don't sugarcoat it

wow ... today, through obesity prevention australia I was exposed to this link ....
Would this series of ads make any difference in australia? They are chilling. Direct. Obesity is a growing, yet preventable issue with so many related illnesses ... but to me, it's extra saddening when its kids that are overweight, and living their parents lifestyle. Brilliant article. Brilliant advertising. I think if they were placed on our televisions they would create some sort of impact - surely. As a parent, how could you watch any of those and not be affected .... I love them all. BUT!!!  I can also see why the controversy. They would certainly have to be followed through with an achievable plan of action, a realistic solution that is helpful and educative for everyone without causing a childs self esteem to be dampened. A jump-start to healthy habits. At home, and at school. Plus, addressing the emotional component of childhood obesity. (or the emotional component of obesity in general which is a huge factor!) This is, a big ask.
So there is definitely pros and cons for this sort of aggressive advertising ... and those that will agree with it, those that wont, but at the end of the day, we need to collectively work towards a healthier youth, inside and out. The result we all want, is the same. For our kids to be ... happy, healthy and having a load of fun!
the article ....

Don’t sugarcoat it: If your child is obese, it’s your fault
by Daniel Hoy
A storm of controversy has been brewing in the US. Actually, it’s probably more accurate to say the storm has been dipped in oil and deep fried.  Twice.

At the centre of the controversy is a series of ads aimed at tackling the growing obesity crisis in American children.
In one of the ads (above) a young girl stares forlornly into the camera and says: “I don’t like going to school because all the other kids pick on me. It hurts my feelings.”
Another opens with the statistic that 75 per cent of parents of overweight children ignore the problem growing before their very eyes. It’s followed by a scene in which an obese boy sits facing his equally obese mother and asks, “Mum, why am I fat?”. The silence that follows his question is deafening.
Just as the AIDS ads hit home in Australia in the 1980s and the graphic TAC ads have done here in the years since, the obesity ads are designed to jump out of the TV and slap viewers across their face while they’re sitting innocently on their couch eating a packet of Tim Tams.
They need to be as confronting as possible in order to tackle what is a growing global crisis across many nations, not just America.
But hold on, what’s that we can hear floating out from the tens of thousands of fast food joints that are spread across the America from Texas to Florida? It’s the howls of protest from parents who feel they are being unfairly blamed for having obese children.
They think it’s wrong to blame them for their children’s weight.  And they claim that among other things, junk food advertising, fat genes and a lack of time to exercise are also to blame for the expanding waistlines of their collective offspring.
Usually I hate to state the obvious - but in this instance I’m going to shout it through cupped hands: IT IS YOUR FAULT.
Everything I’ve ever read about feeding children starts with the following piece of advice: you decide what they eat, and they decide if and when. They won’t starve - if they say they are hungry then offer them a piece of fruit.
Quite often your children will refuse and say they want something else. If you ignore them and just leave the fruit on the bench,  guess what happens? Surprise, surprise, they end up eating the fruit.
Don’t get me wrong, I have two kids, and their nagging for a bag of chips or a McHappy meal can be downright annoying on most days of the week. But at the end of the day it’s my job to prepare them for life, to teach them right from wrong, to introduce them to exercise and to sport, and to limit the amount of junk food they eat. 
Yes, doing so stops me from being their best friend. But hey, as their parent I’m not meant to be.
The crux of the problem here is that many parents themselves are overweight and have made a habit of making appalling food choices. The fact they deny they are at the root of the issue just compounds the situation.
Then those choices are passed on to the next generation, which is why more and more you don’t just see fat individuals, you see fat families.
Laziness is the biggest culprit here - many parents are too lazy to exercise, too lazy to cook healthy meals and too lazy to parent.
It’s easy to say yes to a child, saying no is much harder.
And don’t underestimate the impact you are having on your kids, you’re killing them. 
Put simply having an obese child is tantamount to abuse.

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