Roscop,
Of course childhood obesity is higher in single parent households (and significantly higher for daughters in single parent households interestingly).

And just about every other type of childhood trauma or ailment is worse in single parent households as well.

But this cannot be mentioned in a feminist society. Not politically correct.

Best to focus on secondary issues, such as advertisers, who must love single person households.

*if your mother had also died that wouldn't have made you unhappy either*

Roscop, your deduction skills are clearly not the best. I certainly
made no such claim.

In my experience, its not single parent kids that suffer most,
but kids with squabbling parents, where the kids land up being used
as a weapon by parents, against each other.

The intolerance and narrow mindedness shown by some of you on this
thread, makes me happy that you were never my father.

The Child Obesity campaign is likely to be a major contributor to children's anxiety about their body image. The rise in childrens anxiety about their weight is likely to correlate with the rise in advertising about the Obesity 'epidemic' which tells them they will get sick and die younger.

If they are unhappy its because some sections of society won't leave kids be.

It's the old story. To a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

This article is principally about happiness, right?

"But are they happy? A number of surveys indicate that Australian children are not doing well in the happiness stakes. Mission Australia's recent National Survey of young Australians showed that body image was the third highest worry of young women (11-24yrs) and an increasing issue."

It may be just me, but I'd far rather know what came in as number one and number two worries, than sit through a ramble about body-image, obesity and the evils of advertising, based on what came third.

What a tease.

After Faustino's comment, I should have nothing to add. That is an absolute and correct statement, but let me take it down a notch and cut it down to the size of this article.

I also appreciate the posts by Runner, Renee, Roscop, Yabby, SuseOnline, Vanna and Atman.

Many of the arguments made by my learned colleagues would be true in any generation, but the one single event that reduced children's happiness more than any other, is the invention of the CRT (later replaced by LED).

One may have a caring father and mother, brothers, sisters and friends, but if they all are glued to this stupid screen (and its successors), then the child has no direct relationships. They become addicted to passive and unreal life.

One side-effect is the exposure to advertisements, another is obesity, a third is the lack-of-communication in the family that often results in separation - physical or emotional, yet the root cause is this devilish seductive technology.

I disagree with Suseonline on the point that children should be "readied to live in our modern, increasingly electronic world": Teach them the basic living skills, teach them morals, but spare them this misery while they are young and easily impressionable, in the same way as we commonly spare them other adult activities. Leave these kind of things for universities, if they are to choose a scientific/engineering career.

Another issue, as Atman just noted, is that whatever the government lays its hands on, turns sour. They try to fight obesity - instead they shame children about their body-image. They try to crack down on Pedophiles - instead they make adults so afraid to come close to children that the children are deprived of warmth, touch and affection. They make so many laws about "safety" that children are not allowed to stay outside, walk to school, exercise, play, hike, swim in creeks and breath fresh air.

In the end, there is no substitute for spiritual orientation. Worldly happiness is but temporary and comes with at least that much pain.

Vanna <"Of course childhood obesity is higher in single parent households (and significantly higher for daughters in single parent households interestingly). And just about every other type of childhood trauma or ailment is worse in single parent households as well."

Really?
Where are your stats for this wild statement?
As usual, you don't have any proof for what you say Vanna...