Disturbing
As you may have noticed in my sidebar, I'm currently reading Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. I'm behind, I know, since almost everyone I know (except TLS ) has already read it and expressed dismay over what they found inside.
I'm only about halfway finished, but I find myself regularly disturbed by the statistics and anecdotes that Schlosser presents. There are at least five or six statistics or stories per page that make me shake my head. Being a mom, there were two that stuck out to me in particular.
I know I'm going to be even more disturbed when I get to the part about the deadly effects of E. coli on children. We may even have to go back to being vegetarian.
I'm only about halfway finished, but I find myself regularly disturbed by the statistics and anecdotes that Schlosser presents. There are at least five or six statistics or stories per page that make me shake my head. Being a mom, there were two that stuck out to me in particular.
- "About one-fifth of the nation's one- and two-year-olds now drink soda." (pg. 54). What? I wasn't allowed to drink "soda" ("Coke" where I come from) until I was older, and even then it was caffeine free. And it was a special treat...not an everyday occurence. Every other week or so my dad and I used to drive about an hour on Sunday afternoon to visit his mother. It was a huge deal to stop at a market on the way out of her town and get a Coke. And we shared it. I don't get this. I find it hard to believe that a parent would actually think that Coke is healthy at all, much less for a baby.
- "About one-quarter of American children between the ages of two and five have a TV in their room." (pg. 46)Again I say, what? I don't even have a TV in my room and I'm 31 years old. Neither Jay nor I had television sets in our rooms growing up, and neither of us even ever had a game console. What does a two- to five-year-old need to watch on TV in his/her room?
I know I'm going to be even more disturbed when I get to the part about the deadly effects of E. coli on children. We may even have to go back to being vegetarian.
Comments
As far as E. Coli and meat....raise your own...on grass only.
And yeah we got Coke Friday night with pizza and a TV show...whooppee. Sydney still thinks we're awesome parents when she gets to drink Sprite at a birthday party. And she's only had koolaide like once or twice her whole life. Yeah she'll be drinking Coke at all the happening parties in high school thinking she's cool. (At least that's my daydream)
Does it say what the statistic is for kids that watch TV while going on a trip (long or short). I'm amazed at how many dvd players are in cars these days and that's the number one think mentioned as we look at minivans/SUV's by the salesperson. I actually said to one guy, "well that's not necessarily a plus in my book" and he gave me a very befuddled look.
Now I know what book to look up at the library next time I go.
I'm certain we'll get to that eventually.
No statistics on the DVD players in minivans. It's more about how food is marketed to children. My dad swears that when we our kid(s) are older we'll be begging for the minivan with the DVD player. At the risk of sounding like an old fogey I still say, "Well back in my day, I read books on long trips. We don't need no stinking DVD player." I'm sure you can find statistics on television and kids. The AAP currently states that kids two and older watch no more than one to two hours each day (although that still seems high to me) and that children under two watch none at all. Here's a good article from babycenter.
In our family, we had two main traditions to make the long car rides better:
1. we'd play games (usually ones we'd made up)
2. We'd pick on our sister.
And reading in the car? I echo the thief on that one too. I was so jealous of my brothers (apparently just one) who COULD read in the car and often tried, with very bad results (I remember pulling into someone's driveway to clean out the car, and me, and the people came home...)
And as for a TV in the kids' rooms? EGADS. We didn't have a TV in our HOUSE when we were kids. (Which is why I spent my entire freshman year of college in the sorority suite: cable!!!)
"Back when we were kids we didn't need all these new-fangled things..."
Ritz--I stopped with the bagged salad when I was pregnant due to the dangers of listeriosis which can cross the placenta and kill the baby. It's one of the things on the long list that pregnant women are supposed to avoid. Thanks for the link, though, especially since I read the E. coli chapter of the book right before bed last night. I'm not eating anything else, ever. Just hook me up to an IV and nourish me that way. Although I have started using a meat thermometer at all times. Maybe that helps.
I did buy some pre-washed baby greens from Earthbound Farms (organic, yummy, already washed!) and found a dead but well-preserved lady bug stuck to one of the lettuce leaves. I called the company and they sent a bunch of coupons to make up for the trauma. But now I can't use them because this spinach thing has now convinced me not to each pre-made salad anymore.
They make veggie wash? Do tell.
I think in todays parenting world we're living very differently from our parents. In our parents parenting books it gave direct orders..."If you didn't do this then you'd cause this, and if you did do this then it would cause this"
Today our books say "Do what you feel right as a parent".
While that's all nice and good it's doesn't give any real truths in fact in many cases it gives lies.
And heaven forbid if we as parents give another parent advice that might actually help their child because it's seen as judgemental while when our parents were raising us other moms were always giving advice. I can remember overhearing my mom getting advice at church when I was a preteen and she never once saw it as judgemental. She saw it as advice.
I know there has to be a balance but I do think we, as in our generation of parents, are a little top heavy on the "Do what feels right" and it's affecting our kids.
As to how do we provide good information without insulting...I don't know maybe the answer is 47.
Same here. Back in my day, the most entertaining way to pass a long car trip was to annoy the hell out of my sister until Mom said “Don’t make me pull this car over!” Yea, those were the days.
I’m with you on the junk food, too. I haven’t read the book but I personally see two major problems: 1) the sale of junk food in elementary schools, for which the schools get kickbacks; and 2) the fact that so many young parents are uneducated about health. I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years. I would wholeheartedly support raising your own free range meat. Yes, they do make veggie wash and I highly recommend it. Veggies are grown in poop, for heaven’s sake.
I also totally agree with Anna (the cause of those “don’t make pull this car over” speeches”) about giving parents advice. You’re likely to get slapped with a lawsuit for telling a mother that Coke is bad for her one year old.
Jennifer--Fast Food Nation talks a lot about marketing to kids in schools. One district in Texas actually answers the phone, "You've reached the XYZ school district, proud partner of Dr. Pepper" Can you believe that? Jay and I have been talking about finding a local source of grass-fed beef, buying a side, and having it processed locally. We were vegetarians once, but we weren't very good ones.
I think there must be something to "it takes a village." I was saying to Anna this summer that it makes sense that female bodies are prepared for children so young. In a society where multiple generations live together, the young women have the energy to chase after kids and the old women are the bearers of the wisdom. I think many moms today are just completely unsure of themselves and don't know where to begin looking for wisdom, support, and education.
I've been trying really hard to cut down on processed foods as much as possible. I even made my own pimento cheese the other day. Of course it contains mayonnaise, so I guess the next step is to make my own mayonnaise. This could get to be a real pain. We don't eat any refined sugar anymore, or white flour. Granted, soy flour isn't as yummy but at least I feel better about putting it in my body.