should morbidly obese children be taken from parents?

MercenaryNoetic26

Governments need to take accountabillity before they mess with anyone's children, look at daily recommende foods on most government site's, most recommend approx 7 servings of Bread(rice,pasta,cereal) witch are mostly simple carbs and loaded with sugar and only recommend 2 to 3 servings of meat and or milk/cheese/yogourt.
You misinform society and then make them accountable, they should have government funded programs to educate on PROPER nutrition and funded exercise programs and then if nothing is done by the parents to help these kids, the government sould step in.Because the children suffer for everyone else mistakes once again.

Actually, the WIC program is in place... but it's voluntary. Typically people go for the free milk, peanut butter, eggs, cheese... but they require families to go to classes. They will also tell pregnant girls they need to gain way too much weight!

The free bkfst/lunch programs are the worst gunk kids can eat! I offered my kid we would pay for the hot lunches if she wanted... the kid recoiled! She said its nasty! Anyway, government funded nasty, fatty food!

So this is what poorer families qualify for. Then they have McD's...

Eta: In my barrio sooo many kids would be taken from their parents... tons of morbidly obese kids. Educate the kids!!! Then they can bug their parents to actually cook healthier! Kids are impressionable.

My observation: Fat parents usually have fat little minnie me's... kids never even had the chance!

lexbubbles

Whilst I do not agree with children being taken from their parents I did read the article and have found the following extract pretty shocking:

"Incredibly, in the last three years, 183 youngsters – all aged 11 or under – were found to tip the scales at 16 stone-plus. Eight weighed more than 20 stone, with the heaviest at 23st 2lb."

For an 11 year old to be over 20 stone has surely got to be seen as abusive, our schools generally provide healthy foods and assuming the weight problem is not a medical I cant see where else an 11 year would be able to access such fattening foods other than from home.

I work in the care industry in the UK, with older people rather than children. I do understand that Social Services are pretty fair and do not take extreme actions such as removal of children from their families without looking at all angles and without trying to re-educate the parents. Social Services take on a multidisciplinary approach and involve other professionals and advocates, whist I do not know about the individual cases I should think Doctors, Dieticians and other professionals would have been involved and it would not have been a decision taken lightly. A scary outcome for all though!!

This. 20st at age 11 without a medical problem is abuse. I also used to work in the care industry in the UK with the elderly. I was also, for a time, in the care system as a teenager. It takes a lot to get the Social to prick their ears up, to be honest. Being obese alone wouldn't do it. Most of the time at risk children get left with the families too long because they're too busy 'observing' or just outright ignoring the problem. tl'dr they would have found other indications of abuse or neglect in these cases and it's possible that the massive size of the children was the thing that alerted them to further investigation.

But also, lol using Daily Mirror as any kind of reliable source.

mruntidy

Ok the majority seems to agree we don't want kids to be put in foster care because they're overweight, that's good.

But people keep suggesting classes/education be required for parents of overweight kids. Ok. How?

First you'd need a government agency to be established that goes around weighing children. There are a lot of children. So we're looking at an incredibly large undertaking here. It's going to cost a lot just to set up and pay all the people who are now in charge of monitoring kid's weight. Then they need to be able to teach the parents about nutrition. Also expensive. And difficult, do we require parents to attend classes? Where and when? Is there a fine if they don't show up? Will people have to miss work to attend nutrition classes because some government form said their kid was too heavy? If it's a one day class people are forced to attend will they even care? Or will you make it more intensive and pay the very best educators to make it an informative class and will it go on for a few days?

Just to get this idea off the ground will take billions of dollars, require new government agencies that monitor kid's weight and have the authority to make adults attend classes, which then need to be set up as to be effective.

It's really easy to say, "educate the parents." The reality of it is incredibly difficult and raises even more questions.

I suppose it depends how duly diligent the teachers are really rather than set up a new agency and then escalate it through their local council authority

The point you raise about parents actually caring is precisely what I am getting at - there's often a distinct lack of care

Beckilovespizza

But also, lol using Daily Mirror as any kind of reliable source.
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This too lol

agarlits

There is no universal right or wrong answer to this. If the situation is bad enough and the child is deemed unhealthy enough that it is a risk to their life, in that case I believe is should be treated as child neglect. However, just because your child is overweight does not make you a criminal and certainly doesn't warrant your child being taken from you. For most cases I agree with the option of therapy or possibly having meetings with a nutritionist, at the very least to let the child know that being overweight is a choice and not their destiny.

UsedToBeHusky

Ok the majority seems to agree we don't want kids to be put in foster care because they're overweight, that's good.

But people keep suggesting classes/education be required for parents of overweight kids. Ok. How?

First you'd need a government agency to be established that goes around weighing children. There are a lot of children. So we're looking at an incredibly large undertaking here. It's going to cost a lot just to set up and pay all the people who are now in charge of monitoring kid's weight. Then they need to be able to teach the parents about nutrition. Also expensive. And difficult, do we require parents to attend classes? Where and when? Is there a fine if they don't show up? Will people have to miss work to attend nutrition classes because some government form said their kid was too heavy? If it's a one day class people are forced to attend will they even care? Or will you make it more intensive and pay the very best educators to make it an informative class and will it go on for a few days?

