Disclosure: I received this book to review. Post contains affiliate links. Opinions shared are mine.
I grew up in a home where everyone was extremely thin, but no one really ever talked about it. I didn’t struggle with weight problems or ever hear the word “diet” until I was college-aged. Poor eating habits, inconsistent exercise, and bad choices didn’t really matter and I never even thought about it. Fast forward 20 years, and it’s evident that my lifestyle caught up to me….and to my family. It’s heartbreaking to raise a kid who struggles with obesity. She has so many wonderful qualities — she’s a fantastic big sister, kind, smart, and beautiful. At school, though, she feels like her weight is on display. Kids can be mean, but they’re especially hard on those who are “fat.” I really connected with the book Who’s The New Kid? Practical, realistic, and effective, these lifestyle changes are already starting in our house.
My kids are very active; participating in sports and other exercise-related hobbies keeps us busy all week long. My daughter’s problem seem to be more metabolism-related. We’ve visited multiple doctors, she’s been through tests and programs, only to determine that she just has to work harder to be slimmer. It’s so hard to see the light in her eyes fade with every pronouncement of her weight by an unfeeling doctor. Our whole family is in it together; she’s not alone in the need to be healthier. It’s more urgent for her, though, because she is still young. She has a lifetime of happiness to enjoy! After reading this book, I finally felt — for the first time — that it COULD be done. Heidi Bond understands my situation, and she lived through it. Her conversations have been mine. Her daughter is mine. Her accomplishment gives me hope! I felt so encouraged by her words. I don’t normally read non-fiction, but I felt like God put this book in my hands at the right time. It just might save my child’s life.
What do you think of the problem of childhood obesity?
This looks like a great book! Thank you for reviewing it. We put my daughter into a new school second quarter of this school year and I was worried how she’d do. We’d homeschooled her previously. But she did awesome. It helped that it was a smaller private Christian school – the kids just wanted to befriend her and help her get settled.
Diet and exercise can be hard to talk about as a family. This sounds like a great book to start the conversation.
Glad to see you have found someone to relate to in this book. It is sometimes the hardest thing to cope with an issue if you feel you are all alone. Glad to see there is someone you can relate to!
I think giving your kids a Fitbit is a great idea to help them understand that staying active is important. I wish they made more kid-sized versions, we tried but even the smallest one was too large for our youngest!
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This sounds like a great book. Very encouraging for children. I need to pick this up for my older boys.
This looks like an inspirational book for kids struggling with weight issues, and for parents who aren’t sure where to start helping them.
This looks like a great book for those struggling with this problem. It’s so important to address this at a young age as it can just keep getting harder into adulthood.
The new kid is a little girl who lost weight after suffering from obesity. I would like to win this book and give it to our local library. So many people don’t realize how our children are suffering at school from teasing. Maybe this book could help just one person, or more, and that would be wonderful. I think there should be a book for parents as well; maybe an idea?