Will 2011 Find Your Children Healthier?

Of course the only person (or people) who can answer that question are those closest to the child.  This means the parents, guardians, and immediate family.  Yes, even the immediate family  members will have a profound impact on your child’s health.  It is important to realize that the people that we associate with most in our lives are the people who we tend to be most like.  In the case of children and their health and fitness levels, this means that the people closest to them will have the most impact on how your child develops.  The question to ask then, is "who is negatively influencing my child’s health, and who is positively influencing it?"

This introspective question will reveal a lot, and with a new year upon us, why not start to ask those types of questions now?  We all know that a new year is a time of great jubilation and triumph for many, but can also be a time of depression and regrets for some.  This is simply because we tend to think of January 1st as a new beginning, a fresh start to what lay in front of us.  A re-energized outlook on that which is unknown and holds great potential.  However, if we look back at every new year since we can remember, we will all begin to see a trend.  Whether that trend is positive or negative is entirely up to you. 

Do you remember your resolutions last year?  Probably not.  Statistics show that most people forget (not give up on) their resolutions by the end of February.  This may help to explain why we are so excited for a new year; we simply forgot what we expected of ourselves last year.  If we didn’t reach the goals we set for ourselves, then we shouldn’t be so optimistic this year, right?  However, if we did meet and even exceed our goals, then perhaps this is a time to reevaluate what our new challenges should be.

How does this all relate to your child’s health and who they hang out with?  Well, I know it’s a somewhat windy road to where I’m going, but I will get there soon enough.  You see, now is a time to really reflect on the past several years or months of your life, and how you and your family have developed.  Sure times have been tough for just about everybody, but is that a reason to point fingers and place blame if things haven’t turned out the way you wanted?  I don’t think so.  Instead, I think we need to reflect, figure out where we went wrong or didn’t hit the target, readjust, refocus, and reset.  This is why I think the new year does hold so much promise for your family.  If you take the time to reflect on what worked, and what didn’t, then you can begin to fix it for 2011. 

This is where determining who is a positive influence, and who is a negative influence on your child will be especially useful.  For instance, let’s say that little Johnny has a buddy, Freddy, who loves video games, potato chips, and soda.  He also has parents who aren’t as concerned for their children as you are.  Therefore, Freddy gets away with whatever he wants.  As a result, he’s a bit hefty and has just been growing larger and larger.  Also, since he does have the new Xbox 360 with Kinect, PS3, and a cool setup, little Johnny really likes hanging out with him.  In fact, as you begin to think about it, Johnny only wants to hang out with Freddy these days.  He doesn’t show any interest in other friends, playing sports, or doing anything outside.  As you think about it further, you also start to realize that Johnny only wants junk food now and is starting to stretch those new shirts a little bit too much.

Uh-oh!!

At least, that’s what you would say if you only just now began to think about who is influencing your child’s health.  And, since a new year is a time of new ambitions, you decide that Johnny shouldn’t be spending as much time with Freddy and you are going to get him to be more active again.  Well, good luck.  Just remember that you need to set small, baby goals for your little boy.  No gargantuan changes right away.  Just small, incremental steps toward a healthier child.  In fact, you should probably look into the types of activities that you can get little Johnny to take up here.  You should also look for healthier food choices for your son and family, and start to take a look at how everyone in the family is changing.  Whether it be positive or negative doesn’t matter.  What matters is how you react and reassess how you’re going to handle these changes in 2011.

Happy New Year to you and yours, and here’s hoping that you have a great, healthy, and invigorating 2011!