|
It's Your Fault the Kids Are Fat!
12 comments
Prayer and the Presidency
9 comments
I Don't See the Family Values
8 comments
Does Every Woman Really Count?
8 comments
Our Daughters Are Paying Attention
8 comments |
       |
Before you throw something at me (or the computer screen), that’s not what I think.
But one recent study says that for every ten hours a week a mother works, the odds increase about ten percent that their children will be overweight.
The supposed connection? According to the study by the Institute of Child Health in London, it’s not a matter of money — it’s a matter of time. After studying the lives of 13,000 British working mothers, the Institute claims it found that when mothers work longer hours, there’s less time to make healthy food, leading to fatter kids.
This study isn’t the only one to lay the blame at the feet of working mothers. There are health professionals here in the U.S. who think the same thing. But in households where both parents work, why is it mommy’s fault?
What would the studies find if working fathers were the ones responsible for mealtime? I know what would get served here at Chez PunditMom — I’ve heard about the menus on the rare occasion when I go out of town and Mr. PunditMom is the one responsible for dinner time. Fortunately, PunditGirl is an active kid and I don’t get many overnight trips.
When I cooled off after reading these accounts, I had two thoughts. First, can we agree that not everything that happens in our homes is the fault of working mothers? I’m focusing pretty hard at keeping the mommy guilt at bay — I really don’t want to cross Devra Renner on this one! She knows where I live!!
More seriously, can you say high fructose corn syrup?
Researchers, let’s give the moms a break, OK? Or we’ll make you finish your brussels sprouts before you can leave the table.
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 25th, 2007 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Does It Really Make Any Sense?, Mad as Hell & We're Not Going to Take it Anymore.
October 25th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
It’s not just the kids, it’s the moms, the dads and society in general. We are all getting fatter as our food gets more processed. And, as we get busier, it’s easier to pick up shortcut meals. Let’s not even talk about how much less active we are than even 10-20 years ago as a society now that we have the Internet. Heck, I even email my boss and he sits less than 15 feet from my desk. It’s definitely a challenge, but I agree that working mothers shouldn’t bear the brunt of this.
October 25th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Are they really *blaming* working mothers, in the sense that you mean, or are they pointing out that there is a causation at work here? Yes, you can blame high-fructose corn syrup if you want, but who is buying the products that contain HFCS? If a mom is feeling guilty about her kids’ diets and health, perhaps she should do something about it instead of saying it’s someone else’s problem. Studies like this should *help* parents see the cause of problems so they can make better choices. Getting mad at the researchers because you doesn’t solve anything.
October 25th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
As a nutritionist, I agree with PT-LawMom. This is a society issue secondary to busy lives, increased portion sizes, decrease in activity, and overall out of balance food choices.
Plus, even though you hear it constantly, I don’t agree that it takes more time to cook a healthy meal. It’s just more convenient to use processed foods or take out. We forget that it does take time to get take out or go through a drive thru or make mac and cheese. Think about it this way, it only takes about 10-15 min to grill some salmon. Not very time consuming at all.
I agree with you that it isn’t fair to make this a mom issue. It is a family issue that includes everyone in the family.
October 25th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I blogged about this a while ago, but in a more joking manner, as there was another story after this one that said working moms are healthier.
I really don’t think these studies help working moms or their kids. If someone understands how to and wants to feed their kids healthy meals, they can and will, regardless of their free time, IMHO. I’d rather see education for kids and adults about healthy foods.
October 25th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
What about the fathers? Aren’t they responsible for the health of their children as well?
Why is this always put on mothers? Parents are equally responsible for their families well-being.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:48 am
you know, when you have a baby they give you 47831902398741129472098174921874398 ‘pamphlets’ and free coupons for stuff you never use. wouldnt it be cool if they included some nutritional informatino and some ‘quick and healthy’ meals that maybe dad can learn to cook while mom is healing from birth? i think that would get everyone in the family kind of used to change. life changes anyway at that point, why not try to change your diet?
that said - fathers should be just as responsible for the nutritional health of the family. but just because they SHOULD be, doesnt mean they always are…
October 26th, 2007 at 1:52 am
I agree with thisKat when she says, “Studies like this should *help* parents see the cause of problems so they can make better choices. Getting mad at the researchers because you doesn’t solve anything.”
If people are making poor choices that impact negatively on their childrens’ health, it is not “blaming” anyone to point this out.
Your point is well taken that this need not be the mother’s responsibility and/or fault. And, when men are planning and cooking as many meals/week as women, it won’t be. Until then, well, I think it is.
October 26th, 2007 at 2:10 am
Husband is a better cook than I am, but I’m usually the one home to make supper. I use the crockpot a lot so we can have homemade soups.
October 28th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
You know the Pizza Hut commercial, the one where dad “Cooks” dinner? Well, I was watching that the other day and I realized there wasn’t a fruit or veg in site. Unless you counted the sauce on the pizza. It was all white flour (sugar) and cheese and more sugar. I can imagine that’s not the only commercial showing poor nutrition. And not that it’s Pizza Hut’s job to teach us a balanced meal. Or that that is the cause of our obesity crisis. But wouldn’t it look like good citizenship for a fast food company to provide a salad in their meal bundle? And show it in their commercial?
A few months ago, the New York Times food columnist posted 101 quick and easy summer main dishes that cooked in 10 minutes or less (not including any prep work). I’m still cooking off that list. None of it was really “summer food”. And even if you only like 1/4 of the recipes…that’s still 25. Almost a month’s worth of cooking. Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/dining/08mini.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
October 29th, 2007 at 4:34 am
The blame angle of the study is not helpful at all to anyone’s guilt-o-meter. And if you are letting this study effect your guilt-o-meter, then yeah, I will drive over to your house and not leave until we get that guilt-o-meter back down to a reasonable level. Friends don’t let friends have debilitating mommy guilt!
October 29th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Have you noticed the children’s selections on most restaurant menus? Mac and cheese, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwichs — all high fat, and not a vegetable in sight. It’s really started to bug me in recent years. It used to be that there’d be some carrot sticks, or SOMETHING. Increasingly less common, and that’s not a good thing.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Why don’t you ever see studies of the negative impact that the amount of DAD’s overtime and travel has on the kids? I’m sure there must be some, even when the wife is a SAHM. I’m tempted to write the researchers…