Should Parents Lose Custody of Super Obese Kids?

Avalonis

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.

This.

Andythefitfamilyman

i agree with others that the parents and kids should take health classes, nutrion courses that sort of thing. Now i was "super obese" kid and im sure as hell glad i wasnt taken away. Did my parents teach me the best in eating, no, did they love me, protect me, teach me right from wrong, and how to be a good person. Yes.

Nana_Anne

IMHO.....Over the generations families have stopped interacting with one another. We have all kinds of situations from obese children, undisciplined children who throw tantrums until a parent gives in to just get them to stop, we have rebellious children even at age 3, we have children who are allowed to go anywhere on the internet, we have teenagers that are allowed to smoke...we have all kinds of situations that outsiders could judge as abuse BUT the responsibility of raising our children is NOT the goverments responsibility. Yes there are legal limits as to physical and sexual abuse. There are far too few foster homes. So where does the responsibility lay? The parents who raised the children. Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it. Where is the extended families? We have become a generation that very few even know thier neighbors. Remember street football? Block parties? Maybe my age is showing. WE rely too much on the school system to teach our children nutrition, sex education, ect...And where are the parents. What happened to family meals at the table where everyone talk about what was going on? Life is different now. And our furture generation is the ones paying for it. I omce from a long line of over weight people. They had a funny term they called "the west butt". Not so funny now. Parents need to be involved with their children. No excuses that there isn't enough time with work ect...Instead of watching TV how about playing a game with the family : )

Umeboshi

I was 200 pounds at 15 I think, but my parents definitely shouldn't have had me taken away! They weren't stuffing food in my face or teaching me to overeat, I just ate some of the wrong stuff and a little too much in general on top of already being predisposed to being overweight. In fact my parents did a LOT to try to help me lose weight including always taking me on hikes and trying to get me active and taking me to a hospital run eating help course when I was 12 or so as well as encouraging good eating habits. You can't just FORCE a kid to exercise all day and not eat sweets til they lose weight because that's kind of abusive too especially emotionally. Not to mention the kids who may have undiagnosed cushings, thyroid issues, genetic defects, etc causing them to gain. Maybe for an EXTREME case like in the article the parents should be required to take the kid to a doctor and a therapist but if that doesn't work don't take the kid away. Taking a kid away from a loving family does FAR more damage than being obese can... obesity can be reversed but the emotional scarring from losing your family can mess you up forever. i know this is a super controversial topic and so I'm not going to go on an arguing spree but that's just my two cents.

SimplyDeLish

that opens a ton of issues - smokers, drug users, sleeping pill takers, etc. It's time for government to butt out - and I don't buy that the claimed $$'s they say the government spends is a fact. I've been heavy since 6th grade and am probably one of the healthiest people you'll ever meet!

i_love_vinegar

I think a doctor should be held by law to report obese (not overweight) children. Then have the parents warned as well as taught about ways to help their child, and hopefully they will shape up.

I think it is disgusting that a parent would put their child through all the complications and humiliations related to being obese, and I DO consider it neglect.

I don't think the child should be taken away from their parents though, as foster homes are notorious for being abusive...the last thing I would ever want was for a child who is already going through pain being obese to be raped and beaten.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is much to be done, except giving incentives and instilling fines.

Swimgoddess

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, but kind of for a more sinister reason. I believe that the more government or medical intervention we have as a society the less "survival of the fittest" is able to go on. Why mess with something that's designed to weed out the weak?

Re-education is the way to go on this one.

PlanetVelma

that opens a ton of issues - smokers, drug users, sleeping pill takers, etc. It's time for government to butt out - and I don't buy that the claimed $$'s they say the government spends is a fact. I've been heavy since 6th grade and am probably one of the healthiest people you'll ever meet!

Agreed!

My father was an alcoholic, but was functional addict. He wasn't the best parent, but wasn't the worst either. In fact I think because he was an alcoholic it made me a BETTER parent.

I vowed to myself that my children would never have to coax me into the house on a Wed afternoon (after school) because I was passed out on the lawn....or that my children wouldn't have to hide the unemployment checks because I may blow it at the local bar...or that my children would have to worry about WHO would do the grocery shopping because I'm unable to drive (too many DUI's). Yea, my dad did all that crap....I had to go to school full time and come home and make sure he didn't drink us out of house and home.

No kid should have to go through that! BUT I appreciate those events because they made me a stronger person, a better parent and a more responsible adult.

rgutie1

I think the reason people are so divided on this issue is because they are looking at as a rather black or white issue.

I think there are certainly some cases where severe childhood obesity can be a form of child abuse and may warrant the child being temporarily or permanantly removed from the home.

I want to make it clear that I am not someone who always errors on the side of state custody. I am from the harm reduction point of view, so for example I do not think drug use is reason to always remove a child.

However severe obesity, especially in a pre-adolescent should be considered an indicator that a child's home situation should be investigated. This could lead to a number of prevention efforts other than removal, nutrition training, parenting training, etc.

The arguement of the cost of assuming the health care liability by taking custody of the child is short sighted. If the child has health insurance they are increasin goverall premiums becasue it is young people that make up the profitable side of any insurers coverage (those that pay but require less care). If they do not have private health care than the goverment is most likely paying for their care already. The cost of obesity on the American health care system is massive.

peripah

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?

Ha ha! Yep.

Painten

I posted on the other thread

I think it should depend on the parents actions. Absurd as it seems they may have not realised quite how bad it got. Once they know though it's them actions that should be looked at. Are they trying to get the child to lose weight or are they just continuing, are there other home issues. I don't think it should ever be black and white like that.

Remember the op is about super obese kids not just overweight, not ever obese but SUPER obese. This is a form of neglect and as such should be treated with care. AS i said above if a parent then tries to tackle the situation then the situation is going to improve. However if the parents just ignore it then the child''s life is in danger. It isn't just about weight it's about health. Things like Type 2 diabetes in children which is on the rise and this leads to all manner of other problems. Not to mention other problems.

Children don't have the same say in their food as the adults, alot of time they just eat what is given, if they are not educated about the food then they wont realise that some foods are worse than others. They just want to fill a whole in their belly. I've also seen to many parents forcing their kids to eat everything on the plate. FOr people to say the kids have to take some responsibility, well that's just ludicrous.

Edited becuase when i read back it looked liked i was saying typoe 2 diabetes will kill people..oops