Are you a working mom? For shame!

What? You thought you were setting a good example? Oh, no, according to a new study from the UK. As it turns out, working mothers may actually be making their children obese. Researchers at London’s Institute of Child Health followed 13,000 children to the age of three and found that for every 10 hours put in by mom at the office, the risk of the kids being overweight rose (once household income topped £11,000 or about $22,500...my math skills are abhorrent, feel free to correct me). The more money earned, the chubbier the kid. Please note my tongue is shoved way up my cheek as I say this.

So, what’s the link? Say the researchers: "Long hours of maternal employment, rather than lack of money, may impede young children's access to healthy foods and physical activity.” Translated: While you’re working your ass off, be it as a lawyer, a web designer, an aerobics instructor, a doctor, a store owner, a night shift worker, whatever! that’s technically time away from your child when they could be stuffing themselves full of crappy snack foods and sitting in front of the boob tube. Oh, working mothers in the study were also less likely to have breastfed for the recommended amount of time. Add that to your mounting pile of guilt. Because you really should be doing it all.

And I’m sure by now, you’ve heard the breaking news from the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that obesity is "socially contagious." Kind of like chicken pox. Well, actually not, but I just think that term is so dangerous, I had to take a jab. Basically, the study found that your chances of becoming obese shoot up 57 percent if your friend becomes obese; 40 percent if a sibling does; and 37 percent if a spouse does. As for your best, best friend? Your risk almost triples.

Now, it’s not like if you touch the “socially contagious” person you’re going to “catch” obesity (like chicken pox) - it has more to do with environmental factors such as adopting similar eating patterns and workout habits. This I can see - I tend to go to yoga or go running with certain friends, seek out hot sushi spots or unique salad joint with others, and those women tend to place an emphasis on maintaining athletic shapes. But I do think the “SC” phrase in a way vilifies overweight people, insinuating that people cannot control their own behaviors.

* Caveat: I have definitely read that when a woman moves in with a man, she tends to adopt his eating habits and, often, men can get away with chowing down on more grub then we can without gaining. I thought of this when I started living with my husband because the man has a metabolism that burns through calories like an SUV eats up gas, often devouring an entire bag of (cholesterol-free) tortilla chips and (good-for-you-fat) guac in one sitting, only to exclaim, “I’m starving!” 10 minutes later. And he has a six pack (abs, not beer). But through extreme will-power, I’ve been able to avoid the Newlywed Nine, though I have been known to dip into the peanut butter quite frequently - a food I never kept around when I was single.

Anyhow, the lessons for today: Quit your job and stay home so you can raise thin, healthy babies, and stay close to your skinny friends. Waa, waaaaah.

Comments

Very interesting. Let's see..I went back to work at 8 weeks w/my first daughter, 12 weeks w/my second. I transported an industrial sized double breast pump with me and filled up baby bottles on my breaks. I've always packed my kids' lunches and make dinner on the average of 5 nights a week. This after working an 8 hour day and teaching 4-5 Spinning classes a week in the evenings and weekends. My daughters, now 12 and 15, both have BMI's in the low-normal range, and are happy, healthy, well adjusted children. My being a working mom has not only afforded our family a comfortable, healthy lifestyle, but has also presented my girls with a positive role model - me. I am not in any way condemning stay-at-home moms. There have been plenty of times when I've wished I could be one, but I'm really getting sick of working mothers being blamed for things as ridiculous as having obese children.

Leslie
My laughs for the day. I think it is all pure tripe. Thanks for sharing though. As for the newlywed nine, that explains a lot about my own weight gain. I really think that getting married and living with my husband made me learn his bad habits - htat and the chunkey monkey ice cream that I couldn't resist. wink...

its not just that you folllow your friends habits either. its also that you feel more comfortable & less self concious around someone who is also overweight - if you are overweight too. Its hard to be the only fat one in the group. you can kind justify it to your self if you are not the only one.

I haven't looked at this research, but certainly working mothers aren't the only ones whose children are overweight or obese! As a children's physical activity specialist for the past 27 years, my impression is that ALL children are spending too much time indoors and with electronics. While I appreciate any attempt to reduce children's TV time, I'm also extremely tired of attempts to pit mothers against each other. In fact, having just finished Miriam Peskowitz's excellent book, The Truth behind the Mommy Wars, I'm particularly annoyed with the attention this research is getting.

my mom is a working mother. i am not obese in any way. for some reason, people forget that "children" can sometimes think for themselves. we are not cattle.thank you.