When I first read Dara Lynn Weiss' article in Vogue about putting her young daughter on a diet I was intrigued to say the least. I ordered The Heavy, her memoir chronicling their family journey thus far, the day it came out and was not disappointed. It was refreshing to read someone's own tale of their parenting struggles in a world that too often pits parents against one another and fails to realize that everyone's journey is different. In Dara-Lynn's memoir you will read about how she is at first in denial of her daughter's health issues and then her daily battles as she wades through the often murky waters of parenting a child who needs to watch what she eats.
I do not know the Weiss family, but I know families in their same situation. I also know that childhood obesity is a huge problem facing our nation. Yes there are kids who are chubby and will grow out of it come puberty, but you are far more likely to run across clinically obese children with high blood pressure and who are at immediate risk for diabetes. I think it is admirable that their family did what was right for them. I do think it would be interesting to see how her daughter, and their family, is doing 10 years from now. The book only chronicles a year of their weight loss process, and it leaves you wondering how things will be for them down the road.
For me this book was not only about parenting, but also about simply making difficult decisions that are right for you but that may not be understood by those around you. It offers honest insights to the struggles of both recognizing when there is a problem in life and choosing to fix the issue. Neither of those processes is easy. The Heavy is a fast-paced, enlightening read that I believe most people (parents or not) can relate to whatever the issues they face in their life.
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