Observations at the Water Park

After nearly two weeks of rain and thunderstorms, the sun finally decided to make an appearance on Friday.

To celebrate this rare July occurrence my two sons and I made a much anticipated trip to Fun Town/Splash Town. From high noon until 6 pm we rode every water ride in the park...except for the Tornado...which my youngest, Nick, wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with. Maybe it was because while riding the Mammoth, our raft spun around and had him shooting through the water backward and in the dark...or maybe it was because his older brother and I were screaming like banshee's when we shot out at the end of the ride drenched from head to foot.



Despite not conquering the Tornado...we had an exciting day, full of fun at both parks.

Going to a water park is a great place to observe people...but sometimes you see more than you really should...for example, the guy with a misspelled tattoo...or the old dude in the Speedo trying to pick up women half his age...and the well-endowed woman wearing a bikini top that left virtually nothing to the imagination.

Then, there's the "too cool" for the pool teenagers. You know the type...the ones with the bored to tears look on their faces...texting their friends about how cool they are...and how uncool it is to be hanging out with their family at a water park!

The most fun to watch is the new parents. You can spot them every time...because they have one of two looks on their face...sheer panic or permanent smile.

The ones with horror written across their face are mostly new mom's...grimacing because of what the new dad was doing with the baby! Dad is tossing the baby up in the air, letting it splash into the pool...or flying the baby around like an airplane, and then dipping it head first into the pool and out again! Both the dad and the baby laughing like crazy...the mom looks like she needs either a paramedic or a scotch on the rocks!

While all of those are the fun things about people watching...I also noticed one thing that disturbed me...a lot!

Now please don't mistake this for criticism...it's simply an observation...but one I think we should all be concerned with because it's quickly turning into an epidemic in our country...and it's one that we all have the ability to control...childhood obesity.

I can't begin to tell you how many obese kids I saw while at the water park. They came in all ages, sexes, and color. It truly shocked me...and honestly, saddened me. Overweight adults is one thing...that's a decision they've made...but kids? No. They are a product of their parents or the adults in their lives...they don't have a choice.

Without getting on a soap-box and preaching...I just want to provide you with some statistics that I found online:

In 2002, data showed that 15% of children and teens are considered overweight, a tripling since 1980. An additional 15% of kids and teens are considered "at risk" for becoming overweight.

It's estimated that about half of overweight school-agers and 70% of overweight teens will remain obese into adulthood.

According to a study of national costs attributed to being overweight...medical expenses accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998 and may have reached as high as $78.5 billion ($92.6 billion in 2002 dollars) Approximately half of these costs were paid by Medicaid and Medicare.

From the office of the US Surgeon General: 300,000 deaths each year in the United States are associated with obesity. Overweight and obesity are associated with heart disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems, and psychological disorders, such as depression. The economic cost of obesity in the United States was about $117 billion in 2000.

For each individual, body weight is the result of a combination of genetic, metabolic, behavioral, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic influences. Behavioral and environmental factors are large contributors to overweight and obesity and provide the greatest opportunity for actions and interventions designed for prevention and treatment.

It just might be time to stop spending money on the new Wii and instead, buy kids a bike. Turn off the TV and go swimming at the YMCA. Put down the cookies and pick up an apple.

Kid's need the chance to make decisions...however, what they eat isn't one of them...unless the options are healthy or healthier!

They're kids...WE cook for THEM. WE decide what they eat...NOT them. Does that mean a pizza is out of the question on Friday night? No. it just means that on the other nights of the week they get well balanced meals that don't include soda and french fries.

We are creating a nation of kids that will grow up with poor eating habits, greater health risks, and poor decision making skills. You and I can stop childhood obesity in its tracks...we just have to get involved and make healthy choices for ourselves...but most importantly for our kids.

Now enough being serious...go back to thinking about that old guy in the Speedo that I wrote about a few paragraphs ago!

On second thought...maybe not!