Today I have something very exciting to celebrate, my son, Luke, turns 2!!!!
On one hand, I’m completely blown away at how fast these last two years have flown by, but on the other we have fit so much into these last two years it feels like it’s been 10.
I now understand what everyone talks about when they describe the love they have for their children. Sure, there are days that are crazy and we all are exhausted; but THEN there are times when I look at this precious boy and I’m overwhelmed with love, gratitude, and happiness.
When I set my priorities in life, being a good mom is one of the very top! I don’t take lightly the responsibility I have as a parent. It is sometimes scary to think about how much control you have over how another human being turns out in life.
In fact, one of the main reasons I went to nutrition school was so I would have a better understanding of exactly what this child needs to set the foundation for good health long term. I knew it would be easier to do it right from the start than to backtrack down the road.
It’s no secret that we have chosen to do a few thing out of the “norm” with Luke and honestly we have gotten some push back, some crazy looks, and passive aggressive comments. But on the other hand we have gotten support, encouragement, and my favorite, genuinely inquisitive questions of people who want to know why.
Knowledge is power! Our goal in life is to do the best we can with the information and knowledge we have at this time. To act on that knowledge without fear of what others would think and to continue to keep seeking more knowledge and truth without the fear of being wrong.
One of the biggest things I’ve gotten push back on is the fact that I don’t feed my child refined sugar. Some people find it appalling that I didn’t give him a sugar ladened smash cake on his first birthday or allow him to eat halloween candy. I had a woman tell me that because I’m choosing not to give my son refined sugar he was going to turn into a teenager who binges on hidden candy in his closet like a closet drunk….seriously??? If that happens I haven’t done a good job of explaining all the characteristics of an emotionally and physically healthy life. I will say, right now he goes crazy over dried dates and fruit and I don’t have worry about all the inflammation and damage refined sugar is doing to his small developing body (watch this documentary Fed Up
This is just one example, and please hear me when I say how I choose to raise my child is not what I think is the “the right way for everyone” or “the only way.” We based our decisions on our family, lifestyle, knowledge, and the goals we have. Our way is not for everyone and we aren’t doing it perfectly! I’m sure we will find out down the road that there are better ways to tweak what we are doing, but that’s a part of it, continually learning, continually tweaking.
Have you ever felt like you are going against the grain by choosing to live a healthy lifestyle?
Choosing this less common road of a healthier way in life is not the norm when we are surrounded by people living off of the SAD diet (Standard American Diet), that leaves people fat, sick, and with a lower life expectancy than our parents. Most of you are either on the journey alone or dragging an unwilling soul with you. If you are lucky, you have at least one or two other people in your life that actually “get it” and you can eagerly share.
Today I want you to know you aren’t alone! There is nothing wrong with striving for a healthier, happier life for you and your family. Remember that the people who often make the most offensive comments are the people who have insecurities about the way they have chosen to live their lives. By you being successful at something that seems impossible to them at the moment doesn’t mean you should feel bad about it.
Top 5 things when you feel alone on your health journey
1) Find people that encourage and support your decisions – a friend, family member, health coach
2) Visit places that support the lifestyle you want – gyms, farmers markets, natural produce stores
3) Continue to learn and seek new knowledge and be open to change – books, webinars, courses, blogs, newspapers, inspiring videos
4) Find activities you can learn from and meet like-minded people – cooking classes, exercise classes, seminars, conventions
5) Find mentors that inspire you to be a better person and that challenge you to reach outside your comfort zone – health leaders, friends you admire, authors, heath coach, community leaders
As always, I would love to hear your feedback and stories. Have you ever had an outrageous response from someone? Leave a comment below.
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A closet drunk? That would be funny if it didn’t represent the incredibly tragic height of ignorance supported and maintained by profit motivated false corporate claims. Any rational, thinking person would first do some research, some due diligence, before venting such a reaction. As someone who has invested the time and trouble, you can look upon such reactions as a teaching opportunity, if the person is receptive. If not, ignore their opinions, hope that someday the movement toward health will open their eyes, and move on proudly with your life, knowing that you are doing your very best by your child, and family!
Something else that may apply here~ apparently the woman who made the comment doesn’t feel too confident about her own decisions. Otherwise why attack so vehemently? It’s only a choice, albeit a critical one, that one only need justify to one’s self. As my mother often said, “Misery loves company”. Sometimes people who are making a bad choice, and know or suspect that they are, feel better knowing that lots more people are making that bad choice too. We need only to look at the incidence of diabetes, and childhood obesity to know that they are! Someone who stands out and away from the crowd scares them, and appears elitist, they do not like what they do not know or understand!
Joodie, I think you are right. Most people don’t like what they don’t know or understand. That’s why I think it’s so important to lead by example and hopefully some of those people won’t feel offended by your choices because of their own insecurities, instead approach it with curiosity and an open-mind. It’s hard to combat what’s being fed to the world through advertisement, but eventually people will realize how valuable their health truly is, and they are worth the investment in themselves to start honoring their mind, body, and spirit.
My baby is ten months old, and the grandparents already want to “spoil him as grandparents should” with unhealthy sweets, and I feel they don’t take me seriously in what I don’t want to allow. Have you experienced this or know how anyone has handled this? I still plan on expressing more about how important to me it is, and teach them what I have learned, but it’s frustrating to already feel like I can’t trust them with my son. Thanks! xoxo
Krystin, I know exactly how you feel. Isn’t it sad that statistically our kids have shorter life expectancies than we do and that is a direct reflection of our lifestyle and especially what we are eating. I think a lot of people that are so opposed to you raising your child with healthy eating habits makes them feel self-conscious about their own choices, which makes many people defensive instead of supportive.
When people try to offer my son cookies and cake I want to ask them “is that good for him?” Of course they will say “no,” and then I want to say “then why are you wanting to give it him?” For my husband and I it was important for us to explain to our parents why we were choosing to feed our child this way. We never asked them to agree with us we only asked them to respect our decision. It was also important for us to point out that because we weren’t raised this way doesn’t mean we think they did a bad job as parents. A lot has changed since we were kids and now as parents we are trying to make the best possible decisions we can for our child with the information we have.
I think the major problem comes when they get a little bit older and they know that “mom and dad” said this isn’t good for me, but “grandma and grandpa” let me have it. I feel like it sends a message that the grandparents think their parents choices are silly and if they don’t respect the opinion of his parents why should he?
Don’t feel like you are alone in this!! There are tons of parents on the same journey, fighting the same battles! Know that you are doing a good job and you are making the best decisions you can for your child. Lean on others who are in the same boat for understanding and support! And who knows, maybe our parents will even start to see the importance of the actions we are trying to take.
Cheers to you Krystin!! You’re doing great!