Should Parents Lose Custody of Super Obese Kids?

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frostiegurl
frostiegurl Posts: 708 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303678704576442313653877034.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Not sure if this has been brought up previously but I thought it was interesting and wanted to get other people's opinions on the idea that parents are responsible for the dietary/fitness habits of their children.
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Replies

  • newfielover
    newfielover Posts: 104 Member
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    they absolutely should not lose their children! The kid could take responsibility for it if they so desired. While some blame lays with the parents, not enough to warrant taking away their children!!
  • foreverloved
    foreverloved Posts: 220 Member
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    They should be required to get therapy and as much help as they can in my opinion but not lose their kids.
  • deesjourney2fit
    deesjourney2fit Posts: 118
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    I don't think they should lose their children but do think that educational or therapy sessions should be provided to the entire family/community.
  • frostiegurl
    frostiegurl Posts: 708 Member
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    they absolutely should not lose their children! The kid could take responsibility for it if they so desired. While some blame lays with the parents, not enough to warrant taking away their children!!

    Even a 90 lb 3 year old?
  • pnieuw
    pnieuw Posts: 473
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    they absolutely should not lose their children! The kid could take responsibility for it if they so desired. While some blame lays with the parents, not enough to warrant taking away their children!!

    To play devil's advocate, the 12 year old in the article that weighed 400 pounds should be responsible for their actions and not the parent?
  • SavannaN
    SavannaN Posts: 148
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    they absolutely should not lose their children! The kid could take responsibility for it if they so desired. While some blame lays with the parents, not enough to warrant taking away their children!!

    How can a child take responsibility for it if a parent only buys junk food and their parents have only ever stuck them in front of a tv their entire life?? The parent needs to take responsibility for it!!!!
    That being said, no, they should not loose their child just for that, but they should have to go do some kinda of counseling and get nutritional guidance..... JMO
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    They should be required to get therapy and as much help as they can in my opinion but not lose their kids.

    Agreed!
  • smudger_24
    smudger_24 Posts: 107 Member
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    I think yes - Its a form of child abuse, just a reverse of starving the kid!
  • dragonflydi
    dragonflydi Posts: 665 Member
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    In that sort of situation, I would like to see the parents be required to take some nutrition classes and get nutrition counseling. Chances are if the children are obese, so are the parents and the whole family could benefit.
  • smudger_24
    smudger_24 Posts: 107 Member
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    In that sort of situation, I would like to see the parents be required to take some nutrition classes and get nutrition counseling. Chances are if the children are obese, so are the parents and the whole family could benefit.

    This is true........!
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
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    Absolutely not. That's a slippery slope you're talking. Taking kids away for not teaching them certain things is overstepping governments bounds, at best. What happens if the kid has a thyroid disorder and eats fairly healthy and still gains weight? Then the burden would be on the parents to prove they didn't do anything wrong.

    Besides, then where do you draw the line? You then start taking kids away that are too skinny, or too lazy, or have attitude problems, or are simply bratty?

    And for that matter, who pays for their care then? The government is already out of money, they simply cant afford things like this anymore.

    Lets face it... life isn't fair. Yes, having crappy parents sucks. But when that kid grows up, and being fat isnt gonna kill you before 18, he or she makes their own decisions.

    P.S. This is such a politically charged topic, I'm giving it 15 minutes before the mods delete it...

    *Edit: One other thing, most kids that are THAT overweight, like the kids in the article, arent just from over eating. Its from some other health issue behind the scenes.*
  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,231 Member
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    Absolutely not. That's a slippery slope you're talking. Taking kids away for not teaching them certain things is overstepping governments bounds, at best. What happens if the kid has a thyroid disorder and eats fairly healthy and still gains weight? Then the burden would be on the parents to prove they didn't do anything wrong.

    Besides, then where do you draw the line? You then start taking kids away that are too skinny, or too lazy, or have attitude problems, or are simply bratty?

    And for that matter, who pays for their care then? The government is already out of money, they simply cant afford things like this anymore.

