In praise of motherhood.

What is it with us mothers? Yep. Today I'm focusing on all my sisters out there. Whatever your age or race, whatever the size of your pay packet, and whatever your vocation in life; if you're a mother, I'm talking to you. What is it with us? Why is it that even the most practical, shrewd, professional, loses all objectivity and capacity for rational thought when it comes to (what she perceives as) criticism of her child.

I was thinking this very thought a couple of weeks ago while I watched the mother of a very popular Hollywood teen idol (now infamous for her numerous run-ins with the law, and countless check-ins for re-hab). On being asked what her thoughts were as to her daughter's most recent escapade -theft at a department store- the said mother replied that she was sure that her daughter "...just forgot to return the item". Sure. How about I walk into Cartier's and just 'forget to return' that diamond necklace I've been dreaming about for ages?

But then I got to thinking about how each of us at different times has done the exact same thing when confronted with issues about our kids, the child's age regardless. Whether the child is 2 or 62, that gut reaction is almost always the same.

It was the issue of childhood obesity that got me thinking about this. True, first lady Michelle Obama has started a good thing with her School food campaigns and physical activity programs, but what good does that do if there is absolutely no support for this venture at home where it actually matters most? In fact several surveys have reported cases of parents who wouldn't even allow their kids to have a nutritional assessment done because it would involve weighing the child. As if somehow not having the figures in black and white would in any way alter the facts.

As a parent, I understand the fear of not wanting your child to be stigmatized for that kind of thing, especially since at the back of every parents mind is that tiny horrible voice saying that if there's something wrong with your kid's nutrition, it's got to be your fault somehow. There, I've said it. And therein lies the problem. We don't want to hear criticism of our kids, because even though it is not spoken and probably isn't even intended, what we hear is that WE must have done something wrong for our kid to have turned out this way. In other words - It's our fault. Let's face it: who likes to be blamed for anything? Not me.

The good news is - there is hope. Recent studies published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics have shown, in children of various ethnicity and backgrounds, that it is possible for children to lose weight and maintain the weight-loss in a healthy manner over a long term period. To do this however requires commitment, particularly on the part of the parents and other care-givers in the home setting. To get to this point though, each of those parents had to take that very difficult first step - admitting that there was a problem. Only then could anything be done about it. My mum always said - "A problem acknowledged is nothing but a challenge with a solution in sight." The older I get, the wiser my mum appears in my eyes.

So, are you going to be the mother of the woman who walks into Cartier's and 'forgets to return' the diamond necklace? Or are you going to step up to the plate (pun not intended), acknowledge that there is a problem and be one of those strong women who help to turn the tide of the obesity epidemic in America? The choice is yours.