When the girls were growing up, we worked hard to make sure they were healthy. At one point I even turned the backyard into a garden. It tasted good, but the garden didn’t look so good after the harvest. That was one of the many ways that we tried to make sure they were kept up well.

checkups: Kids need to see their pediatrician for more than just colds and shots. Every time the child is there, the medical assistant takes her height and weight. This is put into a percentile that will help them know if there is a problem with the weight. Even before it is visible, it will be seen on that chart.

Nutritional Counseling: I grew up in the South. Almost everything I learned to cook had bacon grease, butter, or both. I had to learn to cook again to keep our family healthy. If you are having trouble figuring out how to do this, your pediatrician can refer you to a nutritionist who will give you the information you need.

Follow-up at school: There is always a lot of fuss about school food. Some schools are trying to serve healthier lunches. The problem they are having is that the children do not like it. Food is wasted and children are fed up when they get home.

If your school doesn’t offer or can’t provide a healthy, edible lunch, then it’s a better idea to pack it. That too can end up being wasted if the child doesn’t like it, so include them in making healthy choices.

Lead by example: What we do will be seen by our children. Even if they don’t see us do it, they can probably find out. We need to eat a healthy diet, make sure we get our checkups, and encourage activity. Otherwise, kids will think it’s just something kids have to do and stop doing when they’re adults.