September is National Obesity Awareness Month, but it’s always a good time to talk to your kids about healthy eating—especially with many adults and children alike having put on weight from stress eating and inactivity due to the pandemic.
Sadly, being significantly overweight is very common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s.
Today, nearly 1 in 5 school age U.S. children and young people (6 to 19 years) is considered obese. When you factor in those who are considered overweight but not yet obese, the figure rises to 31%.
Why the dramatic increase? Behavior and habits are the most likely culprits. According to Dr. Sue Cohen, Director of Early Childhood and Psychological Services at North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, technology plays a big role.
“Many families have become sedentary, with TV, computers and videogames as the culprits,” she says. “And it’s not just the kids; parents, too, are often modeling these behaviors.”
Of course, shaming a child for being overweight is never appropriate. From a very early age, parents should nurture a positive body image with their kids, focusing on their bodies as the miracles they are!
But if your teen’s weight has become a health concern, you can address it in a loving, non-critical way.
Dr. Cohen recommends approaching the issue as a family topic rather than focusing on an individual child. “The message should be that we all need to eat healthier and we can all start a fitness program as a family,” she says. “You don’t want to make your child feel badly about themselves, so focusing on healthy eating and activity rather than appearance is extremely important.”
Here Are Some Things to Keep in Mind When Broaching The Subject Of Weight With Your Children, From The Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics:
Encourage open dialogue. Go ahead and talk with your children about weight and encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings about body image whenever they arise. When children discuss feelings about weight with you, be sure to listen and acknowledge that the feelings are real. If you have had similar experiences, it may help to share them. Explain that people come in all different shapes and sizes and you love your child no matter what.
Don’t make negative comments. Judging your own body or your child’s can result in lasting detrimental effects to your child’s body image and relationship with food. Set a good example for children in the way you talk about your own body as well as others. Skip the lure of fad dieting yourself.
Take action. Children learn fast, and they learn best by example. Teach children habits that will help keep them healthy for life. In general, if your child is elementary age or younger and you have some weight concerns, don’t talk about it; just start making lifestyle changes as a family. The best thing you can do is make it easy for kids to eat smart and move often. Serve regular, balanced family meals and snacks. Limit the time your child spends watching television or playing video games. Look for ways to spend fun, active time together.
Avoid the blame game. Never yell, scream, bribe, threaten or punish children about weight, food or physical activity. If you turn these issues into parent-child battlegrounds, the results can be harmful. Shame, blame and anger are setups for failure. The worse children feel about their weight, the more likely they are to overeat or develop an eating disorder.
Talk with your healthcare provider. If a health professional mentions a concern about your child’s weight, speak with the professional privately. Discuss specific concerns about your child’s growth pattern and ask for suggestions on making positive changes in your family’s eating habits and activity levels.
Seek advice. Check out local programs and professionals who specialize in youth. Look for a registered dietitian nutritionist with a specialty in pediatric weight management. Many hospitals and clinics have comprehensive programs with education and activities for both kids and adult family members. Some of these options may be covered by your health insurance plan.
Finding Healthy Foods
Are you among the Long Islanders whose location and/or financial issues make it difficult to access healthy, fresh foods? Many soup kitchens and food pantries don’t have a large supply of fresh groceries, but Community Solidarity shares nutritious food to those in need, with 50% of that being fresh produce. To find out more, visit communitysolidarity.org.
Roslyn Heights, NY, August 25, 2020 — On Thursday September 10, 2020 at 7 p.m., North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center and the Great Neck Chinese Association will be cohosting a free webinar titled “Anti-Asian Bias: What Parents Need to Know.”
“The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a substantial increase in acts of bias against Chinese Americans and other Asian-Americans around the country,” said Kevin Sun, Co-President of the Great Neck Chinese Association. “And it’s happening right here on Long Island. Kids and adults are being verbally harassed, spit on and shunned in stores. It’s a very concerning situation.”
While many families have shared stories with him about these incidents of racial bias, one was particularly heartbreaking. “The parents of a seven-year-old boy told me that some kids surrounded their son on a playground, cursing at him and making anti-Chinese remarks,” said Sun. “The little boy was frightened and traumatized, and the parents were devastated to see the impact on their child.”
“The Asian-American community is facing a backlash that’s similar to what Muslims faced after 9/11,” said Andrew Malekoff, Executive Director of the Guidance Center, the region’s leading children’s mental health organization. “Pandemic-fueled harassment and violence creates lasting trauma, especially for youngsters, and all of us are responsible to stand up against these horrific attacks.”
The webinar, which will air live but be recorded for later viewing, will cover the discrimination issues facing Asian-Americans and, most important, give people resources and information that they can use if they or their children are subject to harassment.
“It’s common in our culture for people to keep quiet about these matters, especially when they are new immigrants,” said Sun, “but if we don’t know specifics about the attacks, it’s much harder to help. There are people out there who can offer assistance, whether it be the mental health professionals at the Guidance Center or legal authorities.”
