Wednesday, September 15, 2010

baby body bullsh*t

So Girlio are at a playgroup for babies.  It's really very exciting as it's the first opportunity she's had to be the sole focus of my attention, and the first time she's had a chance to be around other babes her own age.

Anyhow, during snacktime, another mom and I were chatting about our kid's eating habits.  I mentioned that Girlio is mainly a "fruit-i-tarian" but that she'll really eat pretty much anything except for carbohydrates.  And the other mother says:  "Oh WOW!  That's so great!"  And I respond: "Oh yeah?  I think carbohydrates are kind of important to the diet."  And she says, doubtfully, "Ummmm, maybe, but that could, you know, really help her out later on...".  

Say WHHHHAAAAATTTTTTT??  Are you freaking kidding me here???!!!  Are we really, really so arse-deep in self-absorbed body obsessiveness that we've hot the all-new low of congratulating baby girls for basically being on Atkins?   For real?  Because it'll stop her from being fat later on?    That ain't right, people.  Not right at all.    I cannot even begin the list all of the myriad of ways in which that ain't right! 

The especially sad bit is, this isn't the first time I've had this conversation.  And it isn't the first time I've had the very same bizarre congratulatory response.    Which, frankly, I find so wildly offensive that I'm not even sure how to respond. 

So for the record - according to Canada's Food Guide - we need between 5-12 servings of cereals and grains a day. 

(Yup.... even girls.) 

4 comments:

  1. Let me just say, yup, I hear you. Our son was 10.5 lbs at birth. He's in the 98% for weight and the 97% for height. Yes, he's a big bog. A big healthy, active boy. We constantly get comments from friends, family and strangers about how delicious his chubby legs are, quickly followed by comments about how he'll lose weight as soon as he's more active. Yes, strangers console us about his size, and "reassure" us that he'll slim down.

    I am constantly reminding people how evolutionarily, big babies are healthy babies and more likely to survive. These days I also want to smack people on the active front. He's not yet eight months old and is crawling all over, climbs everything, stands lots and takes the occassional step. Frankly if he was more active I would not be able to keep up. He's a chunk. Like me, like his papa, like his spunkle's family, and we would like to teach him to love himself as he is. All those strangers can keep their fat hate to themselves.

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  2. Egads!!! NO!!!

    When I worry aloud about Jude's eating habits (which as you know, are the opposite of Girlio's-- carbs and nothing else) people invariably say, "he doesn't look like he's starving." Well good, I guess. But I didn't say I worried that he was. I'm worried about his nutrition. All bread and no protein/minerals/vitamins/fibre make Jude a malnourished boy. Oye.

    Did you hear that Gwynneth Poster-child-for-life-long-poor-diet-choices Paltrow has early osteoporosis? Maybe you should counter with that when people cheer Girlio for her carb famine. Sheesh.

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  3. omg that is mental. I am just in shock...I cannot believe that people actually believe that...oh my.

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