Column: Solution to kids eating sugary cereal is parenting

Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 21, 2007

Stacey Bahr, Guest Column

Recently I read an article on the Web site of a Chicago-area NBC television station about Kellogg&8217;s cereal company. The headline read: &8220;Kellogg&8217;s Cereal Characters Might Soon Get Axe.&8221;

I remember fondly all of the different characters that graced the cereal aisle when I was young and was a bit saddened by the headline. The beginning of the article stated that Kellogg&8217;s was going to phase out the characters of any cereal that didn&8217;t meet health standards for nutrition to avoid marketing these unhealthy cereals to children.

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At first, although a little saddened by the news that Toucan Sam, Digg &8217;Em Frog, even Snap! Crackle! and Pop! (on original Rice Krispies, as they contain too much salt) were quite possibly going to be taken off

the boxes of some of my favorite cereals, I felt respect for Kellogg&8217;s for taking the initiative to make the foods that we love healthier. Especially for those of us on a tight budget, in the days when a Big Mac meal costs less than a pound of strawberries. I&8217;ll let you do the math on that one.

After reading a little further into the article, however, my sadness turned to irritation and then anger as I read the real reason behind the switch. The Kellogg Co. said that the changes it was making were voluntary but originally prompted by the threat of a lawsuit by advocacy groups claiming that these products that were marketed to children contributed to childhood obesity. My anger was not directed at Kellogg&8217;s, but at the advocacy group threatening the suit.

People complain a lot about the fact that our government and our laws are intruding too much into our lives, and I&8217;m all for less government and fewer needless lawsuits.

But then groups like these turn around and threaten to sue companies like Kellogg, when what they really should be looking at is their own self-control.

There is a very simple concept that could cure our childhood obesity problem. Maybe you&8217;ve heard of it. It&8217;s called &8220;parenting.&8221;

When I was a child shopping for groceries with my mother, I would ask her on every visit if I could have what we called &8220;treat&8221; cereal. Nine times out of 10 she said no, and that was the end of it. No amount of begging or tantrum-throwing would change her mind.

(Consequently, tantrums were unheard of in my family, in a time when spankings were not only allowed but encouraged, and my brothers and I were the best-behaved children in public you&8217;d ever see.)

My mother was the parent. She was the authority figure, and you respected that. Her word was law, and there were no arguments.

Nowadays, parents are far too lenient on their children, giving in to every demand, buying every new toy or gadget that their child just has to have.

Perhaps it&8217;s because parents want to be their child&8217;s friend and be the &8220;cool&8221; mom or dad, perhaps it&8217;s to avoid a tantrum. It&8217;s easier to give in than to deal with an unruly child.

However, the consequences of that later on in life far outreach the temporary inconvenience of a misbehaving child. Now, we buy our children PlayStations because every other kid has one, and our children have no idea what it means to get outside and actually play. Not only does that hurt their imaginative play capabilities, but they are learning a sedentary lifestyle, thus creating obese children who grow into obese adults.

I will be the first to admit that I&8217;m not the world&8217;s healthiest eater by a long shot. I love food. I love to prepare it. I love to eat it. Most of the food that I enjoy is not good for me, I know, but I eat it anyway. I&8217;m heavier than I would like to be, but that&8217;s my fault, no one else&8217;s.

I wouldn&8217;t dream of suing McDonald&8217;s because the super-size fries that I ate made me fatter.

McDonald&8217;s didn&8217;t make me eat fries. I chose them over a healthier alternative. I have no one to blame but myself, and I accept that blame with a salad on the side.

I have a very simple exercise that will make us all better parents. It goes like this: Your child asks you for the sugary cereal that&8217;s bad for them, or the new video game that is a little too violent or the CD with questionable lyrics.

Step 1: Say NO and stick to your guns. That&8217;s it, there is no Step 2.

It&8217;s probably the easiest thing you will do as a parent, but one of the most important. Don&8217;t ask a lawyer to do the job that you should be doing yourself.

Be a parent, not a friend. Your child will learn discipline and respect and will carry that lesson with them their entire life. I have, and I&8217;m a better parent for it.

Stacey Bahr is the creative director for the Albert Lea Tribune. She lives in Albert Lea.