I'm not fat! I'm just vertically challenged
Last week, Andre brought home a form. Alamak! Kenah TAF club.
For those who don't know what TAF club is, it stands for Trim And Fit club - it's an initiative by MOE to try and whip overweight kids into shape. Unfortunately, the powers that be had zero foresight and it took kids all of 2 seconds to figure out that TAF spells FAT backwards. (Or maybe it was a deliberate, cruel joke). Anyway, what has happened is that over the years, TAF club has led to so many fat jokes and ironically, kids growing up with eating disorders because of the stigma they had faced in TAF club. So after many complaints, MOE has removed TAF club and left it to the schools to implement their own health programmes.
The programme in Andre's school is not called TAF club, it's Health and Fitness Club or something innocuous like that. I don't remember because I decided to exempt Andre from it (it's now no longer compulsory). Not because I don't see the value but because he's already active enough (badminton three times a week, soccer every recess, cycling, swimming, etc) and I didn't see the point of him skipping recess to do exercises. Although he does have a pouch, I figured that part of the reason he's considered overweight is because he's short for his age.
But it did make me more conscious of his eating habits, which are far from exemplary. Just a couple of years ago, he was so scrawny you could see his ribs when he inhaled hard. But from p2, his appetite suddenly surged and he developed the typical Singaporean love for makan-ing. Hokkien mee, satay, oyster omelette, char guay teow, grilled chicken wings, he attacks them all with relish.
I never realised how much he thinks about food until we had this conversation in the car on Saturday afternoon.
Me: Andre, you've got to watch your diet, cannot eat so much fried food.
Andre: Ok. (pauses as we drive by Temptations) Hey! Can we buy the blueberry cheesecake for tea?
And that's my little puffball.
For those who don't know what TAF club is, it stands for Trim And Fit club - it's an initiative by MOE to try and whip overweight kids into shape. Unfortunately, the powers that be had zero foresight and it took kids all of 2 seconds to figure out that TAF spells FAT backwards. (Or maybe it was a deliberate, cruel joke). Anyway, what has happened is that over the years, TAF club has led to so many fat jokes and ironically, kids growing up with eating disorders because of the stigma they had faced in TAF club. So after many complaints, MOE has removed TAF club and left it to the schools to implement their own health programmes.
The programme in Andre's school is not called TAF club, it's Health and Fitness Club or something innocuous like that. I don't remember because I decided to exempt Andre from it (it's now no longer compulsory). Not because I don't see the value but because he's already active enough (badminton three times a week, soccer every recess, cycling, swimming, etc) and I didn't see the point of him skipping recess to do exercises. Although he does have a pouch, I figured that part of the reason he's considered overweight is because he's short for his age.
But it did make me more conscious of his eating habits, which are far from exemplary. Just a couple of years ago, he was so scrawny you could see his ribs when he inhaled hard. But from p2, his appetite suddenly surged and he developed the typical Singaporean love for makan-ing. Hokkien mee, satay, oyster omelette, char guay teow, grilled chicken wings, he attacks them all with relish.
I never realised how much he thinks about food until we had this conversation in the car on Saturday afternoon.
Me: Andre, you've got to watch your diet, cannot eat so much fried food.
Andre: Ok. (pauses as we drive by Temptations) Hey! Can we buy the blueberry cheesecake for tea?
Me: No! Cheesecake is so fattening.
Andre: Aiyah. (pouts) What about chocolate cake?
Me: For heaven's sake, why must you have tea? You're not even hungry.
Andre: I am! I'm staaarving! (Lunch was just two hours ago)
Me: You're just being greedy. At most you can have a little yoghurt.
Andre: Ok. What about a snack?
Me (exasperated): What snack?? I just told you you can't have tea!
Andre: I mean tonight!
Me: Haiyah, all those potato chips, no wonder you're fat.
Andre: Then what kind of snack can I have?
Me: Why must snack? (glares at Kenneth, who's the Snack King) No need to snack!
Andre: Hah!!!
Me: Can you stop thinking of food all the time!!
Andre: (sulks)
Kenneth: No need to have tea or snack, we'll just go for early dinner.
Andre (brightens up): What's for dinner?
And that's my little puffball.
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