News from Britain: If you thought Americans spoiled their kids, it seems that the British are just as bad.
Eight out of ten British parents admit that their children have worse diets than the parents did at their age, but few of them hold themselves responsible:
The survey showed more than half of children do not eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables each day. The average age of the children whose parents were questioned was 15 months. Just over half of the parents said their child was a "fussy eater".
However, only one in five parents blamed themselves in any way for their children's eating habits.
You'd think parents who go so far as to read parenting magazines would be smart enough to understand that the parent is the only one responsible for the diet of a 15-month-old.
With a diet this bad, British kids need exercise. But it isn't worth it for them to become proficient at any sport, because the newspapers won't print scores for fear of embarassing the losers:
The Sheffield and District Football League has forbidden its members from sending scores to the Derbyshire Times after the newspaper reported how an under-nine team was "trounced" 29-0 in a crucial match.
The league, believing this description could heap even more humiliation on children from the losing side, told the newspaper it could not cover any more junior league matches until it agreed not to publish results in which the score exceeds 14 goals...
The mother of one league player is organizing a petition against this gag order, on the sensible grounds that kids who win deserve to have mention of their accomplishments.
Posted by kswygert at March 31, 2004 10:47 AM