parental fat guilt

A school weighs a child, ticks a box on a form.

The mother goes into meltdown. Defensive screams, How dare you say my child is fat.

Look, lady. The tick box indicates that your child is outside the expected weight for age. It's you that has labeled your child as fat.

The form does not even mention *over* weight. It politely indicates, outside the expected.

Then a dietitian prattles on about BMI  being "problematic" for a child. Well sorry, the form does not mention BMI, it refers to age. You know, the way that children are expected to get heavier as they grow older.

Both parents may be Sumo wrestlers.In which case little Johnny is probably fat and fit and healthy.

The mother's reaction indicates guilt. Yes, she knows that Johnny is fat but, hey, what can you do.

What you can do is to stop your narrow-minded whingeing. And be glad that the school cares about every child's health and fitness.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
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Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood