should morbidly obese children be taken from parents?

AnotherXFitGuy

I think the issue of poverty is really what needs to be addressed first. Parents living below the poverty line often can't afford to purchase good quality food for their children or themselves. Some people will argue that if you do the proper research you can find healthy, cheap food but the fact of the matter is if you are raising 3 kids and working at least 1 full time job (perhaps more) you just don't have time for that.

Why'd they have kids if they couldn't afford to feed them?

Sometimes poverty happens after kids are born.

No kidding! The holier-than-thou attitude is getting old.

Definitely not holier-than-thou, just realistic. Closing your eyes to an issue doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's not a blame game either. We've all done things that cost us. But to ignore people having children, whether single moms or married couples, they cannot afford is like the Ostrich putting his head in a hole. If I can't see the lion, it can't eat me. So, what does cause poverty?

vim_n_vigor

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

I agree with this comment here. I do not believe that taking kids away from their families is emotionally healthy. of course no one wants to see a morbidly obese child and that is why those parents need to be given nutrition and health classes to better educate them on how to properly care for their children. Also some,yes I realize a very small percent have conditions that cause them to gain weight and or like my son whose 7 going 8 and has trouble gaining weight. I don't starve my children in any means he just has a high metabolism. so without knowing each individual's medical record and their daily lifestyle it would be hard to give a straight black and white answer on this. i think it should be case to case and give the parents a chance to change their bad behaviors before taking a child away from their family. my opinion only.

My three sons are very low on the weight percentiles, especially my oldest (who is 7 and eats like a high school football player). I tracked his calories for a few days and he eats around 3000 calories a day and is still around the 10th percentile for weight. He got the flu and I took him to the ER after about 10 hours because with his weight he was really starting to struggle. The ER doctor yelled at me for waiting so long to bring him in, that kids shouldn't lose too much weight when sick. I had him call his pediatrician because he had just had his well visit the week before. I'm glad he had, because that doctor was accusing me of not feeding my child and not giving him proper medical attention when he was ill. The pediatrician stepped in and showed the ER doctor his growth charts. He apologized to me before we left. I shudder to think what could have happened if he hadn't had that check up the week before.

DamePiglet

I think the issue of poverty is really what needs to be addressed first. Parents living below the poverty line often can't afford to purchase good quality food for their children or themselves. Some people will argue that if you do the proper research you can find healthy, cheap food but the fact of the matter is if you are raising 3 kids and working at least 1 full time job (perhaps more) you just don't have time for that.

Why'd they have kids if they couldn't afford to feed them?

Sometimes poverty happens after kids are born.

No kidding! The holier-than-thou attitude is getting old.

Definitely not holier-than-thou, just realistic. Closing your eyes to an issue doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's not a blame game either. We've all done things that cost us. But to ignore people having children, whether single moms or married couples, they cannot afford is like the Ostrich putting his head in a hole. If I can't see the lion, it can't eat me. So, what does cause poverty?

You didn't address the issue of poverty happening after a child or children are born. Do you not understand that things like that happen and you can't un-make the children?

AnotherXFitGuy

I think the issue of poverty is really what needs to be addressed first. Parents living below the poverty line often can't afford to purchase good quality food for their children or themselves. Some people will argue that if you do the proper research you can find healthy, cheap food but the fact of the matter is if you are raising 3 kids and working at least 1 full time job (perhaps more) you just don't have time for that.

Why'd they have kids if they couldn't afford to feed them?

Sometimes poverty happens after kids are born.

No kidding! The holier-than-thou attitude is getting old.

Definitely not holier-than-thou, just realistic. Closing your eyes to an issue doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's not a blame game either. We've all done things that cost us. But to ignore people having children, whether single moms or married couples, they cannot afford is like the Ostrich putting his head in a hole. If I can't see the lion, it can't eat me. So, what does cause poverty?

You didn't address the issue of poverty happening after a child or children are born. Do you not understand that things like that happen and you can't un-make the children?

