Thin is in, and even kids know it. How could they not? The messages are undeniable, and they're everywhere, even in their own homes. After all, kids are fatter than ever before, right? And there's been a huge outpouring of time, energy, and money into programs to save our fat kids from getting fatter. But there's also the flip side, that all this fat-o-phobia is turning regular-sized kids into mini stick insects.

Adults everywhere are focused not only on looking good but on feeling good, too, but this focus on food consumption, health, and exercise trickles down to the kids who distill it and concentrate it into their own personal anorexia-making mantras. And while dropping 15 or 20 pounds in even a thin Mom or Dad won't make a huge overall difference, weight loss in kids can easily escalate into malnutrition and illness. When my older son was 8 he had a stomach virus that kept him from eating for a few days; a 5-lb loss on most kids wouldn't have been a big deal but on my already stick-thin kid it turned him nearly skeletal (he gained it back easily after he began eating again, but it was a huge wakeup call that let me know that my kids just don't have much latitude for such things). And other regular-sized or thinner kids are rapidly becoming too thin when they try to eat less or even lose weight.

Signs your kid may be obsessed with weight and heading into eating-disorder territory:

1. Avoiding eating with the family.

2. Constantly complaining their stomach hurts or they aren't hungry.

3. Being cold and tired most of the time. 

(here's a list of warning signs associated more with teens) 

Sadly, most weight-obessed parents don't realize that all kids need is to eat a good amount of quality foods, avoid a lot of junk, and play a lot. Period. Oh, and that their own obession is sending their kids a message.

Photo: www.gospellightbc.com