Many of you may have read about the recent controversy of a children's book called Maggie goes on a Diet by the author Paul Kramer. The book made for children with a reading level of 4-8 years old and bright illustrations to entice our young readers.
I don't know about you but I am quite disturbed by this.
As a person who is an believes in a healthy lifestyle and looking great, I always thought that the subject of self image is off limits when it comes to children. I feel that when you introduce something that promotes external beauty which is a topic obsessed by adults to kids as young as 4 years old, it is wrong in so many levels not to mention robbing them of their innocence.
Saying to a kid that you need to diet because you are fat is just crazy to me. Children are allowed to believe in Santa Claus and magical creatures because that is where they are at the moment. Let them enjoy it. The last thing you want is for a child to believe that she is the odd one out because of the way she looks. Plus enforcing this notion will give those kids who are not overweight to make fun of those who are. Shouldn't we teach children to embrace differences instead?
If kids are overweight, it's not them that we should educate but the parents who stuff their children with junk food. Children don't know any better. It's the adults who have to be responsible for their actions.
I don't think the word diet should even be in children's vocabulary anyway. But that's just me.
Watch the author's "justification" below.
Not convincing. The irony is the author ends with saying that you should not judge a book by it's cover but isn't that's what the book is teaching to children?
Thanks for reading my ramblings. Check out my latest blog post of a real diet program review that is made for adults.
