's motd Tues Oct 14, 2008

[Guest guest]

BOLD!

Tuesday, 14 October 2008

Yesterday I received an E-mail from a young lady of just 15 years-old. She had written me because she was very worried about her mother. Since her parents divorced, her mother had put on quite a bit of weight. She told me how one day she'd seen her mother sitting at the kitchen table, eating and crying at the same time.

When she went grocery shopping with her mom, she told me how the cookie aisle was always the first section of the grocery store her mother would go down. And it seemed that most of her mother's meals were taken from a bag, filled with burgers and the like from some fast-food restaurant. When she went to the mall with her mom, she used to get so sad, watching as she tried on clothes that just never fit. Her mother always had a hard time finding anything nice to wear. This young lady asked me what she could do to help her mother. You'll note...She didn't ask what I would do for her. She asked what she and I mean only she could do to help her mother.Well, I had to think about this for a minute. I read her E-mail over again and I have to say how obvious it was that she was such a tender, sensitive and bold young lady. After much thought, I gave her some suggestions on how she could help her mother.First of all, I told her to hug her mom ten times a day and to give her twenty kisses a day. I told her to not be shy about reminding her mother of how much she loved her. I also told her to let her mother know how worried she was about her being so unhappy and overweight. I said that she should offer to go for a good walk with her mother to get her exercising more often, each evening after dinner.

I told her to encourage her mother to make more healthy salads for herself, instead of visiting those fast-food places so often. I also suggested that she offer to help her mother prepare more healthy meals for both of them in the kitchen. And I told her that when she saw her mom lose a few pounds that she should put on a party hat and do a little dance for her mother in the living room. Above all else, I told her to work hard to make sure her mother felt really appreciated and special.Like I said earlier, I think this was such a bold young lady. And I do hope that she takes the advice I gave to help her mom.

Now you may not be 15 years-old but, nevertheless, you may also be worried about your own mother if she is overweight. Well, this advice also applies to you helping your mother, too.I know, there are many people out there who have overweight moms. They never really say that much about it to their mothers. And it's usually because their mother's weight is such a very sensitive subject. But at some point, you have to be bold enough, just like the little girl I'm telling you about in this message. You have to be bold enough to address the subject of your mother's weight in a a kind and loving way. Remember, love and compliments go a lot further than criticism. And by the way, If you see your mother or talk to her on the phone soon, please give a big heartfelt hello from me to her! P.S. I'm leaving for New York City later this morning. Catch me tomorrow morning, Wednesday, on ABC-TV's Good Morning America! Hope you get to watch!Love,