There are definitely times when "Stuff Happens". I lost a job a year and a half ago due to not fault of my own, business closed. I agree poverty can happen when you are doing everything right, out of your control, but my issue is when people have children and they are already in a state of poverty. I have an unwed/under-employed niece who is 22 and is pregnant with her second child. He first child is 4 months old. I Love the girl and spoke to her early in life about responsibility. But it now appears she is going to be added to the list of people who didn't think/plan and will need assistance to raise her children. People are their own problem.

WeepingAngel81

I would love it if everyone saying, "education, counseling, nutrition coaches for all" would say how much extra a year they're willing to personally spend in taxes to pay for it.

All of a sudden it'll become, "Why do I have to spend my money on someone else's chubby kids?!?"

In the United States, at least, we all receive basic nutrition education in school. I learned in kindergarten (and it was reinforced every year after) what foods were healthy and to limit things like cake and candy. This is already being provided. If people are ignoring it, there isn't much anyone can do.

I was going to say the same thing. Glad I kept reading! Not only are we taught basic nutrition starting in kindergarten, but the school systems here also do health checks. It was asked what can be done to implement this program, this is what well checks are for. If a child doesn't have a well check, I know that where I live, someone comes to the school to check the basics (eyes, teeth, height, weight).
My daughter brings home weekly food challenges from school to fill out. They list different foods for her to check off when she eats them. Everything from asparagus to apples. I don't think education is to blame, at least not in the US.
I also don't buy into poverty being to blame. There are options. I am a single, full time working mom. Yes, I treat my kids to McDonald's but I also cook homemade meals (and not from a box either). I do not get assistance from the government, nor do I receive child support. It does take time, but making healthy eating a priority could drastically change the way a family eats.
To address that poverty happens after a child is born, this is where nutritional education comes in. It is overwhelming sometimes trying to take care of a family and worrying about what is on the table becomes less important than how your going to put it there. However, this is where that education comes in. We already know a calorie is a calorie no matter how you get it. Knowing proper portion sizes, buying canned fruits and veggies along with the "cheaper" meal options, and know where to turn for help when you need it is all very important.

Lisa1971

someone needs to execute the mother of Honey BooBoo

:flowerforyou: :laugh:

castadiva

No. Fat-phobia gone mad. Likely to result in far more damage (psychological and emotional) to the child than can be justified by the possibility - because there are no guarantees - of reduced weight. Children should not be removed from loving parents unless there is an immediate and dire risk to their safety.

Also, no pun intended, the thin edge of the wedge. We don't like your child's weight...reading level/educational attainment...social skills...reluctance to engage in sports...standard of speech. You're not fixing this at home, which makes you a bad parent, and poses a risk their future, so we will remove them from your care... Dangerous road to go down.

cwsreddy

only if the parent refuses to make the changes necessary. at that point then it's intentional child abuse.

you have a responsibility to keep your kid as healthy as possible and if you refuse to do that... welp.

mank32

schools and NG agencies make sure hungry kids get fed. can they make sure obese kids don't get overfed? hmm... :shrug: i dunno how, but i'm pretty sure something could be done without the serious emotional trauma of breaking up families...

Slacker16

only if the parent refuses to make the changes necessary. at that point then it's intentional child abuse.

you have a responsibility to keep your kid as healthy as possible and if you refuse to do that... welp.

There's a big difference between child abuse and over-feeding.

Take a child away from parents who beat him and his parents will no longer beat him.
Take a child (of ages 12+) away from parents who over-feed him and he will probably start over-feeding himself since by that time he has probably internalized the habits he was taught, not to mention to deal with the trauma of being taken away from home...

rassha01

I think there are plenty of other children that need help besides the ones that get fed enough.

cwsreddy

only if the parent refuses to make the changes necessary. at that point then it's intentional child abuse.

you have a responsibility to keep your kid as healthy as possible and if you refuse to do that... welp.

There's a big difference between child abuse and over-feeding.