State Senator Anna Kaplan, who is the first political refugee and the first Iranian-American elected to the New York State Senate, will discuss anti-discrimination laws during the webinar.
“The crisis we find ourselves in has brought out the best and worst in people, and unfortunately we have seen a significant escalation of harassment and violence against the Asian-American community fueled by anti-Asian bias and xenophobia,” said Kaplan. “As Americans, we need to rise to this occasion, and face this challenge as a family, and there is no place in our American family for hatred and bias. I’m grateful for the efforts of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center and the Great Neck Chinese Association for holding this important event to empower our community with the tools we need to deal with this crisis, and I encourage everyone to participate and be part of the solution.”
Other participants will include Regina Barros-Rivera, Associate Executive Director of the Guidance Center;
Christine Liu, the Vice Chair of the Nassau Asian American Advisory Council and a board member at the Chinese American Association of North Hempstead and Herricks Chinese Association; and ChenXin Xu, Board Member of the Great Neck Chinese Association and Founder, New York Music & Arts.
The free webinar is open to everyone. Questions will be taken during the event, or people can email questions prior to the webinar at president@gnca.org.
For more information about the Great Neck Chinese Association, visit www.gnca.org. To learn more about the services offered by the Guidance Center, visit www.northshorechildguidance.org.
About Us: As the preeminent not-for-profit children’s mental health agency on Long Island, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center is dedicated to restoring and strengthening the emotional well-being of children (from birth – age 24) and their families. Our highly trained staff of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, vocational rehabilitation counselors and other mental health professionals lead the way in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, training, parent education, research and advocacy. The Guidance Center helps children and families address issues such as depression and anxiety; developmental delays; bullying; teen pregnancy; sexual abuse; teen drug and alcohol abuse; and family crises stemming from illness, death, trauma and divorce. For more than 65 years, the Guidance Center has been a place of hope and healing, providing innovative and compassionate treatment to all who enter our doors, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information about the Guidance Center, visit www.northshorechildguidance.org or call (516) 626-1971.
Leaving for college for the very first time is an incredibly challenging, exciting and important moment for students and their families. With so many uncertainties still surrounding college life amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the normal fears and anxieties in both incoming freshmen and their parents have been escalated.
When I first left to attend college in my freshman year, the transition from living at home to living in a new state at a school where I knew no one was a challenge. But it is a challenge that was incredibly formative in becoming who I am now. I have so much empathy for this year’s freshmen, and I recognize that just as difficult as the challenges of this year are on me as a senior, the pandemic has altered many crucial traditions and elements of freshman life.
However, regardless of the circumstance, making the decision to leave home to attend college is a major milestone for a family. It is a bittersweet moment for parents who have worked so hard to make this dream a possibility for their children. Their freshmen often feel overwhelmed in their new environment and may feel homesick, especially during the first semester.
Quarantine has made all of us experts when it comes to communicative technology. FaceTime, Zoom and other services allow us to connect over long distances. These tools can be immensely valuable to homesick freshmen and worried parents. In my own experience, FaceTiming my family allowed me to feel connected to them while being able to become fully invested in my new experiences. Being able to check in with parents, see the family pet and connect quickly make these resources the perfect way for freshmen, in particular, to reduce anxiety.
The uncertainty of college experiences this fall will also benefit from this quick communication. Students can stay in touch with their families and keep them updated on the situation, which can be stress-relieving for the students and their worried parents at home.
Taking a trip home can be a great way to relieve stress during freshman year. I encourage students to not push themselves too hard and to listen to themselves if they feel they need a break. If it is a safe and possible option, a weekend trip home can make a world of difference for a struggling freshman.
While parents will always worry about their children, it is my hope that technology will continue to connect us while we are apart. Students and families have to make the right decisions for themselves and their safety. Every student and family will navigate freshman year differently. But whether you choose to take classes remotely and stay home or choose to return to campus, freshman year is a challenge for all. It is a time to reflect on who you are and who you hope to become in the next four years.
Some of the traditional advice for freshmen about getting involved on campus may not be applicable this year. However, schools are working hard to ensure that students can continue to connect with one another and remain engaged in their community. Club meetings are being held virtually, campus newspapers are publishing on their websites, and some traditional events are being redesigned to ensure social distancing and safety while giving freshmen the chance to have some of the cherished memories of the college experience.
I want to encourage incoming freshmen to reach out to organizations on campus that they are interested in and see how they are operating in the fall. Even if things are being done virtually, it will still be an opportunity to connect with others and begin to establish a life for yourself in the school community.
Schools often remind their freshmen throughout their first semester that these will be the greatest four years of their lives. But as this pandemic has shown us, we are not able to predict the future. As someone who ended up transferring from what I thought was going to be my dream school, not every moment has to match your expectations. Often, it is the act of working through the ongoing challenges and finding small moments of pure joy that makes college as special as it is.
