dkotz

Thanks for these comments. These are exactly the sorts of things that concern me. I'm worried that kids are hyperfocused on weight and are using exercise or "healthy eating" for weight control instead of using these habits to feel good or make themselves strong. What ever happened to telling kids to "run around or eat this to grow big and strong"? Now it's become "do this to avoid getting fat". I can't help but wonder if this is the right way to approach the growing weight problem in kids. Let me know your thoughts.

I don't have your email but please email me at dkotz@usnews.com I'd love to speak with you. Thanks!

Thanks for all these great comments! I'd like to know about any comments your teens have made about their bodies. Are they critical of flaws? Are they appreciative of what their bodies can do athletically? How does food fit into how they see themselves? I think this is a complex issue involving parents, peers, teachers, and the media. And I'm wondering whom teens see as role models for themselves. (I'm not sure that many want to be as skinny as Nicole Richie or Lindsey Lohan, though they probably process all the images of skinny actresses and, on some level, think they should be thinner.) I'm also wondering how the treatment of the "obesity epidemic" in schools has had an impact on teens and whether it's been positive or negative. I'd love it if you could share more of your personal parenting experiences. And tell me about your sons, too!