Don’t Blame The Children

We are repeatedly hearing lately that the children of today no longer play outside; they are no longer physically active, like their parents and grandparents used to be. Supposedly all they do is watch television and sit around all day with computers, tablets and smart phones.

Perhaps some of this is true. But if so, why is that? Of course, it is absolutely natural for a child to have an abundance of energy. It is in the nature of youngsters to run around and be full of life, exuberant and active. But truth be told, when children act that way in today’s world, we often imply that they are maladjusted or have an ailment or disorder. Highly active kids have become the scourge of many parents and teachers in modern society – the dreaded “hyperactive syndrome” or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Are the children truly to be blamed?

The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison ~ Ann Wigmore

I have a different perspective on this matter. The commercial food industry and massive pharmaceutical conglomerates have a united goal: to make profits. So, Big Food sell us unhealthy products that are cheap to manufacture, using chemicals and unnatural processes to make it taste great. In the process they make us fat and lethargic and unhealthy. They also make us addicted to junk food, which in turn makes us ill and in need of more medication.

And what better place to start than with than an innocent child. Guess what? The strategy is working. We have an inordinate number of young people fat and extremely inactive. We also have an inordinate number of young people on chronic medications for illnesses and conditions that were practically unknown 50 years ago. Who is responsible for this?

We cannot simply blame only the corporations and industry. Unless we are giving our children the funds to go out and purchase their own groceries, the blame clearly lies on our own shoulders. If there were no consumers buying junk foods, they would not be produced in the first place. Children do not get up one morning and instinctively know to remind mom and dad to avoid all the chemicals in the food that we are ingesting. They will not think to ask if there is any way we might try to buy more organic. They need to be taught these values. Children eat what is given to them, and as chemicals are especially addictive it will not be long before some of these children become overweight, inactive and even diseased through no fault of their own.

So, the next time we see a child that has no ambition to play outside  and tends to eat sugary, chemically addictive food, let us remind ourselves, it is not the fault of the child, so let us not hold them responsible for what is ultimately our own actions.