Dear Chat Daddy,
I’m worried about my 9-year-old grandson.
He’s a good boy and does well in
school. Here is my problem. Because
he’s an only child his parents will
buy him a lot of those video games,
and I’m in fear of him not getting
enough exercise. When I talk to
his parents about the fact that I
think he’s becoming too fat
from always playing video games,
they tell me that I’m blowing things out
of proportion. I’m a school teacher, and I
see on a daily basis how many children suffer from
childhood obesity and how cruel other children can
be to the heavier children.
-Worried Over His Lack Of Exercise
Dear Worried Over His Lack Of Exercise,
Thank you for this letter. I can fully understand
your concern about your grandson not getting
enough exercise at his age. The issue of childhood
obesity has gotten out of control in our children. For
various reasons, our children are not getting enough
physical exercise and that's sad. The average child spends at least three to four
hours each day watching television or playing video
games, which reduces the amount of their actual
physical activities. Obesity is greater among children
and adolescents who frequently watch television
and only play video games because little energy
is expended, and most of them gorge on high calorie
snacks in the process. I would suggest that you talk again with his parents
and let them know that you are concerned about
your grandson’s overall health and well-being.
Maybe you can encourage the entire family to get
together, as a unit, for outside physical activities like
roller skating, bowling or even family walks together.
Here’s to you and yours all living a healthy life
together.
Dear Chat Daddy,
I’m a 28-year-old female who’s been dating a guy
for six months now. He is a single father of a 6-year-old
(bratty) daughter that he is raising alone. We met
at a cookout and quickly became friends with a lot
in common. Then it moved to a romantic relationship.
About a month ago, he confessed his
love for me and asked me if he and his
daughter could move in with me because
he wants to take our relationship to the
next level. Chat Daddy, last week I asked
him in a passing conversation what he
thought our relationship should look like
(I’m thinking marriage). He said to me,
“It’s up to my daughter to make that choice
if I will stay with you or not.”
At first, I thought he was joking until I posed
the question again and got the same answer. I am
devastated over the fact that this man would let his
snotty 6-year-old daughter make or break our relationship,
because the child is an out-of-control mess.
Should I give up on this relationship before we get
in too deep?
-I Can’t Take Little Ms. Know-It-All
Dear I Can’t Take Little Ms. Know-It-All,
Ok sister, is this relationship really worth it? If
you and this man’s daughter do not get along, then
this relationship is not going to work. Here is my
first question to you. Where is her mother? The
way I see it, he is telling you directly that his
daughter is in control of his life and his relationships.
Brother man may be telling you that he loves
you, but he is extremely torn. He is also telling you
that there is going to be a few strings attached by
giving you a plausible excuse to accept the rules of
his bratty child, too.
This man is letting his child control him on purpose.
Something is definitely wrong with this picture.
You need to tell him it’s been fun, but you need
to move on to find someone who is a bit more stable
and who is not letting their child control their relationships.
Here’s to you meeting someone who can love you
without a hidden agenda or a frustrating factor
standing in the way of you gaining your committed
and healthy relationship. Be encouraged.
Art “Chat Daddy” Sims can be reached via e-mail at chatdaddy@chicagodefender.com.
______
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Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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