Where is the fun in "fun size?"

     There is a lot of talk in America about obesity in adults and children.  Where is the root of the problem? Research says that children are overweight because of genetics, lack of exercise by  playing video games, the ingredients of the food they eat, sugary and salty snacks, etc.   I told my son one day, when I was little I got to eat all three chocolate cupcakes in the Tastykake package.  I generally limit him to one or two.  At the time, he was eating a fun size Kit Kat.  Only two little strips of chocolate goodness and half the length of a standard size KitKat.  Two bites, done!  Does this satisfy or just make you want to eat more?  My answer, I need more to be satisfied and I just obsess about it.  Do you eat so many little ones that you end up eating more than a standard size?  Ugh, Proportions!  It is a simple math equation, which my children love hearing me say.  The number of calories in a snack should equal the number of calories being burned.  No weight loss, no weight gain.  How do children burn calories? Well, way faster than me.  After three children and the new decade I started, calorie burning has become very difficult.  Activity is important and I think schools and the government have done a good job at putting the word out.  I doubt there is an American who doesn't know that activity is important for children.  It is natural for kids to be active.  Children are active even when you don't want them to be.  Have you ever stood next to a four year old that is spontaneously jumping up and down?  I wish I had the energy.  
     The food, not even considering the "fun side" snack,  itself can be a problem for children.  The availability of food is much more prevalent.  In previous generations, you ate what was in season.  Sometimes you just couldn't get what you want, which brings me to the realization that children get what their little hearts desire.  There is no holding back, no settling for something else that you may only kind of like.  The cereal aisle alone should be someone's doctoral thesis.  It is insane all the types, flavors, colors, scents that come from that aisle alone.  Has your children lit up with joy when they go to the cereal aisle? I do, myself, it is like a carnival for your eyes.  There is a lot going on.  General Mills and all the rest are as good as Disney when it  comes to marketing to children.  The sweeter the cereal, the more exciting the box looks.  I am not saying it is the cereal makers fault.  Their job is to outdo the cereal box sitting next to it on the shelf.  That is the American way.  It is our job as parents to just keep the proportions right.  Sugary cereal doesn't make kids overweight.  They can have their cereal and eat it too.  It just needs to be proportionate to their little bellies.  
     Proportions are a tough thing for kids to grasp, so I use their fist.  I tell them their stomachs are about the size of their fist, so their proportions should match it.  I know that it is not exactly right, but it gives them an idea.  When you live in a society where it is easy to get too much of anything, children need to be taught what is proportionally correct for them.  Snacks should be snacks, not another meal. It should be small enough to burn it off quickly, like maybe just a fun size Kit Kat.