YOUNG CHILD, ADULT BODY

Ever seen someone on the street and you wondered if it was a kid or an adult? Sure, you must have noticed that once or twice especially in this new millennium. So was my fate a few weeks back. It was my sister’s birthday and we and a few friends were having celebratory drinks at a pool side spot somewhere in the FCT.

When we got seated, my sister spotted a man/boy in the pool, playing with some much younger looking kids and pointed him out. At first glance we all thought he was their young uncle teaching them to swim but on closer look we began to question that. A friend said, “I think he’s a child”, but I didn’t seem to believe that, so I countered. We began to anticipate that the object of our argument will come out of the pool so we can put the matter of his age to rest. 

We waited for what seemed like an eternity before the 150 pound young man waddled out of the water. Lo and behold, his face said it all; he couldn’t have been more than 10 years old. With lips agape, we watched as his mother strolled over to wrap him in a towel and take him back to the lounge seats which all manner of food arrayed beside it. 

On a good day even the stoniest of us would laugh uncontrollably but on that day even the most sanguine couldn’t bear to laugh. I could read worry, bewilderment, exasperation etched on everyone’s face. No it wasn’t funny, we felt terrible for that young man, sorry young child.  

We sat speechless for a little while before anyone could say something. I broke the silence by opining that the boy’s mother should be arrested for negligence and all seemed to acquiesce. I want you to understand that it isn’t the case of a well-fed baby or one with chubby genes but this was an overweight, over fed, obese child. He could barely walk straight and he towered over all the kids who were his mates like a goliath. 

I was so angry with his mother that I felt like walking over to her and giving her a smack on the face. But then again abhorring violence, I decided I would pen down my frustration as is the only way I know best to express myself.

I know in time past, children hated eating and seeing that it may make them prone to anorexia, the parents had to force them to eat. And I accept it only if they are forced to eat healthy foods in healthy rations.But I remember stories of a few parents who would heap the plates of their children with an insane amount of food and force them cane-in-hand to eat every last portion. In their rather unexposed minds, they probably thought they were doing the right thing, but that is what has heralded this obesity epidemic in Nigeria today.

 

Forgive me for being presumptuous but I think this the attitude of the Nouveau Riche. A well exposed and vastly read person knows beyond doubt the right way to feed a child. However, I find that those who newly arrive into wealth from a close minded background think the best way to pamper a child is to glut him. I am no health expert, but I do know that a treat is good every now so far as one does not allow junk food and large quantities of food become their child’s daily ration.

Even schools aren’t helping, especially the so-called top tier primary and secondary schools. Though, I am wont to argue a point in their favor that most times parents only agree to enroll their kids in such schools because of the promise of the feeding included in the curricular. 

I know two 13 year olds that are so physically different that if you do not look close enough, you would think one was the mother of the other. Where one from a moderate, financial family looks every inch her age, the other, from a wealthier family looks way older. I don’t mean to be cruel, but she could pass for 30 years old. No doubt there is a fat gene somewhere in the mix, but I can assure you it is mere food that has made her so. 

Growing up I had some friends who had come from the US to vacation in Nigeria. I remember being surprised by how much bigger than us they were. My mother who was a Food and Nutrition specialist would always say it was the junk American kids ate that made them so big. We scoffed her back then, but now 15 years later I am a believer. 

This chubby 13 year old consumes half a pack of sausage as a snack, not even a meal! And when you question her mother, she will say in her defense, “Hmm, leave her oo, that is how she and her brother use to eat”. These kids are fed ice cream, fries, and burgers at lunch time in school. Common parents! Agreed, a kid doesn’t always know what is right so doesn’t know when to say no, but parents should know better. And none of these parents want to hear you call their child fat. While i understand that mothers do not want their children criticized, I wonder this; shouldn’t your kid’s weight be your concern? You have to put such personal feelings aside and help your kids by feeding them healthy, home cooked meals in appropriate portions.

 You can guess my surprise when I meet women at malls with their chubby kids trailing behind. They hit the ice cream café and burger and fried chicken sections first, and then go in search of “organic” potatoes, beef, chicken and the likes. I bet the joke is on them. 

 
My worry isn’t only limited to the health implications of over feeding a child, like lifelong repercussions such as diabetes and heart disease but also the social stigma. Growing up, calling a child “fattie” was the cruelest and meanest form of bullying. I am curious, isn’t that still the case today? At least back then, suicidal thoughts among teens and pre-teens was a rarity. However, today, with the proliferation of western media and with it the negative adaptation of disturbing behaviours, parents really need to watch out.

Growing up too fast robs kids of their childhood. I know a 14 year old kid who is so much bigger than her contemporaries that she now befriends 18/19 year old girls in tertiary institutions whose interests cannot be same with hers. While hers should only cover experimenting with make-up, and such mundane things, she could get sucked into theirs which mainly revolves around boys. 

It is bad enough that this computer age has stolen the appreciation of fat burning field games such as “Ten Ten and Suwe”, replacing them with computer games. Forgetting that with it brings an increase in the number of couch potato kids, leaving the matter of health entirely now on a kids diet.

So, that kid you love and so you think the best way to show affection is by shoving food down his throat, could be the victim of jesting, bullying and fagging in school and may be contemplating suicide. If you already have a kid who is threateningly close to obesity, you had better make them hit the gym as soon as possible while you also significantly cut down their food rations. If you have a healthy kid, well done, keep up the good work. You are the change Nigeria needs.