    Lets face it... life isn't fair. Yes, having crappy parents sucks. But when that kid grows up, and being fat isnt gonna kill you before 18, he or she makes their own decisions.

    P.S. This is such a politically charged topic, I'm giving it 15 minutes before the mods delete it...

    *Edit: One other thing, most kids that are THAT overweight, like the kids in the article, arent just from over eating. Its from some other health issue behind the scenes.*

    Exactly! This is why I don't sign petitions for new laws, because our existing laws should be enough (I live in CA, we have too many laws as it is!), it's how they are applied.

    It's a tough one because you want the kid to learn about health/nutrition, etc... but you don't want the govt to overstep their bounds because than we have another nanny state.

    *sigh* I told my fiance that I think schools should focus on nutrition more - my daughter is 9 and NONE of her teachers since pre-K have talked about nutrition. They do talk about exercise, but I think those should go hand in hand.

    My son is in HS and they do NOT have any home ec classes @ his high school - I think HS is the perfect age to teach teens not just HOW to cook, but how to cook healthy, portion control, exercise, etc...
  • peripah
    peripah Posts: 120
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    Children who are severely obese are not properly nourished. Parents are responible for the health of their children. In Canada social services works from a 'family first' perspective, so obese children would be unlikely to be removed from the home.

    I'm a social worker and one family I worked with a few years ago had a 260 pound 13 year old son. This kid was referred to me by his school counsellor as being in need of socialization skills. Why would a 13 year old need socialization skills? A visit to his family's home showed me why: TV, Xbox and dvd player in his bedroom, chips, chocolate bars and pop everywhere in the house, and parents who didn't stand up to greet me when I shook their hands. Asked the parents if they would speak to a nutritionist. They replied, "We did already, she didn't know what she was talking about". Alright then.

    What's my point? I dunno. Thinking about that poor kid and his family made me mad.
  • sarah_ep
    sarah_ep Posts: 580 Member
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    Absolutely not. That's a slippery slope you're talking. Taking kids away for not teaching them certain things is overstepping governments bounds, at best. What happens if the kid has a thyroid disorder and eats fairly healthy and still gains weight? Then the burden would be on the parents to prove they didn't do anything wrong.

    Besides, then where do you draw the line? You then start taking kids away that are too skinny, or too lazy, or have attitude problems, or are simply bratty?

    And for that matter, who pays for their care then? The government is already out of money, they simply cant afford things like this anymore.

    Lets face it... life isn't fair. Yes, having crappy parents sucks. But when that kid grows up, and being fat isnt gonna kill you before 18, he or she makes their own decisions.

    P.S. This is such a politically charged topic, I'm giving it 15 minutes before the mods delete it...

    *Edit: One other thing, most kids that are THAT overweight, like the kids in the article, arent just from over eating. Its from some other health issue behind the scenes.*

    I think the article is talking about very extreme cases, in once instance, one of the children almost died. I do not think the slope is so slippery when the result is death. Once they were removed from the situation and their parents they lost substantial amount of weight. The weight were causing the other issues, it is possible to get that big from just eating too much.

    I do agree there should be counseling but the counseling should be done before it gets to the point stated in the articles.
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
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    Children who are severely obese are not properly nourished. Parents are responible for the health of their children. In Canada social services works from a 'family first' perspective, so obese children would be unlikely to be removed from the home.

    I'm a social worker and one family I worked with a few years ago had a 260 pound 13 year old son. This kid was referred to me by his school counsellor as being in need of socialization skills. Why would a 13 year old need socialization skills? A visit to his family's home showed me why: TV, Xbox and dvd player in his bedroom, chips, chocolate bars and pop everywhere in the house, and parents who didn't stand up to greet me when I shook their hands. Asked the parents if they would speak to a nutritionist. They replied, "We did already, she didn't know what she was talking about". Alright then.

    What's my point? I dunno. Thinking about that poor kid and his family made me mad.

