Spaz: Part I

No.. tis is not Spaz. This is kid is far too small to be him!

… so yesterday afternoon Chief tells met hat we have to pick up more school pants for Spaz.

At the beginning of the school year, the Crack Whore bought him tan linen pants to wear as part of his uniform.

Yes.. I said LINEN.

Who does that??

Anyway.. it’s not like I anticipate her doing anything that will make sense and I’m sure she mentally gave me the middle finger when she bought pants that had to be dry cleaned.

‘Cause like I said.. she doesn’t know what it’s like to be a parent 24/7 so buying pants that he would be wearing 5 days a week.. that had to be dry cleaned.. completely swirled through the void where her brain used to be.

If she ever had a brain in the first place.

At any rate.. so yesterday we went to one of the discount places in the area. I wasn’t looking to spend a lot of money because a) we don’t have it and b) his legs are far to short for the size of his waist so he winds up destroying the hems by walking on them.

The pants that he was wearing were a 34 waist. That’s Chief size. And yes, he’s 12. His weight became an issue the last three years and even though I constantly harp about what he’s eating, the amount of food that he’s eating, when he eats, etc. It’s fallen on deaf ears. I buy “healthy” things when I shop.. but even too much healthy stuff turns unhealthy and then you have the uber-chef who firmly believes that cooking everything in butter is the 11th commandment and that food = happiness, you have a recipe for a morbidly obese kid who is too young to make proper choices and an environment where there are two many un-healthy choices. And you know, there are four other people in the house who like what they like and it’s not fair to deny them because of one person.

More on that later..

Anyway.. so we buy two pairs of pants. One a size 34 and one a size 36. Both are relaxed cut so there is more room around the middle. I didn’t think there would be an issue with them fitting.

Boy was I wrong.. and what a shock it was.

The 36’s “fit”. Spaz complained that they didn’t fit but that was only because he was used to wearing clothes that were too big for him. The last lot of clothes the Crack Whore bought him were 38 pants and 2X shirts. He’s so damn short that the shirts looked like dresses and even if I hemmed the jeans they would have looked like cargo shorts.

The 34’s didn’t even button.

So last night I told Chief that he really needed to be diligent in monitoring Spaz’s food intake without making it obvious to his brother’s. He plates our food in the kitchen before bringing it out to the dining table so he has the opportunity to alter Spaz’s plate without it being obvious.

And look, he used the kitchen of both a hospital and a special needs school. He’s more versed on nutrition and dietary needs then the average person.. you just have to want to do it.

So what does he make him for breakfast? Two eggs, cheese and pork roll on a croissant. My arteries seized just thinking about it.

He knew he screwed up though.. especially after I happened to come across a piece of paper from the school that documented Spaz’ height, weight and BMI.

Guess what? The kid is 62.5 inches tall and a whopping 187.4 lbs.

Really.

All I could say was “wow” when I saw it and I waved it in Chief’s face and said DID YOU SEE THIS?? WHEN DID YOU GET THIS?

Apparently it was sent home in Spaz’ school folder.

And then I went over again how dangerous.. soo dangerous.. this is for the kid. Diabetes run’s in Chief’s family, number one but he’s open to all kinds of health risks.. all types of mental issues.. hygiene issues.. you name it and I pleaded with him to stay keep it in mind when he’s cooking.. when Spaz asks if he can get a soda or chips off the front porch..

We were on our way to the supermarket when I stated AGAIN the need for this kid to eat better.. get more exercise.. there’s no reason why he can’t walk home from school. Granted, mornings are a different story but in the afternoon? Chief said things will be different in West Virginia. I told him that that’s three weeks away.. do you want to give him the opportunity to gain MORE weight in three weeks?

With all that in mind, we made sure we bought more fruit then usual.. more sugar free and no fat snacks.. things that I could take from their container and put in the cookie jar and there would be no evidence that what he was eating wasn’t laden with sugar and fat. Individual containers of apple sauce was a good buy.. even trail mix and nuts. Animal crackers were also surprising low in fat and sugar. Plain oatmeal that we can add bananas or cinnamon to ourselves. We also bought fruit bars instead of ice cream.. Oh… and hummus and pita bread (I cut them up and popped them in the oven to be used for dipping) .. things that are healthier for you tends to be more expensive but you have to do what you have to do.

Spaz eats out of boredom.. I’ve been saying that for years. Plus, he’s food obsessed. He’ll ask what Chief is making him for breakfast right after dinner. The first question out of his mouth when we either walk in the house or he walks in the house is “.. what’s for dinner?”

Tonight, we had chicken for dinner with corn and oven roasted potatoes. About a half hour after dinner, Spaz knocked asked me where the Saltine crackers were. Why, I asked. He said he wanted cheese and crackers. Some how.. he found the can of spray cheese. I hate that stuff. Chief likes it so he hid it behind the cat food. Somehow, Spaz found that but didn’t see the big box of crackers right in front of him.

I told him that we had JUST finished dinner.. he said he was still hungry. I told him there was fresh fruit and dried fruit and all kinds of other things that he could eat as a snack later on.. it was too soon to eat now. He hemmed and hawed and I told him that he could have a snack now or later but then that’s IT. Of course, he wanted it now and so I pulled three crackers out of the sleeve and squirted about a dime size dollop of fake cheese on each one.

That’s it, he whined.

Take it or leave it, I said.

He took it.

He didn’t like.. but it is the way it is and he needs to get used to it.

I also mentioned to Weed on the sly to keep an eye out on Spaz after we go to sleep in case he sneaks out into the kitchen. His bedtime is 10.. ours isn’t much later.. but Weed is usually up to the wee hours.

Look.. I know how hard it is to be an overweight child. I know how hard it is to be an over weight adult. But I also know that if he doesn’t learn how to eat properly now, he’s leaving himself open for a lot of hardship later on.

If any of you have any suggestions, they’d greatly be appreciated!!