Juice Box Jungle

Beep, beep, beep-the six o' clock alarm rings. Shower, brush your teeth, and off to the kitchen, hopefully to make school lunches. Instead, "Fifth grade, you get six bucks for lunch. Seventh grade, six bucks for your lunch. High school, eight bucks for McDonald's now-a-day's."
Gone are the days of ants-on-a-log and salami sandwiches. "Wanna trade your Sunkist fruit-roll-up for this brownie?" Parents knew what went into our brown bags or at least knew that we were trading for something mildly harmless that a PTA mother had probably baked.
A five-dollar bill represents countless possibilities for a child's potential lunch. The most enticing items children reach for are often the highest in calories and lowest in nutritional value. Often, high calorie items are inexpensive, which allows children to get a "bigger bang for their buck" on "empty calorie items."
Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, children who are obese are more prone to develop diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Often, our mornings are rushed. We hardly have time for a cup of coffee, let alone time to spread peanut butter and jelly on two slices of bread. Will the kids even eat the stuff? Will they just get a Snicker's instead?
You can at least hope that your kids eat their pretzels and drink their juice box. Being a parent is holding up your end of the deal. If your kids have a healthy alternative, at least you gave it to them. That is all you can really do as a parent. Try and do your best.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698
Andy Fletcher's career as an artist started early. He began drawing trains-one of his first loves-from his own photos when he was still in school. In 1992, Burlington Northern Railroad asked him to design their popular SD70MAC Executive color scheme. Altogether, Andy has drawn over a thousand trains, from steam to modern diesel and cars, cabooses and other equipment. He has been commissioned to paint trains for many of the railroad historical societies and museums.
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