I'm not saying I want Elmo to leave Sesame Street.  Now that the man who
brought the puppet to life has resigned amid a sex scandal involving
young men, I think its time for the Elmo character to teach some
different lessons to kids.
I've blogged about knowing that the sexual abuse I suffered as a child
has played a role in not being able to keep weight off as an adult.  In
some ways I wore the extra pounds as a security blanket and I've heard
from so many other obese people who experienced the same trauma as
children.  

I worry about kids this time of year. We tend to focus on the strangers
who might harm kids, failing to teach them that the predator could be a
coach, clubleader, teacher, relative, family friend or pastor.
Oftentimes when school is out we give these trusted adults the
opportunity to spend alone time with children.  Wouldn't it be great if
Elmo could help parents and kids deal with this difficult issue?

I wasn't excited about it at the time, but I'm thankful that Catawba
Valley Medical Center required psychological counseling before my
gastric bypass surgery. I know the counseling has helped me to cope with
the mental part of losing weight.  My tiny bypass tummy can't handle a
lot of emotional eating.... and emotional is how I feel when I think
about anyone taking advantage of the innocence of a child.  

Holidays can be major emotional triggers for a lot of us for many
reasons.  There's comfort food coming at you from every direction
between Thanksgiving and the new year.  Right now I'm using the CVMC
weight loss surgery as a tool to help me set food boundaries I can use
for the rest of my life.