My Husband’s Trip to the Grocery Store: Contradictions

One of my favorite topics to write about is how we, meaning parents, teachers, coaches, camp counselors etc., contradict ourselves and send mixed messages to kids all the time regarding health and making healthy choices.

Here is a story about my husband’s very recent trip to the grocery store:

He was at Safeway getting ready for our camping trip. He is behind a woman in the 15 items or less line, annoyed because she has more than 15 items.

Now he starts observing the contents of her cart and I quote: “I have never seen so much %$*# in one person’s cart. There were chips and sodas and every kind of candy you could think of”.

As the woman was paying for her cart full of junk food, the Safeway employee said to her “Wow, you have lost a lot of weight, haven’t  you.”

The woman replied, “I have lost over 100 pounds. These are snacks for my kids. We are going on a long car ride.”

Need I say more?

A Mother's Day Tribute

Thanks Mom, 

for being an amazing role model, teacher and my biggest fan.

Thanks for buying healthy foods to eat

 and preparing healthy meals, 

even when I complained.

Thanks for serving salad every night. 

Eventually I learned to like it!

Thanks for setting reasonable limits 

around food and not allowing me to eat 

whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Thanks for encouraging me to exercise, 

not just for my physical health, 

but for my mental health.

Thanks for being supportive and 

understanding and not judgmental 

when I struggled with my weight.

Thanks for sharing your own challenges around making healthy choices and finding 

time to exercise. I knew it was hard, 

but I saw you making it a priority.

Thanks for making me play soccer and stay 

with it even when I wanted to quit. 

I stuck with it and loved it.

Thanks for setting limits around watching TV. 

I might have gone over the allotted one hour a day, but not by much.

Thanks for making “just enough" food and not enormous quantities so I did not overeat 

just because it was there.

Thanks for limiting treats but not eliminating treats.

Thanks for calling me at college to encourage me to go running, knowing that I would feel better even though I was stressed and overwhelmed with finals and thought I didn’t have time.

Thanks for taking time out for your own health 

so I knew I could do the same, 

especially when I became a mom.

Thanks for showing me that it does not matter how busy you are with work, family, activities, 

you still must find time to take of yourself.

Thanks for taking us on active family vacations. Even though I was 12 and did not want to

 go hiking with you in Canyonlands, 

you all went without me, and I missed out. 

Now I love to hike.

Thanks for encouraging me to pursue a career in health that involves helping others.

Thank you for encouraging me to find 

a job and a career that I love.

Thanks for teaching me how to be a 

good role model for my children.

Happy Mother's Day!