To Bribe or not to Bribe

When it comes to your kids, should you bribe? I say NO. I refuse to bribe my kids. Not only would it send mixed messages it will send the wrong message. "Be good and I will give you a candy". Why not promote being good? "Listen to your teacher and I will take you to McDonalds". (I actually heard this at a swimming lesson) Shouldn't they just listen to the teacher?

I do however believe in rewarding , the difference is expectation. With bribing they expect to get something in order to be good. Rewarding involves your child taking the initiative to do what's right and then in return giving them a treat to show how proud of them you are.

What do you think? E-mail your thoughts to sayhello@kidthoughts.ca

A mother in South Carolina was arrested and charged with criminal neglect because her 14 year old son weighed 555 lbs. Is childhood obesity a form of child abuse? I believe it is, but with that said I don't think it's black and white but more shades of grey.

There are a lot of contributors...parents, doctors, the fd providers especially the fast food chains and advertisers. Parents for a few reasons. Your child(ren) don't do the grocery shopping. If the junk food isn't in the house then they can't eat it. Parents also need to say NO! They, the parents, don't want to say no for fear that the friendship with their child might be in jeopardy. The parents role to the young child is not to be friends, but to be the parent.

We as parents need to instill the value of healthier foods. It's not just about the visual of an over weight or obese child, it's what's happening internally. The strain it puts on the heart, the joints and other organs. Everything inside their little bodies has to work at least twice as hard and the threat of childhood diabetes is astounding. The centre for disease control recently predicted that "one in three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in his or her lifetime".*

One last point about the parents. Over 500 lbs. does NOT happen over night, your child needs your help...so help them!

I mentioned doctors earlier...I'm not too sure what the protocol is when an overweight or obese child enters the office. Are doctors allowed to interject themselves if the concern wasn't posed by the child or parent in the first place?

Now for the food industry and advertisers. It's a shame that healthier food is more expensive than the junk food. McDonald's, Burger King etc. send out those coupon books "2 can dine", "Buy one get one free" to entice you and sadly it works. Mainly because for a family of four or more who are struggling to make it financially, these deals fit the budget.

We need to fight harder and be creative. Every friday when the newspaper comes, I check the flyers to see what meats etc. are on sale and from that I create my meal plan for the week and get the kids involved. Something needs to be done and it needs to start with us parents.

*From the book "Eat this not that, for kids" by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding

My two little ones, Adyn & Diaz. A pleasure to watch them grow. There eagerness and willingness to learn is a total joy. When you see their little faces light up because they have just accomplished something small or big from helping to flip a pancake, cracking an egg, getting dirty in the garden with me to doing well in swimming or getting A's on their report cards. It's one of the best feelings and I wouldn't trade it for the world. They're the best!! Love you guys.

My two main things as a parent is consistency and routine. I find these two things work hand in hand. From my experience kids thrive with a routine. They know what to expect and what is expected of them. Be consistent, follow through. Don't be a "lazy parent". A lazy parent in my views are ones that let things slide because they "don't want to deal with it" or they are not in the mood etc. I believe that they feel it's easier to let it slide, maybe so they don't have to have a confrontation. I feel the more consistent you are the easier it gets because the kids know what the expectations are, they just need reminding along the way.