Adolescents are the fastest-growing demographic sliding into worsening cultural weight gain and as a parent, it frankly saddens me. Last week I was at an 8 year old’s birthday party. About half of the kids were overweight. When it comes to the impact I’m talking about, research suggests not so much. Irreversible health damage and personality/behavioral change can be severe. When the Surgeon General issued the Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity in 2001, multiple health agencies collaborated to produce one of the greatest summaries I believe ever presented to Congress. Of the 10 critical facets colliding with our children, marketing, schools, public environment, and even the restaurant industry aren’t number one. We are. Parents are. Over 35% of food is now consumed outside the home, close to 80% of families are either single-parent or both-parents-working, and we live in a new era. When I was a boy my mom had to hunt for us to come in for lunch after we ran out the door in the morning. She had to call neighbors when it was dark to figure out where we were. Today we have to pull kids away from cell phones, computers, cable TV, and video games while picking up empty bags of potato chips and snacks. Think of all the variables that influence your children’s eating and activity. The only thing that loops them all together is you; the parent.