Take a child away from parents who beat him and his parents will no longer beat him.
Take a child (of ages 12+) away from parents who over-feed him and he will probably start over-feeding himself since by that time he has probably internalized the habits he was taught, not to mention to deal with the trauma of being taken away from home...

i'm saying that if a parent refuses to make changes - consciously, then how is it not child abuse? but I understand the point you're making about habits, etc.

salembambi

ohh yea sounds like a perfect idea

take the children from a place they presumably feel comfortable and toss em somewhere unknown

sounds good yup

perfect

do it up

no

people should care about the children who are actually getting abused / sexually abused

people should care about why families might not have enough food to feed there kids or why cycles of abuse and poverty happen over & over again & focus on how to change society as we know it to support EVERYONE ugggggggggggh

not taking a fat kid away from his/her/their family ...give the entire family support & education ..then move the **** on if you insist on inserting yourself into there business

kbmnurse

Where the heck you gonna put them?

lexbubbles

ETA: what on earth is a 'stone'?

1 stone = 14lb

Arranna1212

Maybe if we had better nutrition in the schools and required gym every year of school, making the kids actually participate, it would help. But no, kids shouldn't be taken from their parents because of their weight. I was over weight my whole life, loved my parents as much as any kid could and I still do. It would be better for them to grow up in a loving family than being tossed into the "system" and dumped into a family that didn't care. We have free will for a reason... Some people just don't know how to control it

Arranna1212

I think there are plenty of other children that need help besides the ones that get fed enough.

Maybe we should take some of the food the overweight kids are eating.. and give it to the starving children.

WendyTerry420

I think the issue of poverty is really what needs to be addressed first. Parents living below the poverty line often can't afford to purchase good quality food for their children or themselves. Some people will argue that if you do the proper research you can find healthy, cheap food but the fact of the matter is if you are raising 3 kids and working at least 1 full time job (perhaps more) you just don't have time for that.

Why'd they have kids if they couldn't afford to feed them?

Sometimes poverty happens after kids are born.

No kidding! The holier-than-thou attitude is getting old.

Definitely not holier-than-thou, just realistic. Closing your eyes to an issue doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's not a blame game either. We've all done things that cost us. But to ignore people having children, whether single moms or married couples, they cannot afford is like the Ostrich putting his head in a hole. If I can't see the lion, it can't eat me. So, what does cause poverty?

You didn't address the issue of poverty happening after a child or children are born. Do you not understand that things like that happen and you can't un-make the children?

There are definitely times when "Stuff Happens". I lost a job a year and a half ago due to not fault of my own, business closed. I agree poverty can happen when you are doing everything right, out of your control, but my issue is when people have children and they are already in a state of poverty. I have an unwed/under-employed niece who is 22 and is pregnant with her second child. He first child is 4 months old. I Love the girl and spoke to her early in life about responsibility. But it now appears she is going to be added to the list of people who didn't think/plan and will need assistance to raise her children. People are their own problem.

All the "holier-than-thou" have a family member like this. It's what causes the attitude in most cases.

eddiesmith1

Umm okay, I know of several foster carers who are decent people.

No one said there weren't decent foster parents. But there are enough bad ones that it's a huge risk putting children into the system.

Some are simply uncaring and others are downright sadistic. If a kid is in a loving home where the only problem is the parents feed the kid too much, do you really think it's a good idea to take that risk?

I sure don't.

It isn't just too much though is it, it's way to bloody much. there is no way on earth a 10 year old kid should be 300 pounds. Also not sure where you are from but the fostering system and the quality of care does vary by country. The UK system has a lot more checks and balances than most. There is also no chance these kids are being removed without other avenues having been tried. This is persistent abuse of the kids through overfeeding and refusal to change despite prior interventions and help
so they are safer in the system from the look of it (to remove them required a judges order and review of the case file and UK judges are not elected officials but ones appointed by committee for their abilities)

WendyTerry420

only if the parent refuses to make the changes necessary. at that point then it's intentional child abuse.

you have a responsibility to keep your kid as healthy as possible and if you refuse to do that... welp.

There's a big difference between child abuse and over-feeding.

Take a child away from parents who beat him and his parents will no longer beat him.
Take a child (of ages 12+) away from parents who over-feed him and he will probably start over-feeding himself since by that time he has probably internalized the habits he was taught, not to mention to deal with the trauma of being taken away from home...

i'm saying that if a parent refuses to make changes - consciously, then how is it not child abuse? but I understand the point you're making about habits, etc.

In spite of the fact that they are obese, and didn't teach me good eating habits, my parents were the best. State intervention does more harm than good in most cases.

WendyTerry420

...