Obese Moms Overfeed Their Kids?

Before I get to the article I read, I just wanted to say that I am feeling pretty pleased with myself. I was at the grocery store with my two daughters and waiting on the check out line. I was treating them both to a soda and the younger one said to me, "Mom do you want a cookie?" She pointed to a sign that said something like Oreo cookies 3/$1 and said that she had some money. Boy, it was tempting! But I said to her, "No, I don't think that's a good idea."

I think I have to treat chocolate the same way I treat cigarettes and alcohol -- I have to NOT eat it. Period. I gave up drinking and smoking knowing that I had a problem with alcohol and was addicted to nicotine. That means NO MORE. Well, it's the same thing with chocolate. I notice if I eat a little bit, I crave it. Once the cravings start they are hard to fight. I look at it like this: right now I am not craving chocolate. Why cause trouble for myself?

I read this article and found myself feeling very annoyed. I realize it's because I was taking it very personally. Basically, there was a small study involving 7 mothers. They were followed over a period of months. The study indicated that obese mothers may overfeed their normal weight babies and, not only that, interact with them less. That would seem to lead to childhood obesity.

I felt myself becoming annoyed because I was an obese mother. When my kids were babies, I wasn't as heavy as I am now but I was at least 50 lbs overweight. I thought to myself, I did *not* do that. I was active with my kids! I played with them! But ... I had to shake myself a little and reflect that I shouldn't be so defensive and try to look at it objectively.

Did I overfeed my kids? Well, two of them always fell into the 50th percentile or less for weight. One, however, was consistently up there in the 75-90th percentile range. Genetics? Or carelessness on my part?

I took the kids swimming and to the parks to play every day for at least an hour. Two of my kids were very active -- the same two with the lower weight. My other child always complained of being "tired" rather quickly and would sit down. Again -- genetics? Or something else?

I read to my kids. We played board games.

Boy, I am defensive, aren't I? :P

On the other hand, there is my stepdaughter. She weighs almost as much as I do and that is very bad because she is only 24. She doesn't interact with her baby much and she sleeps away much of her free time. If she's taking care of the baby, so does he -- sleep excessively, I mean. I don't know that she overfeeds him. She does give him a lot of junk. I worry about the situation but ... what can I do? I try to give advice but why would she listen to me? She doesn't live here with us anymore either.

Where is that good feeling I had earlier? I need to get it back...