Supersizing Leads to Obesity

Re “Fat Kids, Working Moms: Link Looms Large,” Commentary, Feb 18: Why are mothers always blamed for their children’s problems, especially when Mom works away from home? The problem of childhood obesity lies in the “supersizing” of America, where about half our population is overweight. Overweight adults are sending their children the message that obesity is normal. As a working mother of three normal-weight children, I can attest that it is possible for children whose mother works to be of healthy weight.

And why are fathers let off the hook? It is high time fathers started doing their share in raising their children, including learning about nutrition, shopping, preparing food and “policing” their children’s eating habits. Researchers like Mary Eberstadt would better spend their time finding ways to get fathers to accept their share of the responsibility for raising their children. Moms are still doing all the work and getting all the blame.

Sara Spencer

Venice

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It seems to this mom (who, incidentally, does not currently work outside the home), that it doesn’t take a research fellow at the Hoover Institution to know that there are many factors that contribute to today’s obese kids. How about blaming rising crime and unsafe neighborhoods, which make it an impossibility for kids to play outdoors on their own?

Growing up, I was instructed to play outside for hours on a daily basis. My mother did not accompany me. If my mother, who did not work, had had to join me for these outings for reasons of safety, I doubt they would have been a daily requirement or would have lasted as long. Is it Eberstadt’s intention to blame every unfortunate trend since 1964 on working women, or is it possibly just a coincidence?

Rhonda Seaton

Valley Village

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Having grown up as, in polite terms, a chunky child, this article hit close to home. The problem was not that I did not exercise; it was because all the fatty foods were made so available to me. I was able to walk down the street and get a Big Mac, and if it was crowded, I was able to walk a block more to get a Whopper. Are parents to blame for their children being overweight? Some may argue yes, because where else is the food coming from. Some may argue no, because a parent cannot force the child to put the food in his or her mouth.

This subject also hits close to home because my parents are out of shape and what some may call “big boned.” I do not believe they forced us to eat fatty foods, although the cookies and chips were always in surplus in my home. Both of my parents work as well, and they were too tired at times to cook, so the easiest thing to do was order something. Although parents do play an important role in the diets of their children, by a certain age, children can judge for themselves what they like and what they will and will not eat.

Vianna J. Hernandez

Monterey Park