How Children View And Treat Their Peers With Undesirable Characteristics: K-State Study

From the mouths of babes.

"A study by Kansas State University researchers is looking at how children perceive and interact with peers who have various undesirable characteristics, such as being overweight or aggressive."While adults try to make excuses for looking like s*it and being big, fat, calorically irresponsible, socially irresponsible slobs, kids know better.

"'This study provides some evidence that if a child feels that an undesirable characteristic is under some sort of personal control, they are less likely to respond favorably to someone who displays that characteristic,' Livengood said...

The study included third-graders and sixth-graders who completed questionnaires that had descriptions of hypothetical peers...

According to the researchers, the sixth-grade boys displayed stronger agreement than the sixth-grade girls that the peers were at fault for the undesirable characteristic and that they would tease them...

The obese peer also was rated high on having fault for the characteristic."

Even kids get that it is the fault of the person for being fat. They expect their peers to just say "no" to food.

So the adults who deny this, i.e., make-up stories about genetics, hormones, etc., are nowhere near as savvy as these youngsters.

Still that is a heavy onus for children to assume when their folks shove Calories at them.

As parents, help them.

Stop the excuses.

Stop harming your kids.

Start shedding the pounds yourselves, set a proper example for your kids and end the nutritional child abuse.