Sunday, June 28, 2009

Who will carry me when I die? and Am I setting a good example for my children?

With the deaths of two mega stars this week, my own death has been on my mind. Thank God that the years of treating my body like a garbage bin did not lead to any serious health issues, but I now want more than that. When I die, I do not want people to worry about who will carry my casket because of how heavy I am. It's not something we think about often, but it's a reality. If we are not cremated, someone has to carry that casket in and out of the church and even if it's six of the strongest men we know, it can still be difficult for them if the deceased person is obese. I don't want to be a burden to my family in life or death.

Now to a lighter subject, I had to register my oldest son for football this week. The registrar needed a current weight for him. I was shocked to find that in the last year my 12 year old son has lost 7 pounds. I have noticed that his body appears much leaner, but I attributed it to puberty (more testosterone= more muscle). I had no idea that the change in his eating habits would also equal weight loss. He is by no means under weight, but it still bothered me a little. I do not want to obsess over what I eat, but I find myself doing so on a regular basis. Apparently so much that it has rubbed off on my children. My 12 year old son (Omari) and my 9 year old daughter(Abriah) have began reading nutrition labels. If something is loaded with fat and calories, they won't eat it! I know it's a good thing for them to be conscious of what they are eating, but I don't want them to develop a complex either. I especially worry about my daughter because she only has a few years before puberty hits and Lord knows her body will go through changes then. Since noticing my sons weight loss I have become less verbal about nutrition labels and calories. I will still only bring the good foods into the house, but hopefully they will eat them more because they enjoy them and less because the label says its good for them (speaking of foods we enjoy, the berries have been fantastic this week; blueberries, raspberries & blackberries). They have plenty of years to forfeit taste for nutrition.

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