Matt..I agree with a lot of what you said.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in this city when the population was only about 50,000 or so and lived out in the boonies.  I was lucky enough to be able to raise the kids in the country too so they always had room to roam.  Even in high school they lived in Tehachapi where the country was only a few blocks away.  As for the heat...it wasn't any cooler when I was a kid and we didn't have A/C..only swamp coolers that sat in the window and blew your head off.  It cooled you down though.  When parents don't go outside on hot evenings, there's no reason to believe that the kids will go out either.  People used to sit outside because it was almost cooler than indoors but you won't catch me out for long nowdays.  I'm under the A/C.  We've become creatures of comfort and we're training our kids to be the same.  Kids need exercise...  I need exercise...we ALL need exercise, the question is..do we insist the schools give the kids the exercise or do we lead by example?

I've gotta tell ya...I'm glad I'm not raising kids these days..it was a lot less complicated when I was raising mine.

I agree that there are many parts of any problem, but in this case, it HAS to start at home. As with adults, diet and exercise are the key, and when your kids see you having meals, not eating junk food and exercising in some way, they tend to follow your lead(although I doubt my 13 yr old will ever hit the gym with me), just as they do with bad examples. I'd love to see schools more involved in kids' health, but I fear those days are long gone in public schools. Pills and surgeries are certainly not the answer, as mattloch stated, but so many people have become accustomed to "quick fixes" that they THINK it is the answer. I know adults who have had different types of weight loss proceedures but after a year or so were as big as ever or had health problems because they never changed their attitude or lifestyle. As parents, I believe it is our job to instill a good outlook on personal appearance and good eating habits(too thin is as bad as too thick)so that our kids will already be prepared for the challenges of weight control as adults.

Seriously, when the temps hit 100+ and the air quality index is hovering somewhere between "chimney sweep" and "miner's lung", can you blame kids not wanting to go outside? No open space, community pools shut down (and no more waterslides), nothing but hot asphalt for miles.... No more PE at school, homework until dark when you get home, ready-make "sack" lunches for parents to buy their kids at the grocery store. No more "stay at home" moms, fewer two-parent homes. Increasing use of restaurants instead of cooking at home. Godless commies removing religion from school, and society as a whole..... There are a number of reasons we can give for these trends. They may contribute, but nothing can excuse a parent allowing their child to become obese. We may all be able to come up with some good plans to address this problem, but I'm not sure medical solutions are the right way to go. Raising a child is supposed to be hard work. Surgery or medication just seems like a cop-out. But then again, short of taking them away from the parents, or charging them with "child endangerment", there are no easy answers for society, either. A simple first step would be the banning of corn syrup from food. Make PE part of NCLB. Raise wages. Subsidize healthy food. Make school lunches free (and healthier) for all students. Make after-school activities available and free to students, year-round. The short-term costs may be high, but the long-term costs are even higher. We're short-changing our future, and it needs to change, soon.

Moto, she sounds like a freak, like they say, you can't choose your family.

My kids are: 16 years old, 6'2" 168 lbs (he has to eat before weigh-ins to qualify at his certified weight - wrestling) he also plays football, baseball, and skateboards enough to drive me batty, my 15 year old is 6' 180 lbs, plays the same sports, but has to sip water all day before weigh ins. They eat like they've never seen food before, my grocery bill is enormous but  "there is never anything to eat around here". If they stopped being active, I know they would balloon up because people's eating habits don't change easily.

One thing I do regret is sometimes we get home so late due to practices and games, we go through a drive through just so we won't have to eat at 10 pm.

You all make valid points. The "old days" of just turning your kids loose all day are gone, at least around here. It's not so much a safety issue as a "where are they going to go" issue. We would spend all day out in the alfalfa fields, dirt fields, wherever we ened up. We dug underground forts, had races around the block, played Army or Cowboys and Indians(too non PC in todays world)and yes, we even fought alot, but we were friends when it was over. There just isn't the opne space today. The area I am speaking of playing is the Rosedale Hwy area from Fruitvale Ave to Calloway and north to Olive Dr. There isn't a single open field in which to play today. I allow my kids to play on teh puter and watch TV too, i'm no tyrant, but I make them exercise their bodies and minds too. I encourage them to use their imagination. As I type this, my 13 yr old is walking to the Dollar Store just because. My kids know better than to tell me they are bored. There is always a room to clean or laundry to be done, which is another thing too many parents are lax about. I know kids who get an allowance and don't have to do anything to earn it. My kids to what they are told to do because that's the way things are. They get money when they need or want something, but it's not reall attatched to their chores.

