Kids are not getting fat on school lunches. The students eat their school meals and spend the rest of the day busy.  The truth is, kids are getting fat on the processed foods they eat on the couch doing sedentary activities, at home.  Too many kids don’t even eat a traditional meal at home.  The pressure is on schools to improve the food.  The pressure should be on parents to focus energy on healthy home foods. I do agree, schools should serve healthy meals.

I believe it’s good to eliminate unhealthy snack machines.  Schools do have a responsibility in that regard.  However, we neglect to hold parents responsible for childhood obesity.  We blame schools for obesity.  We blame fast food establishments for obesity.  We blame the snack industry for obesity.  I have to tell you.  We’ve had those industries since I was a kid and we didn’t have the obesity epidemic as we do now.  Something else has changed.  That’s parenting.

The long of it all:   Many kids only eat supper at home and this is where they’re loading calories.  Kids have told me, their supper consists of the stuff they get from the freezer and heat in the microwave.  They then go back to the couch or their room to have their supper.  There is no sit down as a family in too many households.

Now I understand many families are on limited budgets; however chicken is healthy and reasonably priced.  Veggies can be found frozen if fresh is too expensive.  There are plenty of ways to eat on a budget.  The issue is caring enough to plan healthy meals. If a parent is interested in her children, she will find a way to feed them, being mindful of nutrition. I know that for a fact. Tossing heat and serve foods at the kids shows a parent’s lack of concern for diet and no doubt more expensive than taking the time to prepare the food.

Again, the simple issue here is society expects schools to fix the issue in the limited time they have the kids.  Parents who subscribe to that mentality are not doing their jobs.  The more schools do for kids, the less parents do for their own children.  Childhood obesity is not as much about poverty as it is about neglectful parenting.

I welcome commentary.