This is not the freshman year anyone could have imagined. But it is that unexpected reality that will forever bond this class (and all the others that have been affected). It will find joy in laughing at technology failures during online classes, sharing our fears and concerns with others to find they have just the same ones. It will make for memories that we will not forget and a gratitude like no other. We cannot predict what this fall will bring, but we can only hope for the best and be grateful for each moment.
On Thursday Sept. 10 at 7 p.m., North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center and the Great Neck Chinese Association will be co-hosting a free webinar titled “Anti-Asian Bias: What Parents Need to Know.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a substantial increase in acts of bias against Chinese Americans and other Asian-Americans around the country,” said Kevin Sun, co-president of the Great Neck Chinese Association. “And it’s happening right here on Long Island. Kids and adults are being verbally harassed, spit on and shunned in stores. It’s a very concerning situation.”
While many families have shared stories with him about these incidents of racial bias, one was particularly heartbreaking. “The parents of a seven-year-old boy told me that some kids surrounded their son on a playground, cursing at him and making anti-Chinese remarks,” said Sun. “The little boy was frightened and traumatized, and the parents were devastated to see the impact on their child.”
“The Asian-American community is facing a backlash that’s similar to what Muslims faced after 9/11,” said Andrew Malekoff, executive director of the Guidance Center, the region’s leading children’s mental health organization. “Pandemic-fueled harassment and violence creates lasting trauma, especially for youngsters, and all of us are responsible to stand up against these horrific attacks.”
The webinar, which will air live but be recorded for later viewing, will cover the discrimination issues facing Asian-Americans and, most important, give people resources and information that they can use if they or their children are subject to harassment.
“It’s common in our culture for people to keep quiet about these matters, especially when they are new immigrants,” said Sun, “but if we don’t know specifics about the attacks, it’s much harder to help. There are people out there who can offer assistance, whether it be the mental health professionals at the Guidance Center or legal authorities.”
State Senator Anna Kaplan, who is the first political refugee and the first Iranian-American elected to the New York State Senate, will discuss anti-discrimination laws during the webinar.
“The crisis we find ourselves in has brought out the best and worst in people, and unfortunately we have seen a significant escalation of harassment and violence against the Asian-American community fueled by anti-Asian bias and xenophobia,” said Kaplan. “As Americans, we need to rise to this occasion, and face this challenge as a family, and there is no place in our American family for hatred and bias. I’m grateful for the efforts of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center and the Great Neck Chinese Association for holding this important event to empower our community with the tools we need to deal with this crisis, and I encourage everyone to participate and be part of the solution.”
Other participants will include Regina Barros-Rivera, Associate Executive Director of the Guidance Center; Christine Liu, the vice chair of the Nassau Asian American Advisory Council and a board member at the Chinese American Association of North Hempstead and Herricks Chinese Association; and ChenXin Xu, Board Member of the Great Neck Chinese Association and Founder, New York Music & Arts.
The free webinar is open to everyone. Questions will be taken during the event, or people can email questions prior to the webinar at president@gnca.org.
For more information about the Great Neck Chinese Association, visit www.gnca.org. To learn more about the services offered by the Guidance Center, visit www.northshorechildguidance.org.
LONG ISLAND (WABC) — With the academic year about to begin and the debate raging whether in-person, remote or hybrid learning is best for children and staff, many parents are experiencing anxiety over how to safely proceed.
On Long Island, Noah and his little brother Ayden are holding onto summer. But their parents are feeling anything but carefree. The boys will start second grade and kindergarten, respectively, in their homes. They have siblings even younger, and older grandparents who help care for them..
“The benefit doesn’t outweigh the risk,” mom Suzanne Jaramillo said. “I think every day we would come home worried.”
For Kelly McGrath Sullivan, it’s also about risk during the pandemic.
“I can’t have those what-ifs at night,” she said. “There’s just too many of them.”
Her boys lost their father eight years ago, and they say too much is at stake now.
“I know there are other people in this situation, where you only have one parent,” son and incoming freshman Jack Sullivan said. “And I can’t go to school and bring this virus home to my mother.”
That parental anxiety swings both ways, as other parents worry what will happen if they’re kids aren’t back in school five days a week.
“For me, it’s heartbreaking because I had my child come to me and tell me he’s depressed,” mom Maria Sanders said.
Many students struggle with remote learning.
“It’s just a loss to the children,” mom Jennifer DeMos said. “They’ve wasted time, and they’ve lost learning.”
So what can parents do to get through this? Weigh the pros and cons for your own family, talk to your older kids about what they want, and ask your school district as many questions as you can.
“Another fear they have is that school opens, right, and in another two weeks, they have to shut down again,” she said. “What is that going to do to the child emotionally? And also academically?”
She also warns that parents’ anxiety is often absorbed by their children, so it’s important to help them see the positive with the negative.
