When you have a child who’s overweight, it can be pretty hard for a parent to accept.  A lot of parents don’t really want to see a problem; many just say that it’s baby fat, or that their child is just growing and will grow out of it.  The dangerous thing about that is that often that lets bad habits grow for years, and is more difficult to reverse once you finally do decide to take action.

As well, sometimes parents can feel extremely guilty for having an overweight child.  It may raise terrible memories of kids being teased about kids fat camps, and other painful things.

However, the sooner you realize your child may be heading towards a weight issue, the sooner you can take action and change his lifestyle.  And the great thing is, the lifestyle changes can bring you closer together.

It’s imperative that kids get a lot of exercise, but that doesn’t mean you have to sign up for a gym.  Take your kids to the park and play tag or frisbee with them.  Or go on a bike ride.  You’ll both get exercise, you’ll both have fun, and it’s something you can do together.

You need to teach them about food, too; what food is bad for you, what’s good for you, and what goes into meals.  And the best way to do that is to bring them into the kitchen with you.  Cook with them.  They’ll learn valuable skills about nutrition, and valuable skills of how to cook!  They’ll be way more apt to eat a meal that they’ve prepared, as well as be proud of it.  And cooking together in the kitchen can be a really great bonding experience for a family.