Who Are They to Tell Me How to Live My Life?
I had a call earlier that makes me want to jump up on my soap box.
Whether you agree, disagree or have no opinion at all, that is fine. But I need to get this off of my chest.
The call was someone supposedly for the State doing a survey on Health and the Public Schools. They said it would only last about 15 minutes, depending on how fast we went through the questions.
First off, I really didn't want to do their survey and could have easily hung up, however, the topic caught my attention. As you read this, you will see why.
The questions were mainly aimed at how much and how often I feed my children at home. Along with what exactly do I feed them and whatever I do feed them, do I consider it to be healthy.
I will tell you right now, that I do not, cannot and have not fed my children or myself even, as healthy as I would like.
For some of you, this may sound confusing.
However, for those of you, who really know where I am coming from, then YOU will understand exactly what I am trying to say.
I do all that I can to provide the necessities for the home. On top of that, providing the many expenditures that comes with having children, (clothes, food, entertainment, anything to keep everyone happy, healthy and wise, if I may put it this way).
There has been many times, even though I do my best, that I may need to turn to State and Public assistance to help me through the difficult times. I do not enjoy this what-so-ever, and know that there are many people in my situation. I try not to go to these places, because I don't want to take away from someone who may need assistance even more than I do at times.
However, the State seems to have set up the Public School System in a way that tries to dictate to me, the parent, that what I am doing is wrong, when it comes to raising my children.
First off, I DO NOT like people telling me how I should live my life. I do not mind advice every now and then, but when they make it seem as if I am completely wrong about anything and everything I try to do, then my hairs rise up on the back of my neck and I feel like fighting. (if you really knew me, you would know that this is unlike me. However, I have learned to step up and speak out for those things that I am really passionate about.)
The survey was wanting to know about my feelings on giving BMI's (Body Mass Index) and my thoughts on receiving those reports every year.
Well, let me tell you what I told them. I have got where I refuse those BMI's each year and if I am sent a report, I trash it.
My reasoning..... I can look it the mirror and see that I or my children are overweight. I do not need something else being thrown in my face saying what I already know.
Plus, I am smart enough to know that something needs to be done. As it stands right now, I cannot afford to eat as healthy as I would like. I say this because, the fattening foods (or the foods that are not considered as healthy to say it nicer), cost more. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, all the things I know I should be using.
I am not the best cook, and have never claimed to be. However, I use what I can, what I can afford, and do the best at preparing them to the best of my ability.
Then of course, comes the question about how often do you eat, what are the portions and how much activity do you receive?
I understand and agree with each of these questions and have spent a lifetime of going up and down on the scale myself. But due to certain things in my life personally, some activities or aspects of cutting back may not be the best for me at this time in my life.
I think you get the idea that this is a very sore subject with me. And I could go on and on about different aspects of this. The main thing here is, that if I want to stop feeding myself and my children for a certain number of days, then I could actually feed them healthier, yes.
Even doing the best that I can to make a budget stretch, it only goes so far. We can eat like Kings for a couple of weeks, or like paupers for the month. It isn't easy to hear your children say they are hungry. So you feed them what you can.
Whatever the reason for getting to the point of a person's current weight, especially if they are considered "overweight" in the eyes of society today, I am pretty sure, not any of us need others trying to dictate to us what is best to do or not to do.
As with anything that I write and put out here, I do not claim to know it all. But I do know what I have to deal with on a daily basis and I do the best that I can from day to day.
Making the best decisions with what I have, and learning from each of those decisions to make it throughout time, is all that I or any of us can do.
So when someone or some organization tries to tell you or make you feel bad because of the things you are doing to survive each and every day, then that is when I, personally, have a problem.
I will now get off my soap box, and welcome any comments on this matter.
Again, I don't have all the answers, and hope that you can understand that just as I am doing the best that I can and what is in my power to do, that everyone must do what they can to survive each and everyday also.
Thank you for listening to me let off a little steam.
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Darleen Lanham
 bit.ly/OpportunityIsKnocking
Because It's All About YOU! and Changing Yourself and Your Life for the Better
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