Growing up, nothing about Tom was out of the ordinary. He was a happy child, had loving parents who wanted to him to do well in school, and he frequently played with his classmates. Then, something changed.

To Tom, it was abrupt. He noticed that people would stare at him more. Other kids, who he once had no trouble befriending, would whisper to each other around him and giggle when he turned to look at them.

His parents, on the other hand, knew the root cause: Tom had gained weight over the years and started carrying excess weight, and weight is the number one cause of schoolyard bullying.

They weren't sure what to do. They rarely acknowledged Tom's weight – sidestepping the awkward topic because acknowledgment meant they were "bad parents" (they weren't) – let alone know how to tackle the issue.

Tom's parents might have felt desperately alone, but they weren't. In fact, childhood overweight and obesity in Ontario affects nearly one in three children. And again, they weren't bad parents; they were as loving as any parents and only wanted the best for their child.

Had they understood the complex nature of obesity, they would have known that they weren't to blame. But it's not too late--there are a lot of tools at their disposal including Ottawa's free Family Reset program (more information below).

