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 we tried to make sure they held up well.

checkups: Kids need to see the pediatrician for more than just colds and shots. Every time the child is there, the medical assistant takes her height and weight. This puts you in a percentile that will help them know if there is a problem with your 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 in it. I had to learn to cook again to keep our family healthy. If you’re 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’s always a lot of fuss about school lunch. Some schools are trying to serve healthier lunches. The problem they are having is that the kids don’t like it. Food is wasted and children are fed up when they get home.

If your school doesn’t 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 decisions.

Lead by example: What we do will be seen by our children. Even if they don’t see us doing 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 should do and stop doing when they’re adults.