PE was a big part of school when I was a kid. It was mandatory all the way through school. It still is at the schools my kids attend. I loved PE, but realize that it is harder, in most cases, to get girls interested in it die to the fact that most are so self conscious when it come to dressing out and/or performing physically around their peers. I say if schools can afford to teach sex education(wrapped in the security blanket of health)wher "alternative lifestyles" are allowed to be discussed, they can afford PE classes.

I know what you're saying Nancy. When I was in school, I rode my bike or walked, and after school I was always outside playing. Of course I didn't grow up here, so I was blessed with nice weather growing up. My kids do watch television (not much), but they also run all over the place and dance around the house listening to music as well as run around the backyard.

We can just keep on saying "it's not the school's responsibility" all we want, but it all boils down to the fact that kids spend more of their awake time at school. Why can't we expect them to get some exercise there? I don't think it's too much to ask for the schools to open the gym so kids can play in air conditioning during the summers or having them run laps around the school in the morning. Parents do need to ensure their kids are getting exercise, but just as the schools are responsible for teaching kids how to read and do math, I don't think it's a stretch to expect the schools to teach kids how to stay in shape at the same time.

Pete..I'm sure you're right about the PE issue but I think it has more to do with kids sitting in front of TV's, sitting on computers at myspace, playing video games, having ipods stuck in their ears, and the myriad of other things we have created to keep our kids occupied and happy.  I don't recall my folks being too concerned about my contentment when they told ALL us kids "go out and play."  We have created a world of kids who have no incentive to go do anything strenuous.  If we wanted to go someplace and none of the folks were available to take us, we either walked or rode bikes.  Or took the bus whcih also meant walking.

It's a different world out there where safety is concerned, with our growing city and all.  But what about the kids who have always lived in inner cities?  They played stickball and basketball.  I'm curious..what do your kids do after school and on weekends?   Not a put down..just wondering if they do what I see most kids doing.

Again..it's not the schools responsibility to see to it that our kids exercise it's our responsibility as parents.  I do agree that kids need PE though..it helps them to focus after a little exercise instead of non stop classes.

Hasn't this dramatic increase in childhood obesity coincided with the dwindling school budgets for P.E. class? I've heard that schools are cutting this needed exercise in order to continue to teach the NCLB tests. Not to say that P.E. would solve the problem, but before kids could count on at least an hour a day of exercise. Now what do they have?

I agree the days of fast food are abound and convenient.  What also is fueling this is lack of exercise.  The old days, kids could eat what they wanted because they stay out and played ALL DAY.  I bet a lot of parents (especially the parents of girls) don't want their kids playing outside in the neighrborhood because they're afraid they'll get nabbed.  Though, the possiblity of that happening is like getting hit by lightning (almost, anyway).  But that fear holds the kids being kicked outside to play.

The cost of karate, dance classes, any sport is too expensive for some parents.  Plus the cost of  everything that goes with it.

I have two daughters, one has grown out of her baby fat...in 6th grade.  The other one in the 4th grade, if I let her, would eat all the time.  She's got a belly....I'm worried.  I'm hoping she'll grow out of it.  My problem is I have a failed fusion on my ankle and not able to get out there with her.  I also have the fear of her getting nabbed, though I know it probably won't happen.   

I've made sure they have healthy snacks, like carrots, and any fruit.  Plus, we've banned soda in our house.  Nothing but diet. 

I would hope Medi-cal would never pay for surgery for obesity.  That's not right.  WOOF!

This morning I had the biggest laugh of the day when I opened the Californian to the back page of the Eye Street. There was a picture of a OVERWEIGHT teacher instructing students on health and nutrition.  I LOVE the Californians sense of humor.