    Lol... if you don't have a point, isn't it just babbling?
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
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    Absolutely not. That's a slippery slope you're talking. Taking kids away for not teaching them certain things is overstepping governments bounds, at best. What happens if the kid has a thyroid disorder and eats fairly healthy and still gains weight? Then the burden would be on the parents to prove they didn't do anything wrong.

    Besides, then where do you draw the line? You then start taking kids away that are too skinny, or too lazy, or have attitude problems, or are simply bratty?

    And for that matter, who pays for their care then? The government is already out of money, they simply cant afford things like this anymore.

    Lets face it... life isn't fair. Yes, having crappy parents sucks. But when that kid grows up, and being fat isnt gonna kill you before 18, he or she makes their own decisions.

    P.S. This is such a politically charged topic, I'm giving it 15 minutes before the mods delete it...

    *Edit: One other thing, most kids that are THAT overweight, like the kids in the article, arent just from over eating. Its from some other health issue behind the scenes.*

    I agree with you about it being a slippery slope. There are very few and rare medical conditions that would contribute to someone being obese. Thyroid disorder is not one of them. Hypothyroidism may cause decreased BMR but I believe that diet and exercise still play a huge role in a person's weight. People with hypothyroidism may have difficulty losing weight or experience weight gain but it would not cause them to be obese if they were eating healthy and doing some sort of physical activity. That being said, no, I don't think children should be taken away but it is the parents' responsibility not the childs unless they are able to obtain or buy food for themselves.
  • boomboom011
    boomboom011 Posts: 1,459
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    PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and by that I mean parents take responsibility for your kids! A 12-year old is not responsible and shouldnt be made to make decisions for theirselves. If you put that kind of responsibility on them for their health who are we to tell them they cant smoke or drink?

    I totally understand the frustration and how angry this makes us cause most of the time its the parents. However, Losing their children over this? I think not.

    If you dont like what the schools are serving then pack your kids lunch. Too many people make excuses. Lead by example. Well thats what we are doing my house.. You all are free to do what you want in yours. This is all just my opinion

    P.S. the less this "government" is involved in our lives the better off we are.

    Please excuse any grammer or typographical errors! Cause i see too many to fix!
  • dragonflydi
    dragonflydi Posts: 665 Member
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    Lead by example. Well thats what we are doing my house.

    Ditto! :)
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    I didn't read the article, but wanted to reply to the issue in general. A parent shouldn't loose their child because the child is obese. I don't think it should be considered abuse because more than likely they are obese as well. Why? Bad habits that they never corrected, and think are okay for their kids. There is no doubt that my parents love me, but when it came to nutrition, all they knew is that fruits and vegetables were good; however, that didn't stop them from buying loads of packaged/processed/sweet/salty/fattening foods. and portion control, forget about it. So, we should teach parents about nutrition if we really care, not just take their child and place them in the hands of another imperfect human being. That would just be beyond crazy.
  • lovinmamaxo
    lovinmamaxo Posts: 368 Member
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    I feel sorry for these kids more than anything. I grew up being obese and while my parent's were partly responsible for all the crap they fed us it was up to me as well.. i could have chosen the veggies over the mcdonalds my parents offered to buy that night. I weighed 220 lbs by the time i was in 8th grade and it was hard... i got made fun of all the time. I think with younger kids a lot of the responsibility does rely upon the parents. I have seen a LOT of very overweight kids lately... most of the time their parents were bigger as well.. not implying that the parents do it on purpose but perhaps the kids are eating what these parents are eating or just pure laziness and not wanting to cook is involved. Maybe the child is difficult and is always hungry... maybe they have a health condition?

    I try not to judge but it's sad to see this especially in such young kids.. seeing as i went through the school years being overweight kids are NOT NICE at all to anyone who is different. Like i said i truly try not to judge but sometimes i think the parents just don't care and live on convenience foods. I strive for my kids to learn a different healthy lifestyle than i did growing up. They have their treats once in a while but we are not in the drive thru everyday either. We make sure they eat lots of fruits and veggies and tons of water. They have maybe 1 cup of juice 1x a week. Just my opinion though.

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