Just to get this idea off the ground will take billions of dollars, require new government agencies that monitor kid's weight and have the authority to make adults attend classes, which then need to be set up as to be effective.

It's really easy to say, "educate the parents." The reality of it is incredibly difficult and raises even more questions.

I am sad to admit that I do have some experience with protective services. It is basically their job to determine the need of the family (parents and children) and provide resources to help the family meet that need.

So, that being sad, if protective services is monitoring a family, then they would simply need to write nutrition education into the case plan, and then, the social worker would find a service and obtain funding to pay for it.

The way protective services works is that they provide the parents with the opportunity to correct the situation, whatever that may be. If the parent fails to take the opportunity, then the caseworker would consider removing the child from the home.


*edited to add - As a matter of fact, I had some nutrition classes through the parenting/drug rehabilitation classes that were written into my caseplan. It's just a matter of the state hiring a nutritionist to either present a class or offer one-on-one instruction.

threefancy

My SIL and her husband are foster parents in the Midwest. They are about 500 lbs each and have reached the point where they can barely walk. In some instancestaking children from their parents and putting them in a foster home might just make the situation worse.

mruntidy

But also, lol using Daily Mirror as any kind of reliable source.

This too lol
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At least it wasn't in the Daily Mail, God knows what else they would link to childhood obesity

cad39too

I would see this as very much a last resort, after supervision and counselling have been offered.

There is no knowing whether the child will be any better off healthwise in care and the trauma of being removed from the family home, especially if the child is an emotional eater, could be devastating

mruntidy

I would see this as very much a last resort, after supervision and counselling have been offered.

There is no knowing whether the child will be any better off healthwise in care and the trauma of being removed from the family home, especially if the child is an emotional eater, could be devastating

Exactly that, I think that if you look at the number of children over five years taken into care as a result of being morbidly obese then it is a last resort.

Action is encouraged, you would hope, by the threat of another action

Overcomer68

I have not read all the responses, but someone stated that some parents also need help in this area when it comes to obesity. I wasn't obese as a child nor were my siblings and we ate very well and were not deprived and so it was/is with our children when they were growing up as well. I think it's how you are reared. Now as far as other countries, there are children who are malnourished and they aren't taken away from their parents but missionaries and sponsors from all over the world are sent to help aid and care for those children who are hungry. I think this should go both ways when it comes to obesity as well, IMO.

Myhaloslipped

what a horrible thread.:indifferent:


this is neither fun nor games

No s**t, right?

Sovi_

This is stupid.

AlyssasDiet

My first reaction was "no, that's ridiculous" but after reading the article I can see some reason to take away MORBIDLY obese children. I mean, my god these children weigh more than I do, and they are all age 11 and under apparently. However I think that there should be plenty of warning ahead of time, and professional services should be provided to the parents to work with the parents and not just take the kid away. And if the children do have to be taken away (if there is no improvements made by the parents) it should be a temporary thing. I also think the standards should be strict, with our current cultural views I can see it getting out of hand, it should only concern children in immediate danger and who are very obese.

zephtalah

Not necessarily
But maybe some counseling for all
I never want to see kids taken from their families unless the situation can't be helped

This. Children belong with their parents. Yes, some education might be beneficial, but taking the children away seems awfully extreme.

Iwantchange_22

I feel the parents should be warned of their behavior, then given classes to fix what they are doing wrong. In 6 month's if the child hasn't lost weight or has gained, then I feel the child should be removed.

This is of course unless the child has a medical condition that causes the weight gain. And the level of obesity must be extreme (100kg for a 6 year old for example)

19TaraLynn84

Stop the cycle! But not by taking children away from their parents. That should always be a last resort. Usually, obese children have obese parents. And those obese parents had obese parents. Bad habits are being learned and passed down. The parents aren't necessarily unfit for this reason. Nutrition education has to be the answer. Yes, it will cost a lot of money. But taking children from their parents costs a lot of money. Treating the health problems of these obese people also costs a lot of money.

However, getting some parents to actually care would prove to be the challenge. There would have to be an incentive offered to get a lot of parents to take advantage of the education being offered. The health of their children would, sadly, not be enough.

WendyTerry420

In many cases, parents don't know proper nutrition either. And people on fixed incomes often limited options in grocery shopping. And it isn't safe to play outside anymore. A whole lot of things work against kids anymore. But to start taking away children because of fat just opens the doors for being able to take kids away for any little reason whatsoever. "I'm sorry, your child's scores dropped this term. If they don't go up next term we will take your child away." I think it sets a bad precident.

My kids play outside all the time.

mruntidy

In many cases, parents don't know proper nutrition either. And people on fixed incomes often limited options in grocery shopping. And it isn't safe to play outside anymore. A whole lot of things work against kids anymore. But to start taking away children because of fat just opens the doors for being able to take kids away for any little reason whatsoever. "I'm sorry, your child's scores dropped this term. If they don't go up next term we will take your child away." I think it sets a bad precident.

My kids play outside all the time.

Plus surely if it wasn't safe outside a parent should assess this and make time to take their children to the park or some other recreational activity?