I think I am going to start posting some stuff that makes me shake my head and question the sanity of those running the world.  Following is one of the first examples.

There is some crazy shit going on with the government butting into a lot of places.  Here is a great example of how big brother continues to look out for us here in MA.  They want to weigh kids in school and then send home a report to the parents telling them when kids are overweight.   Now, there are lots of concerns about this including govt meedling where not needed, impact on kid self esteem (and potential to drive eating disorders) and an unfunded mandate with questionable impact during a time of increasingly limited resources.  Just to name a few.  My daughter is 10, pretty much median in height and weight and she already thinks that she is fat.  Imagine what having school focusing on weight and BMIs for kids floating around would do to the focus on this for her and her friends.

But the thing that really gets me is that someone out there thinks that this will make a difference.  Parents should know whether their children are reasonably healthy;  the bigger issue is whether they care enough to do anything about it.  People make their own choices regarding their weight and health and then also pass along their values and choices to their kids (just like with anything).  Will sending home a BMI rating change the way people raise their kids (probably not) and more important should a govt mandate force it (definitely not)? 

Public schools to send home weight reports

State board targets childhood obesity

By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff  |  April 9, 2009

Starting in the fall, public schools across Massachusetts will send reports home to parents alerting them if their child weighs too much or too little - the centerpiece of a campaign to shrink bulging waistlines and halt obesity-related diseases once rare in children.

The childhood screenings, modeled after initiatives in Arkansas and New York City, won unanimous approval yesterday from the state's Public Health Council, an appointed board of doctors, academics, and service providers.

Students in the first, fourth, seventh, and 10th grades will be measured and weighed so school health officials can calculate their body mass index score, a standard measurement used to gauge the appropriateness of someone's weight.

See rest of article here....

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/09/publi...