When it comes to schools, kids and obesity – there is a threat to getting overweight children more active in sports and PE because of the bullies who will taunt and tease. As we all know, children can be horribly cruel. It’s not just the bullies, but the other children that will jump in to make the statements because they see the reaction the others get as well.
An overweight child who wants to get involved needs to have their confidence and self-esteem built; peer victimization destroys self-confidence and esteem. In fact, the more a kid is teased whether they are overweight or not, the more likely they are to not get involved in physical activity. They would rather avoid the teasing and the taunts and the bullies and if that means getting away from the physical activity that is the choice they will make.
It’s important that parents and teachers are aware of this. A good physical fitness program to get our kids active and to keep them active needs to address the idea of other kids picking on them or targeting them as the butt of the joke. If you notice that your child’s performance in P.E. is falling off, find out why. Look into building up their confidence in controlled situations.
I can speak honestly from my own history in school on this topic. I was one of those early bloomers and as such, I put on a lot of weight between the ages of 9 and 13. I was fatter than most of the other kids. I was bigger than them too. I got a lot of heat from the prissier girls and athletic boys. I was picked last more often than not for team sports.
The more heat I got from the other kids, the more competitive I got. It helped me to perform better in my physical education class and it helped me to avoid worse choices. Not every kid is like me though and I knew plenty that were so miserable, they would literally make themselves throw up to get away from having to deal with the taunting in the class.
I’ve met adults whose issues with being overweight and low self-confidence stems back to the days when they were victimized in school. I’ve comforted my five year-old daughter who has come home from school asking if she was fat. When I asked her why, she said one of the bigger kids in her class was getting called bad names by the other kids. She didn’t ever want to be that fat kid.
Understanding that weight loss requires physical activity and a good diet is only part of the equation. Understanding that you need the confidence and the positive self-esteem to reach your goals applies to your children every bit as much as you do. Work with your kids and their self-esteem. Find activities that they can engage in and keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening at the school. Talk to the teachers and the physical education instructors – chances are they are already aware of the bullying – they can set the tone for how that is dealt with in their classroom.
To find out more information on your kids and their exercise needs, visit the Nemours Foundation.
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