I am shocked. Now I have heard it all!

OMG.. that is just so sad. It really concerns me where this society is heading with their weight obsession. I mean, when they have it so that kids who are barely out of Kindergarten are worried about their weight and appearance, that is time to change. Especially when this little girl has no weight problem whatsoever! It truly makes me scared for this generations youth, they are being raised hearing that they should stay thin, and they see their peers being taunted, and they see the girls on tv who are at times way too thin. I really don't want to see where this is going. I believe that while being overweight is on the rise in this country, or at least that's what they say, but at the same time, with all this fear the media injects into us and this new generation of kids, I see that most likely, other eating disorders, such as anorexia will start being more prevalent. I mean, I remember being 6-8 when I started wishing I was skinnier, but I have always had weight issues, and I look back and wish that I wouldn't have worried so much, I feel like the root of a lot of my issues is the fact that I started worrying about it at such a young age, because I was put on diets by my mom. I wonder if I maybe would have naturally grown out of it, instead of messing up my bodies natural metabolism so young. So if I had a little girl I would definitely want her to be healthy, but I would also let her know that she was perfect the way she was, and I would encourage her to be active instead of focusing on food. Because really, if you are active you are definitely going to be healthier and in turn manage your weight better, and also, it's much harder to change that habit when you are older, I know I have a much easier time restricting my intake than I do increasing my activity, and I'm sure that's because intake restriction was always presented to me as being more important than being active. Anyway, sorry this is so long, it's just that this is an issue that is very close to my heart. I have been through too much, and seen too many friends go through so much because of eating disorders, so I really hope that our society can change before they completely break the future of our young people. Childhood should be a time of fun and joy, not a time to worry about having the perfect body.

Honestly, I don't think its bad that the child would rather have water at all. Soda is filled with nothing but junk and if kids start out that young, they are being set up for future problems for sure. Now I admit that it's a bit much for the child to start crying and say that they can't drink it or they'll get fat, because that leads me to believe that the parents aren't dealing with it an (emotionally) healthy way. But who knows? Maybe the kid is just normally too sensitive and emotional. You have no way of knowing what prompted that behavior. I would have felt worse if the child cried because they got water and wanted a soda and the grandmother gave in.

Why do people so that to kids it just messes up their heads. I have a just turned 7 year old sister who is a bit chunky since she wears 14/16 girls and weighs in at 110 pounds. But telling a child they will get fat off pop is silly. I doubt pop alone ever made anyone fat. I hope this grandmother set her right and then set some heads on fire at home for planting that silliness her the kids head. Sounds like this kids might be on the fast track to becoming anorexia one day..hopefully not though. The only thing I tell my sister to cut back on is the canned spaghetti and meat balls and ravioli which she loves but the doctor told her to cut back on them for her health not because she will get fatter.

Oh, I have heard things like this before. It seems to be a sign of parents or other adult figures in these kids' lives making comments that the kids overhear, or saying things directly to the kids. I think is is almost a form of abuse, because especially young girls learn and develop their body image from their mother's attitude, the attitudes of her friends, other female relatives or friends, etc. I know that I prefer my daughter to have things like sprite zero, which is no sugar, no caffeine, no calories if she is going to have soda, but I do not make comments like 'soda makes mommy fat' or 'this is bad for you' because I want her to focus on the positive other things, like having water or drinking things that are good and healthy for your body. Focusing on the negative is what causes people to have poor self esteem and body issues and worries about being 'fat' or 'chunky' or say 'I need to lose weight' when they don't. It is not realistic to look at people in the media who are 5'9 and weigh 112 lbs either! Shame on that child's mother for causing her daughter to believe a glass of soda would make her fat and bring her to tears in public when she is out with her grandma for a treat.

This is all down to the pressure put upon the young to think that only the slim can be beautiful,and what a wrong statement that is.Its a similar thing when the mothers want thier child to be a model and then they push them in the direction that they want until they are accepted by a modelling agency,and then they wonder why the child gets all screwed up.Why dont they just let their children enjoy their childhood?

most little girls are like that now. If they have older sisters or mothers who are worried about their weight, its all they know. i attended my seven year old sisters field day. and when it was time to just relax after eating. all the girls got up and started running. including my sister so i asked why. and she said they always just run after lunch during recess so they can stay thin. and they throw away their milk and drink water.

I think it's bad that the child is worrying about that already, but it wouldn't have harmed anyone if the grandmother gave her water instead. I think I'd would like it if my child (if I had one) wanted water instead of soda. But, I wouldn't like her to feel that kind of pressure about her weight at such a young age. I never thought like that when I was a child because I was extra thin both because I was sick a lot and because my parents controlled everything I ate.

i am surprised too because this type of behaviour is learned, she must of picked it up somehwere whether it be an older sister or parent. thats too bad that she is thinking this way. kids are just allowed to be kids anymore.

Children have a certain body image about themselves, but someone has reinforced this belief . This idea did not come from the child.

My hubby has two nieces and they are both the same, they are so funny in their eating habits and have been from being tiny. They are 13 and 12 now but all the time that I have known them they have been really healthy eaters, they will not eat fried food or fat on their meat, they drink water hardly have any sweets or chocs or anything. They are both so slender and lean, and both heavily into their activities. It never ceases to amaze me!

There are alot of ignorant parents. Sadly, there's nothing you can do except to walk away in disgust?

Rather sad, early onset of anorexia? Makes you wonder.. she might even be parroting thing sher mother says.

good day. Good for the little girl. Early awareness often save one self from a lot of health trouble. We must encourage that way of thinking eve starting at a young age. It's better to hear a child saying to their peers or even at older people that smoking is bad and can cause cancer. With that kind of awareness we can be sure our children will avoid bad vices later on.

its a good thing that at her early age she knew that soda would not do her good.. kids should be like her how i wish

There's two sides to this firstly I would praise the child for wanting water and not soda but the other one is that she shouldn't have to worry about her weight not at the age of 5-6!! It sounds like the Grandmother stayed calm and explained to the child that she doesn't need to worry about her weight. Makes you wonder whether she heard this from the TV or if she hears this from other people. I would be truly shocking if my 5 year old was worried about her weight, children shouldn't be worrying about such thing. they should be out having fun and enjoying their childhood!! I dont worry about my weight, but if I was a size 18+ then I would worry as at the moment I am a 14-16 and am quite slim.

lol it sounds cute and funny. well i guess she got a mature mind for her to say that. actually she looks like she's conscious on her body more than i am

Well it's rather strange that this little girl yelled out protesting the soda. Who has taught her that it will make her fat? I can understand whomever taught her this not wanting her to drink too much soda, but it seems going about it this way is doing nothing but scaring the child away from it altogether. Instead, soda should be used as a treat for good behavior or for eating their vegetables. Too much water is not good either. hmmm. Have a Great day.

hahaha..the influence of television...

It is amazing that children are becoming more aware of body image and developing issues at such an early age. Unfortunately, this is probably a sign of something larger going on within her household, such as a parent's struggle with weight and body image. I agree that children should drink water as it is healthier for them in general, and I disagree with the grandmother's opinion that she doesn't need to worry about being fat. I come from a family with many morbidly obese members, and promoting awareness in childhood could have prevented much of the adult obesity. There is such a problem with childhood obesity and lack of nutritional options within the school systems that is important to arm children with the knowledge to make good nutritional decisions even at the earliest ages. However, for them to make these decisions solely based on fear of "being fat" is an unfair burden for such a young child to bear. Parents should take time to instill healthy eating habits in their children and enforce a healthy lifestyle in the home to include physical activity. This would prevent childhood obesity, and encourage a lifelong healthy relationship with food.