Childhood Obesity= CHILD ABUSE

JassiBear

Childhood obesity is a serious disease afflicting many children, especially in the United States. According to the CDC, more than one in three American children were profiled as overweight or obese .......that's one of every three kids! In the past thirty years, childhood obesity has quadrupled in adolescents and doubled in children in America. Obesity is a serious illness, just as serious as every other illness if not worse because it causes so many other ailments. If parents are responsible enough to take their children to the doctor when they have a fever or indicate illness, parents should also be responsible and accountable for monitoring their children's health in other ways, specifically weight and dietwise if they see or the doctor sees that their health is in jeopardy due to weight problems. Children should be taught how to eat in moderation and eat balanced meals with appropriate portions. I am really upset by the LAZINESS of parents who do not look out for their children's health. The only excuse may be the inability to afford healthy foods.......which then becomes a fault of the system. Still, even without health foods, moderation of unhealthy foods and encouragement of physical activity could help prevent any large excess of weight. Why aren't people doing more to help their own children?

If the child is still at the age where they rely on the parents for nutritional advice, meal preparation, and is basically dependent then I really don't see any excuse why the parents shouldn't be to blame. Especially for sick small children who do not know any better (less so for older teens because they are more in control of their own eating behaviors).

JassiBear

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

read/watch these articles/reports

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGYitGIIps

Unknown

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CleanUpWhatIMessedUp

I disagree with you on this, but that's just me. I don't think someone should have their kid taken away and put into foster care just because they're fat.

Acg67

Childhood obesity is a serious disease afflicting many children, especially in the United States. According to the CDC, more than one in three American children were profiled as overweight or obese .......that's one of every three kids! In the past thirty years, childhood obesity has quadrupled in adolescents and doubled in children in America. Obesity is a serious illness, just as serious as every other illness if not worse because it causes so many other ailments. If parents are responsible enough to take their children to the doctor when they have a fever or indicate illness, parents should also be responsible and accountable for monitoring their children's health in other ways, specifically weight and dietwise if they see or the doctor sees that their health is in jeopardy due to weight problems. Children should be taught how to eat in moderation and eat balanced meals with appropriate portions. I am really upset by the LAZINESS of parents who do not look out for their children's health. The only excuse may be the inability to afford healthy foods.......which then becomes a fault of the system. Still, even without health foods, moderation of unhealthy foods and encouragement of physical activity could help prevent any large excess of weight. Why aren't people doing more to help their own children?

If the child is still at the age where they rely on the parents for nutritional advice, meal preparation, and is basically dependent then I really don't see any excuse why the parents shouldn't be to blame. Especially for sick small children who do not know any better (less so for older teens because they are more in control of their own eating behaviors).

LOL

Iron_Feline

I disagree with you on this, but that's just me. I don't think someone should have their kid taken away and put into foster care just because they're fat.

I think it depends on how fat and what the parents are doing to help the child. It's a case by case decision not a blanket yes/no.

One child was recently taken away by social services in Wales and that seemed like a good decision as the patents had been given a lot of help but the child (11 / 15st) was not losing any weight and in fact getting bigger. He was seriously obese and the parents just kept making excuses.

Better that child get help now at that age than be allowed to continue down that path.

Unknown

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RINat612

Ultimately we, the overweight, are responsible for what we put in our mouth. As children; however, this gets complicated. I would agree that childhood obesity is primarily the parent's fault. This lack of responsibility on the part of the parents lead to a lack of responsibility in the child. With that said, I do not agree that this constitutes child abuse. That is a major leap.

EDIT: Iron_Feline made a great point. It is a case by case decision. Some situations could definitely be child abuse.

_HeartsOnFire_

I was a fat kid to a single parent of 3 kids. I don't blame my mother one bit. I dealt with a trauma by eating. She had been a stay at home mom and was doing everything she could to make sure we were taken care of.

I also don't agree that just because a kid is fat they should be put in foster care. There are enough kids in the system.

msf74

Oh lord.

miss_jessiejane

I want that cat.

nilbogger

I really don't think labeling these parents as child abusers is going to help.

jkwolly

I want that cat.

No way, me first!!!

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k8blujay2

I disagree with you on this, but that's just me. I don't think someone should have their kid taken away and put into foster care just because they're fat.

Yup. Things like how fat or skinny a child is just isn't as simple and black and white as it sounds... And ignorance of nutrition and excerise is not a good reason to make an already overwhelmed system that can't get children out in worse situation than "my parents feeds me too much mcdonald's because they don't know any better" even more so.

Does it suck? Sure... But most parents are ignorant of what to feed their kids or they just make up excuses... but it does not equal child abuse in my opinion.

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perseverance14

How about give them mandatory counseling, don't take the kids away.

zyxst

My bingo card is ready.

Also, inb4 OP deactivates.

bannedword

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

read/watch these articles/reports

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGYitGIIps

Answer one question for me: Do you have children?

sarahmoo12

kgeyser

meltoine

You might be able to make an argument for neglect, but I too think that the leap to abuse is untenable.

I am responsible for what my children eat. I am responsible for bringing healthy food into our home, preparing it, teaching them how to prepare it, shop for it, budget for it, etc. This is one of my duties as a parent. If I'm not doing it, I see it as neglectful, especially because I know better.

My mom was never taught about nutrition or how to prepare healthy foods. Recently I was telling her about MFP and how I decide what to eat everyday and she asked me how I know what foods have protein v. fat v. carbs. No wonder I had no idea what a healthy meal looked like until it went to college.

SconnieCat

DeltaZero

nilbogger

Anyone recommending that kids be put into foster care doesn't know the first thing about foster care.

Mmmhmm. It should really be a last resort for when a child is truly in danger. More often than not a child is better off with his or her own family.

grubb1019

An obese child is not always the result of a negligent parent. My son is obese because he is on a medication that makes him gain weight. I make sure he eats healthy, I try to control his portions (but he is almost 11 and sometimes helps himself to seconds when I am not looking), and he plays sports (and on days that he isn't active I make him go with me and walk). He has lost 8 lbs since January, but it is a constant struggle for us. So don't judge someone just by looking at their child. I am a teacher and there are many more serious situations in homes than a child being overweight. I know of many many children that don't get fed, bathed, or cared for at home because their parents are constantly drugged out, that is more of a concern to me than a parent letting a kid overeat.

randomtai

Anyone recommending that kids be put into foster care doesn't know the first thing about foster care.

QFT!!! Also IN to hear someone without kids tell me how to raise mine... Also BINGO!

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jtrack3d

Yea, attacking the parents isn't the solution.

Our problem is that crap food is the food that keeps the longest and is prepackaged for convenience. Convenience usually wins over healthiest. With two parent working families it gets harder and harder to provide fresh fruit and vegetables or even to prepare meals from scratch rather than a drive through at McD or BK.

Our society is JUST as much to blame because we let capitalism do this to us as much as anything else.

So, I don't buy this one. Why aren't sodas, candies, cakes and other obvious luxury junk foods taxed like cigarettes as a simple example.

There are solutions, but blaming parents isn't it.

ew_david

STOP ATTACKING THE OP!

kethry70

I disagree with you on this, but that's just me. I don't think someone should have their kid taken away and put into foster care just because they're fat.

Yup. Things like how fat or skinny a child is just isn't as simple and black and white as it sounds... And ignorance of nutrition and excerise is not a good reason to make an already overwhelmed system that can't get children out in worse situation than "my parents feeds me too much mcdonald's because they don't know any better" even more so.

Does it suck? Sure... But most parents are ignorant of what to feed their kids or they just make up excuses... but it does not equal child abuse in my opinion.

QFT