Gerald Herbert / AP
Frankie Thevenot, 3, plays with an iPad in his bedroom at his home in Metairie, La. on Oct. 21. About 40 percent of two- to four-year-olds have used a smartphone, tablet or video iPod, according to a new study by the nonprofit group Common Sense Media.
It's not alarming that as technology and devices penetrate every aspect of our lives, they have become a pacifier for young kids.
Related story: Squirmy toddler? There's an app for that
Sam Craft / The Paris News via AP
Raynie Lewis keeps a tight grip on her mother, Mandi Burchfield, while the two say goodbye in kindergarten class at Higgins Elementary School in Paris, Texas on Aug. 22, 2011. Monday is the first day of school for all of the districts in Paris, as well as many of the schools across Texas.
I’ve been both a parent and a photographer at similar scenes. These moments are always heart-warming and heart-wrenching. It’s a relief when they are able to calm down, dry their eyes and get to work. Of course, I’m talking about the parents.
Related stories from msnbc.com’s School Inc. section
What struck me about this recent group of images by Getty Images photographer John Moore was the involvement of the parents in this nutrition and weight loss program.
John Moore / Getty Images
Children hug their parents at the end of gym class as part of the Shapedown program for overweight adolescents and children on Nov. 13 in Aurora, Colorado. The 10-week family-centered program held by the Denver area Children's Hospital teaches youth and their parents ways to lead a healthier more active lifestyle, as a longer lasting weight-loss alternative to dieting. Nationally, some 15 percent of children are overweight or obese, as are some 60 percent of adults.
I commend these parents for taking an active role in helping their kids make positive changes, and realize it must be an emotional and often difficult task for many reasons - perhaps not the least of them being feelings of guilt that they've found themselves in the position to need to take action for the benefit of their children's health.
Have you or other parents you know found yourself/themselves in this situation? Were there feelings of guilt, or was that overridden by a drive to help the child get healthy? Or am I off base on what it's like to go through this? Let us know in the comments below.
John Moore / Getty Images
Morgan DePalma, 7, does push-ups during the Shapedown program for overweight adolescents and children on Nov. 20.
John Moore / Getty Images
John Simms III and his daughter Mandy look over a nutritional guide during the Shapedown program for overweight adolescents and children on Nov. 13.
John Moore / Getty Images
Karley Workman (R),14, and her mother Patricia Gould try to do situps during the Shapedown program for overweight adolescents and children on Nov. 13 in Aurora, Colorado.
John Moore / Getty Images
Zoe McCoy, 9, stands atop a scale as her mother Clarisse Gonzalez shows her how much weight she lost during the Shapedown program for overweight adolescents and children on Nov. 20.
John Moore / Getty Images
A group of children and their parents embrace after a group photo upon graduation from the Shapedown program for overweight adolescents and children on Nov. 20 in Aurora, Colorado.
For more stories on children and obesity, check out these two about the struggle of pre-teen brothers to lose weight, and the parental impact on fussy eaters.
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