Good Kids Bad Habits -- Blog Book Tour

If you, like me, try to be a conscientious parent as far as health, nutrition, and safety are concerned and have been reading various books about these issues since before your child/ren was/were born, you won't learn many new things from this book. It will still remind you in a very effective manner, however, why it is important and relevant to form good habits in these areas.

Good Kids Bad Habits, written by Jennifer Trachtenberg, M.D. (you can check her bio here and many other resources in the book's site), is extremely well organized, very informative, full of forms to fill (also available online in the books's site), comprehensive tables, charts, boxes that highlight the most relevant or crucial information, and, a nice feature, true parenting stories spread throughout. (You can also check out Dr. Jen's blog -- actually a Question and Answer in the book's Amazon page, just scroll down).

The key point of the book is: It's a "child's everyday routines and rituals that will really make good health stick."(282) And for me it was very important to be reminded of that over and over again. The doctors who wrote the foreword also point out another key point: adults have to lead by example, we have to be role-models (ix). This is one of the most important concepts of parenting, one that many people don't often think about, but which should guide all our actions.

It begins with a RealAge (TM) Healthy Kids Test (since the book is brought out by the RealAge group) -- which has questions, distributed in three age groups, for all areas discussed in the book: general health, nutrition, physical and mental exercise, personal care, social and emotional health, and safety habits (you can also take it online clicking on the link above).

Eight thematic chapters follow: Eat Up (healthy food choices), Shape Up (exercising), Spiff Up (good hygiene), Smarten Up (good homework habits), Chin Up (Self-Esteem), Gear Up (safety), Check Up (health).

About food (our family's strongest score in the test, "perfect" 10 - which is no surprising given that we're ovo-lacto vegetarian and we strive not to eat junk food and to prepare most of our food at home), the new ideas that I picked up are: getting the children involved in planning and preparing meals and having the children to be constantly learning about new foods at home (like they learn new things at school). I also learned that I need to work more in our habits regarding exercise and personal care and be more careful with safety (Wear a helmet! She exhorts.).

I liked what in the books' conclusion, Dr. Jen shares an exchange she had with another mother and her thoughts about it. When the mother said to Dr. Jen that she was probably Supermom, she answered no and then she reflects bout this issue in the book:

knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. Instead, I take what I know and try to make it work for my family.
In fact, I find that being imperfect is the best way to be. I strive to be the best role model for my kids, but I also let myself slip now and then. (283)

This is how I approach the issues discussed in the book. In matters of safety (like how car seats are installed), I like to err on the side of "perfection," but other than that, we're humans, and we're happier when we live balanced lives. Of course it's best to be healthy, but like she said, giving an example about her family and how they go to McDonalds once in a while, we can allow ourselves to indulge in a not-so-healthy treat every so often.


All in all, this is an excellent book, but I fear that the people who are really most in need to read it or learn about these issues, may not have access to it. It's a sad fact that childhood obesity and other ills are most prevalent in lower class or immigrant families, whose parents are uneducated and have to work long hours and not be there for their children like some of us can (or to get an education). I wonder if there was a way to get this book or its ideas to them. Of course it's probably true that the people Dr. Trachtenberg sees on her practice and whose stories she shares in the book (whom I am assuming are mostly reasonably well do to and educated families in the greater NYC area) do need to hear these things too, but I wonder if the book, with its wealth of information, would be accessible to the demographic that most needs it.

P.S. I almost forgot -- I was sent an extra copy of the book. If you'd like to check it out, email me so I can mail it to you. (the first one to reach me will get it, OK?)