PitterPatterFeet

There is an aspect of preventing childhood obesity that involves lovingly and positively disciplining your child. What does that word discipline mean to you? What images come to your mind when you hear that word. For many the word discipline does not bring up good feelings or memories. For some the word may bring up images of pain or hard ship, definitely not something we want to actively take part in.

I was raised by my mother and grandmother. My mother was basically a non existent parent, there only in body. I later found out that she was challenged mentally and probably, should not have had children in the first place. My grandmother was from the school of beat the living day lights out of you first and ask questions later. I loved my grandmother dearly and she was a wonderful person with many great qualities but she was only doing the best she knew and what was also done to her.

Because my grandmother was a no nonsense, don’t take no mess kind of person, her nickname in the neighborhood was “Pistol Packing Momma”. and in her younger days would cuss, fight and shoot at the blink of an eye, she required immediate results. So patience was not her strong point when it came to disciplining her grandkids. Her meaning of disciplining was to teach you thorough spankings to do or not do something.

Although I now understand where she was coming from I choose a different route to both teach and get results. I believe that you can teach children with compassion and set limits and boundaries with the goal in mind to raise and develop responsibile kids that know right from wrong and do right.

In no way am I pretending to be a saint and act as if I never ever popped my child. What I am saying is that it was a last resort when nothing else seemed to work but thank God I had many other resources that did work. One very effective method was “Time Out”, recently renamed the “Thinking Chair”.

I thought “Time Out ” was pretty good and it worked really well for me. I don’t know how much a 2, 3 or 4 year old thinks about what they did wrong. I think they are thinking about what they are going to do once they get out of “Time Out”. The thinking about what was done should be done before being sent to “Time Out ” and explained in simple language that the child can understand so that they can see the relationship between what they did and how this behavior is unacceptable. There should also be a warning given so that the child clearly understands what that unacceptable behavior is first. Explain what will happen if that behavior happens again. Immediately following that behavior occuring, the “Time Out” should happen, along wiith a reminder of the warning previously given.

For preschoolers and toddlers the time should be no more than their age. For example a two year old should have a two minute time out. Consistentcy and follow through are key. You will find it happens less and less as the child learns that you will follow through like clock work every time and you mean what you say.

Some people ask the child to say “I’m sorry” once the time is up and they are coming out. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS AT ALL!!!!! It’s not the intention that I disagree with but the words. The word sorry means full of sorrow, mental suffering, pity, poor, wretched, miserable. On the other hand the word apology means to excuse oneself, atone, ask for forgiveness, make amends or make up with someone.

We have to take into consideration that the subconscious mind of the child is always listening and recording. I am sure good intentioning adults do not want to constantly fill the childs mind with “I’m sorry”. I do understand that it is done so that the child understands that what they say and do can hurt or be harmful to others and to help them to start to have compassion for others and learn about cause and effect.

We can help them to understand that by pointing these things out when they occur and consistently go over and remind children of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Lastly how this all relates to childhood obesity prevention is disciplining that does not consider the whole child for example their esteem and self control erode the very foundation that healthy eating habits and fitness are based on.

For more information on raising a healthy and fit kid check out a free ebook on the subject at http://www.healthykidsweightloss.com.