should morbidly obese children be taken from parents?
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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.0 -
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.0 -
Bypassing the article I say yes. They are putting their child's health at risk. I remember some stories a few years ago about morbidly obese children in the US being taken away from their parents and I thought it was a good idea. Let the parent take some nutrition classes while the foster home puts the kid on the right track.
Hey, and what if the caseworker is obese? What if the foster family is obese? What if the family law judge is obese?
They can be obese all they want, Im talking about morbidly obese kids that suffer from diabetes and sleep apnea and have to wear size 5x clothing from Rainbows.
Oh, so the kid gets told, it's ok for all these fat adults to rip them from their parents for being fat. Hypocrisy.
Its not about the adults, its about the kids. We need to help them so they do not end up like the adults.0 -
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.0 -
Call me a jerk for my honesty but yes i definitely believe this to be true. Killing them slowly and ruining their future by introducing them to bad habits way too early.
Then maybe all the fat adults should go to jail. People with bad habits should be in cages, right?
I think you're missing the point. These are not just kids who are overweight, and it's not about the parents teaching bad habits. These are morbidly obese kids, 11 and 10 year olds who are over 250lbs, some over 300lbs. The idea that you would rather these kids stay with the parents where they have a real risk of dying, than allow the government to interfere with the parents life is kind of extreme.
There is a big difference between "risk of dying" and "immediate danger".0 -
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.
Not to mention that the foster care system is overwhelmed. Many foster parents have 4, 5, or more foster children in their homes.0 -
I'd also like to add that I work in an agency that deals closely with DCF and several of my coworkers worked for DCF. I know the stats on foster care. It isn't pretty. And there are a number of foster families who take kids in not because they want to help them but because the money they get for caring for those kids is extra income. They may not actually harm the children, but they aren't making an effort to help them, either.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.0 -
No. Removing children from their parents is extremely damaging to the children and should only be done in cases of dire abuse and/or neglect.0
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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.
Yeah, I got nuthin'. :frown:
Wouldn't it be great to un-see and un-experience the stuff that makes you sympathetic to the plight of others?0 -
To me I personally think people need educating, not condemning....
There are numerous NHS weight reduction schemes going on in the UK, I'm on the Tier 3 program, which is based on re-education, but this sort of thing costs money and the NHS can't necasserily afford it in all regions (Derbyshire is very lucky in my opinion) but my point is, that this kind of service has worked for a life long over eater like me, so why can't something like this work for younger people & children....
NHS Derbyshire run the following:-
Tier 1: medication & diet advice from the G.P - no set duration
Tier 2: A group called Waist Wise (teaches you about basic nutrition and exercises) runs for 12 weeks
Tier 3: Access to a home visiting advisor/counsellor + Psychologist + Physiotherapist + Diettician - runs for up to 2 years
Tier 4: Pre-Surgical program, 12 weeks of diet advise and therapy like Tier 3, but you stand a good chance of bariatric surgery at the end of it
Sticking a child in foster care or a childrens home is likely to make their overeating issues even worse and they're more exposed to the possibilities of being bullied by people they share the foster home or childrens home with (there's nought so cruel as children, we all know this).
It's just not going to work taking a child away because it eats too much, you're punishing both parents and the child, not to mention any siblins the child may have.....0 -
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?0 -
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.0 -
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?0 -
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.0 -
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 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?!?"
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.0 -
someone needs to execute the mother of Honey BooBoo
:flowerforyou: :laugh:0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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...0
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There's a big difference between child abuse and over-feeding.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.
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...0
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