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Web Posted: 04/24/2006 12:00 AM CDT While there's nothing funny about obesity, I couldn't help but chuckle while watching "Honey, We're Killing the Kids." The reality show, airing Monday evenings on the Learning Channel, might be well-intentioned, but the sensationalist tactics touch on the ridiculous. Each week, host and nutrition expert Lisa Hark stages an intervention with an unhealthy American family. Think Supernanny for the obese without the charisma and compassion. Hark begins with a stern warning for mom and dad: "You are killing your kids," along with questionable scare tactics. Parents are shown computer-generated images of how their children would look if they continue with their poor eating and inactivity. By age 40, the kids get fatter, go bald, develop acne, grow facial hair, get their ears pierced, and even dress slovenly! Hark tells one set of parents their kids won't live to see 60. The drama continues as, every week for three weeks, Hark dishes out three lifestyle changes. Some rules are good ("dump the junk," "get physical," "limit TV" and my favorite, "calm mom"); some are unreasonable, especially when served together over a short time span. "The parents are supposed to quit smoking, belly-dance, get their 8-year-old son to sleep in his own bed for the first time, give up beloved football Sundays for Outward Bound hikes and enjoy eating squid?" asks San Antonio children's psychologist and life coach Kimberly Smith-Martinez, who tuned in last week. "Why not sign them up for a marathon and watch them struggle while we're at it? "The whole show centers around demoralization," she adds. "There is no encouragement." But struggle and rebellion make for good television, so the producers have one family prepare tofu and veggies for their first meal and seafood paella for a second. The kids respond as expected, by throwing up, saying the food is "disgusting" and pleading, "can I make myself a sandwich?" There are many positive moments: the Young boys learning manners, the Rickard boys enjoying boxing classes. Yet there are also tragic ones: Eight-year-old Stevie plays video games while wearing a nebulizer for asthma. Meanwhile, his overweight parents smoke in the basement. Elisa Zied, a New York-based spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and author of "So What Can I Eat?!" (Wiley, $14.95) says she auditioned for the spot of host but was told she wasn't "tough enough." Zied now has mixed feelings about the show. "I liked the emphasis on the important role parents can play, but let's not point fingers. Let's educate," she says. Families would do well to minimize the drama and odds of failing by making gradual changes. "We do need to take dramatic steps to overhaul our lifestyles, but in small, achievable steps." Smith-Martinez, meanwhile, says behavioral change requires extensive planning and a smart contingency plan. "Think about the 'what ifs' for at least 30 days. When you're stressed, what will you do instead of the cigarette?" Three weeks simply isn't enough to change long-term behavior, say experts. But this, of course, is "reality" TV. Fast forward to the show's end, "the moment of truth," when parents are shown new computer-generated images of their 40-year-old children, now trim, shaven and wearing suits. If only real life were as simple as "reality." To find a local life coach, contact the San Antonio Professional Coaches Association at (210) 832-9076 or www.sapca.org. To contact Kimberly Smith-Martinez, call (210) 736-2021 or visit www.drkimlifecoach.com. Claudia Zapata's column appears Mondays in S.A. Life and Thursdays in Conexión. claudiazapata@satx.rr.com |
