I love you like a fat kid loves cake

The title of my first blog is taken from the 50 cent song ’21 Questions’, while this line never fails to bring a smile to my face, at the same time I can’t help realising that this lyric is directly linked to a huge (excuse the pun) problem in the UK. As my introduction explains, I’ve been thinking about blogging for a while but I have been lacking the inspiration or passion to write because I have not had the correct subject. Driving to work this morning, I went past a bus stop and saw a young boy standing there on his own, looking miserable and noticeably overweight. Then it struck me, I care about child welfare and have had weight problems in the past. I thought this was the perfect topic to get me started.

So what exactly is the problem? The problem is that an estimated 1.7 million aged between 2-15 years old (Approx 12 million people aged 0-18 years pld in the UK) are obese and alarmingly one in six children in Stockton-on-Tees is so overweight their health is endangered before they have even started school. This makes me sad because as a kid I remember eating bacon sandwiches on a Sunday morning around my grandparents house, but I also remember going swimming on Saturday morning, soccer in the afternoon and being out on my bike in the evening.

So what exactly is the cause of this problem? Coming back to the song 21 questions, there are at least 21 reasons why childhood obesity is occurring so frequently in the UK. Lack of parental responsibility, cheap junk food, lack of or no exercise, computer games and bullying are all key factors. I believe that the most prevalent factor is the lack of parental input into a child’s life. To a certain extent parents have an crucial involvement in what your child achieves in life, how they react in situations, language they use and what they aspire to be like.

Less than 5% of obese children have neither parent that is overweight/obese, meaning that 95% of children suffering from weight problems have one parent that is overweight or both parents are overweight/obese. Therefore, to me this is a social issue and raises several questions that could open up further debate such as whether these parents should be allowed to have children (if indeed they are not responsible enough to look after themselves), how many children should be allowed per family and whether parents should have to prove financial stability after their first child in order to have further children. All of which are highly emotional topics that would bring out very strong views and justifiably so. Unfortunately topics for another day.

This is just wrong.

Parents are at fault because in my experience, diet is more important than exercise when it comes to maintaining weight. Now I don’t know how many of you have watched cooking programmes before but it’s not usually children doing the cooking! If Mummy or Daddy is unable to cook healthy balanced meals for themselves, it is highly unlikely that they would be able to or have the motivation to do it for their child. I am embarrassed when I see someone vastly overweight eating a plate of chips and drinking a can of diet coke, believe me that isn’t a balanced diet! From generation to generation it is up to a mother, father or guardian to protect a child’s welfare and educate them.

I learnt a lot about cooking from my mother and this developed into a healthy thirst for knowledge, I now love cooking and the challenge of finding meals that suit my dietary requirements. I’m not saying that if you teach a child to cook and understand nutrition they will follow the guidance explicitly, however, as a parent/guardian you will have done the right thing and provided a platform that the child can develop from and I’d like to place a bet (I like a bet) that if every parent did this, there would be a significantly lower number of children suffering from weight problems.

Of course, it is naive to believe that food awareness is a simple answer to this complex problem. Adults can over-eat for a number of reasons depression, lack of nutritional awareness or lack of confidence. I believe that this is the same for children and again this directly relates to the parents. If you encourage children in their advances, I believe that if you stimulate a child’s brain you’re able to create a natural willingness to achieve. If you relate praise in a sporting sense it is interesting because no matter how many goals you let in when your 5 years old, if your Dad says you were amazing or the next Brad Friedel, then that is what remains in your memories. It’s fairly simple, encourage and then develop from that platform.

On the flip side, I’ve seen parents at junior football matches who have moaned constantly, had nothing positive to say and the kid ends up crying… I absolutely cannot understand why any poor little chap wants to play soccer again after that. In reality they probably don’t want to, just like I stopped playing when I was 16 because I got shouted at to the point where I couldn’t be bothered playing anymore and faked an injury... and believe me I’m not one to shy away from a challenge or competition. Between the ages of 16-23 I ballooned to 18 stone 8, I was eating fairly healthily, drinking a lot and exercising only when I did the robot in Manchester nightclubs. Now at the age of 25, I’m nutritionally aware, exercise 4-6 times a week and feel in the best shape of my life. Funny how my mother inspired me to cook and my father instilled a competitive sporting nature.

It starts at home, parents hold the key to future developments and have the power to create special lives around them… I hope one day when I’m a father I will be able to use the knowledge my parents have passed onto me and that I’ll always be able to educate, inspire, motivate and support my child. Of course like many things in life, easier said than done.

Next blog to come soon… Youth football development in the UK