Kids have difficult and stressful lives, and it’s sometimes easy for adults to forget how hard it can be in school. True, they don’t have to worry about taxes and a mortgage, but they have demanding school work, the stress of extracurricular activities, and other kids, who are not always nice, to deal with. If a child has any kind of physical difference, they may be teased mercilessly.
Adults have more experience and knowledge, and tend to let teasing go by. They understand that the person who does the teasing is usually the one with the problem, and they have the ability to just walk away. But kids don’t always have that knowledge, and there’s no escaping the schoolyard bully.
If a child is overweight, chances are they’re getting teased to some extent. They may turn to humor to combat it, or they act out in other ways. They also may turn inward, and start using their imagination to envision a world they can have control over. Many great writers and movie-makers had great obstacles to overcome as children, that fired up their imaginations.
One of the most common fantasies for an overweight child to have would be spending the summer at “fat camps,” then showing up on the first day of school completely transformed. That actually may not be just a fantasy; it’s possible for kids to go away to a weight loss camp for the summer and lose some weight, but more importantly, to change their negative image of themselves and to learn to deal better with teasing.
“Fat camps” may be the stuff of nightmares for kids, but in reality a well-chosen weight loss camp can aid in a child’s lifestyle and self-image change.
