Should You Send Your Child To A Fitness Camp?
Fat Camp. If you tell your child that is where you are sending him, you will never be forgiven. When I say “never be forgiven,” that means your child will never forget that at some point in his early life you thought he was ugly and unhealthy. He will believe that you were either so disgusted or desperate that you didn’t know what to do with him so you sent him away. He will think this despite how many kisses, hugs, and presents you give him.
With that , you may be thinking “But it is for his own good.” Fat camps are not the same as fitness camps in the sense that a fat camp creates an image of a group of children who screwed up somehow and must be grouped together to make it right in a secluded area far away from civilization. On the other hand, weight loss camps are just like regular fun and adventurous camps except they are naturally designed to help your child lose a little weight while being more active in a comfortable environment with other kids like him.
So, when thinking about whether you should send your child to a weight loss camp, try to think of it in terms of a fun way to take care of a potentially threatening medical problem. When describing the weight loss camp to your child, don’t threaten him with potential medical problems he doesn’t comprehend like diabetes or heart disease. Just keep it simple by using the words ‘activities’ and ‘fun.’ The reason why is because activity is something everyone needs to have no matter how overweight or thin they are. When you explain the camp to your child that way, it can help him realize that he’s going to a camp to have fun and be more active. Once he understands that, you will feel good about sending him to what in reality is a fitness camp. In fact, you may find him being less and less reluctant because even the videogame loving child gets bored once in a while. Your child will be ready to try and learn new things, so don’t worry.
Once you know you are sending him, you need to spend time explaining again why the weight loss camp is important. Try to avoid lecturing him about the weight loss camp. Instead, mention it when out and about running errands. Tell your child how you wish you could go and have fun and how you will want him to take notes for you so you can learn how to be fit and happy too! And during these talks, never once mention that something is wrong with him. You must remember that saying something is wrong is like saying he has failed in some way or another, when really whether or not a child has a health or unhealthy weight is partly your responsibility as well.