Children Absorb The Behaviour They Observe

The Poor Get Fatter ..
How many fat children belong to a pony club?
How many fat children have ever been on a pair of skis, or a tennis court, or seen the inside of a gym?
Upper and middle class children play sport, and they do not eat too much trash, and they have parents who equate being at a sensible weight with good health.
Fat parents breed fat children.
And the real tragedy about fat children is that they are mostly the children of the poor.
Obesity is now the stigma carried by those who wallow in poverty and ignorance, and live on junk food and their sofas.
Not all of the working class are obese, but all of the obese are working class.
The class issue never gets discussed when we hear about obesity.
Yet every new survey screams exactly the same message.
The rich get thinner and the poor get fatter.

Children Absorb The Behaviour They Observe ..
Homes without books produce children with poor reading skills.
Babies and young children absorb the behaviour they observe.
It is now acknowledged by scientists that this has a great bearing on children’s behaviour as they grow older.
Every word and deed of a parent is a fibre woven into the character of a child, which ultimately determines how that child fits into the fabric of society.
The best security blanket a child can have is parents who respect each other.

Eating Together As A Family ..
Eating together as a family is shown to be beneficial in many ways – socially, emotionally and nutritionally.
When eating in a family environment we learn to socialise with others and understand dietary disciplines such as not eating too fast, waiting for others to finish before leaving the table, and simple things like not speaking with a mouth full of food.
Emotionally, studies have shown that children who frequently eat with their families have better results at school, are less depressed, less likely to drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs than children who eat with their families less than twice a week.
Children thrive on routines which make them feel secure and loved.
Regular meal times all together give children the opportunity to discuss problems with family members.
It relaxes and encourages them to wind down.
They are better friends with their siblings and learn to respect others around the table.
Unfortunately, family life has ceased to exist for a large majority of people.

The Living Messages ..
In the early years of the 21st century we have witnessed the rise of the “concrete child” who sees life through a TV or a computer screen.
Children are drowning in a sea of electronic games and toys but gasping for what money cannot buy – love and attention.
Children need our time, lots of love, and not the material things of life.
The greatest gifts we can give our children are good habits, good memories, the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.
Children are always the only future the human race has.
Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.

When You Are A Child ..
No matter where you go, you’re the centre of attention.
If you’re a small boy, attractive young women pick you up and let you kiss them.
If you’re a small girl, you’re constantly told how pretty you are, even if you aren’t.
You can say exactly what you think.
People don’t expect you to know any better.
You can talk to yourself and no one thinks you’re mad.
Food you don’t like you can spit out.
You get loads of Christmas presents and don’t have to buy any.
People sing to you.
Absolutely everyone asks you how you are.
Grown-ups give you money just for visiting them.
When your legs ache, someone carries you.
If your foods too hot, someone else will blow on it for you.
You can doze off anytime you like and people will be pleased.

We Must Be Ambitious For Our Children ..
It is all too easy to pass the buck.
To blame teachers, social workers and society for the way our children turn out.
Yet the truth, as has been proved time and time again, is that family life is what shapes our children’s futures.
And it requires decency from all of us to provide that.
Decency is about the way we conduct ourselves in every bit of our lives.
It’s about honesty, kindness, fairness, morality and dignity.
It’s about working hard to support your family.
Think about the kind of world you want your children to live and work in.
Demand that their teachers teach your children what they need to know to build this world.
We must be ambitious for our children.
We must give them the chance to be everything they can be.
And we must do that by teaching then decency by example.
Not just for their futures, but for the future of this country too.