The word responsible is having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action. Responsibility is having the capacity to be held accountable for actions. The responsibility or accountability of actions involving healthful dieting and exercise lifestyles fall on parents, schools, and individuals. Evidence of this poor “responsibility” is imprinted everywhere in the Americanized society.
If a part of responsibility is having the capacity of being accountable, then who is accountable? Parents are responsible or “held accountable” because children look to their parents for instructions in life. They follow the example of their parent's lifestyle, diet, and exercise habits. Parents are held accountable for how they raise their children. Visualize the overweight kid at the restaurant pleading, “Mommy, please let me have that desert!” “Yeah, sure son, I know you need those extra 400 calories after a huge dinner.”Or, “Daddy, can I get a Dr. Pepper?!” “Yeah son that caffeine will stunt your growth and you need to get your 300 extra empty calories of sugar infused coke.” A lot of parents are not encouraging a healthful diet. Children develop and are shaped widely by their positive and negative feedback from social experiences and interactions. A child’s eating and exercise habits are developed mostly by how they are raised. If kids are constantly getting cooked greasy fried foods and eat lots of fast food, then they will grow accustomed to that life style not knowing the harmful long term effects of that diet. Children that aren’t encouraged to exercise but rather to play video games are more likely to be obese. Exercise is very important for overall health and weight management. Parents are accountable for how they impress healthy lifestyles on their children.
I agree with a lot of points that you have made. Americans do not have enough self control to say no to the food that can put them at risk of serious health problems. Parents tend to give in to what their child wants instead of protecting their health and they do not help them practice better eating habits for when they are older and on their own.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I think that we as parents need to be teaching our children healthy eating habits. I think that teaching a child how to eat healthy will most likely stick with them and when they get older, they will choose to eat healthy. I do know that in our fast paced lives it is sometimes easier to pull through a fast food window, but in the long run it can be detrimental to our health. I think we should take the time to make sure we are eating right. It will benefit our health and we will feel better about ourselves.
ReplyDelete