etc is a way of insuring those who aren't lucky enough to be thought at home, can still get said skills. having the schools teach practical things to prepare children for life isn't suggesting parents aren't responsible, it's just recognising some parents just can't devote that time. it's also good common sense tbh.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I did home ec in school and you still had the kids who wouldn't bring ingredients in because they were too expensive or they didn't like what was being cooked this week

byhookorbycrook

Chuchote wrote: »

In Communist East Germany they used to have a vegetable garden in every school and a canteen where the meals were cooked using vegetables grown in the garden. Gardening and cooking were part of the curriculum, so by the time they were 12 every kid could grow their own food and cook it properly and deliciously.

We have hens and a vegetable/fruit garden in school. The children take it in turns to collect the eggs and each class uses them for some form of cooking. Not every school has the space for this though.

When we got our new building, there literally wasn't enough tarmac for all the children to run around. We are lucky that the local GAA club lets us use their field, so older children can go out there and make some space. We also have done huge amounts of fundraising for a ball wall, an all weather pitch and just this year playground equipment for the junior yard. Not a cent from the DES to provide any of those.

Dravokivich

Wanderer78 wrote: »

explain to me how teaching kids about their well being is a bad idea for society as a whole?

I never said it was. I just said that teachers should not become a replacement for parennts. Which something starting off like this can gradually lead to.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

the idea of teaching kids about food and its preparation is a safety net for all. neoliberal policies and free market economics are helping to creating complex social problems such as obesity and diabetes, educating children about their dangerous is a good approach to try prevent these complex issues.

Dangerous food?

What needs to be shown to kids is a lifestyle, which'll only come through the environment they are primarily exposed to. Not develop a fear complex over the right or wrong thing to eat.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i have talked to educators about these issues, and most if not all have agreed with me. basically, theres too much academia in the world of academia. as explained above, many parents simply do not have the time or energy to show their kids these vital skills as many are struggling to service their debts.

If there's stress factors within the family, they need to be reviewing that and alleviating it how they can. Pushing the needs of a child onto schools instead of aiding the family if needed will only hide it. You seem to be seeking an answer to a different question.

CruelCoin

Skyfarm wrote: »

what we need is cheaper alternatives and better education to balance the onslaught of media messages that drink company put out.

http://www.standupamericaus.org/sua/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Idiocracy-e1372009319430.jpg

Being a dumbass isn't a defense for anything.

Chuchote

Given the revelation that diesel fumes may be a causative factor in Alzheimer's, maybe we should start knocking on the windows of diesel cars and trucks and lecturing the drivers?

And of course those smokers…

Jawgap

Reminds of a time when my kids were younger when I arrived back from a game of 5-a-side in time to take over looking after the sprogs while herself went for a girly night out......

......anyhoooooooo, I was swigging from a bottle of Lucozade and while the two kids were playing in the floor I read the label and it said 'not to be given to children under 12 months.'

I wondered why, because it's really only sugar-water.

Anyway, the scientist in me took over......sure before me didn't I have the perfect opportunity to experiment? One sprog was nearly 3, the other 10 months. I gave them both measures of Lucozade roughly proportional to their bodyweights.

At 1am when the younger of the 2 was still whizzing around the place I concluded that perhaps there was some validity to the warning

Chuchote

Jawgap wrote: »

I wondered why, because it's really only sugar-water.

Choc-a-block with caffeine.

lawlolawl

Chuchote wrote: »

Given the revelation that diesel fumes may be a causative factor in Alzheimer's, maybe we should start knocking on the windows of diesel cars and trucks and lecturing the drivers?

And of course those smokers…

There's more fats walking around than people who got Alzheimer's from diesel.

Chuchote

lawlolawl wrote: »

There's more fats walking around than people who got Alzheimer's from diesel.

Well, I don't know that these have been studied well enough to have figures, but of course anyone who thinks it's ok to lecture a mother on giving her kid a sweet drink will presumably also be ready to lecture anyone overweight for their social irresponsibility :eek:

Sleepy

The under educated, underemployed of society are breeding far faster than those of us who pull our weight and raise rather than drag up our kids.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth offering a "prize" to all parents to encourage decent parenting: if your child makes it to adulthood having completed their secondary education, with a clean criminal record and a healthy BMI, you get a cheque for a few thousand grand a month after they first pay income tax.

Chuchote

Sleepy wrote: »

if it's worth offering a "prize" to all parents to encourage decent parenting: if your child makes it to adulthood having completed their secondary education, with a clean criminal record and a healthy BMI, you get a cheque for a few thousand grand a month after they first pay income tax.

Nope. Behavioural science discovered some time ago that instant rewards are what change behaviour. What will change people being too fat is a network of separated 'cycle superhighways', as in London, plus jobs available for all, plus a tax on sugary products and packaged 'meals'.

Pawwed Rig

The solution to childhood obesity is cycle lanes? Really?