There are very few absolutes when it comes to children. But having had three of them I can say with some authority that there are a few universal truths, and that these are among them:
A. Junior High and High School can be a very tough time.
B. Self esteem is a huge issue as evidenced by recent, tragic tales of teen suicide which many schools around the country have attributed to bullying.
C. Teens - particularly girl teens - are painfully sensitive about their weight.
Would it be fair to say that someone who publicly calls a young teen "obese" could be characterized as among the cruelest of bullies? It would be hard for an honest person to disagree.
How is it then that public schools around the country can get away with doing just that? Weighing and measuring children, then sending home a "fat note" if Susie is a little too round for the State's liking?
And wait a minute . . . aren't these the very same schools that ban soccer scoring, lest the losing - (shhh) team suffer damage to their self esteem? Come to think of it, these are also the schools that have multiple valedictorians because, well, we wouldn't want anyone to feel left out, would we?
Is anyone else having a hard time reconciling the actual policies of the Left with their oft-billed traits of compassion, tolerance and kindness? I'm not seeing much compassion for people who are chubby; or tolerance for Christians who want to post scriptures in their offices; or kindness toward people who choose to smoke. In reality the far Left has become the party of force, intolerance and cruelty aimed at anyone who doesn't' embrace their dogma.
Either they care about children's self esteem, or they don't. All I know is, there's not much I can think of that would crush a child's self image more effectively than labeling them fat. Looks an awful lot like just another government policy that's sold as "For the good of the children". Huh. Where have we heard that line before? . . .
Imagine what the world would be like if society spent as much time teaching children to be good as they do teaching them to be recycling, vegetarian, Prius-driving, globally-aware, religiously neutral, politically acceptable Citizens of the State.
Whether you're Left, or Right, or Tea-bag Middle; let's all just agree to be a bit kinder and gentler with each other. Especially our children. And let us never forget that it's good children, not skinny ones, who are our best hope for the future.