should parents lose custody of super obese kids?

Athena413

NO. simply put. Educate them, but don't take the kids away from the parents. Why punish the kids, not to mention, who is going to pick up the tab for this? We can't afford anything in this country as it is, you want to add another crazy thing into the mix? Something else to eat up taxes. Something else to take money away from public schools. Yeah, that makes sense... The moron that came up with this one probably doesn't have kids and has never lived life outside of a book. Sure the parent needs a good kick in the *kitten* if the kid is that overweight, but don't put that burden on me to pay for it. I have enough problems on my own.

You're probably ALREADY paying for that kid. Unfortunately a lot of these obese children are welfare babies and mom and dad use their food stamp money to buy nothing but CRAP. I think the food stamp system should be like WIC - only certain foods are allowed and only for a certain amount of time. This would also help with the national healthcare issue - if you don't have as many people sick because they're not obese, diabetic, or whatever, we wouldn't have to worry about trying to figure out a way to pay for their medical bills, too. We have too many government assistance programs as it is - taking these children out of their homes would just add to that problem. Education is key. Children and parents alike need to be taught about sustaining a healthy lifestyle. If you're an adult and you can't take care of yourself, you shouldn't be having children. Unfortunately, a good portion of the US is too stupid to realize that.

You kinda took the words right outta my mouth, but I have been blasted so bad for saying this in the past. If it were more regulated to only allow certain items, I think it would help A LOT. But then people argued (on the debate board I'm on), that the government shouldn't be paying for high priced "health" foods. It's a double edged sword to get into it, really...

I don't think the government should be paying for food at all. You don't work - you don't eat. I personally LOATHE the welfare system - I've seen it abused far too many times. Want to take care of national debt? Start eliminating government assistance programs and make people work for their food like they used to.

I understand that there are legitimate cases of people actually needing help, and I'm perfectly fine with those people receiving help - it's the ones that abuse the system that I can't stand. If you were able to weed out all the abusers, maybe then the people that actually NEED help could get it.

highdesertgirl

I say no. I work as a foster agency social worker and the foster system is already overwhelmed tremondously ( at least here in CA) with foster kids and not enough homes to place them in. I say educate the parents, let the county/court mandate that they attend parenting/nutritional classes. (Or court ordered to sign up with MFP!!)

quietlywinning

No. As harmful as obesity is for children, being removed from their homes and put into foster care would do far, for more damage to most. There is no reason to believe there will be a LONG TERM health advantage for the child - who will grow up and make his or her own food choices, one way or another - and there is a ton of evidence that being in foster care WILL do long term damage.

It is a problem, but punishment and psychological harm is not the answer.

tracivee

NO. simply put. Educate them, but don't take the kids away from the parents. Why punish the kids, not to mention, who is going to pick up the tab for this? We can't afford anything in this country as it is, you want to add another crazy thing into the mix? Something else to eat up taxes. Something else to take money away from public schools. Yeah, that makes sense... The moron that came up with this one probably doesn't have kids and has never lived life outside of a book. Sure the parent needs a good kick in the *kitten* if the kid is that overweight, but don't put that burden on me to pay for it. I have enough problems on my own.

You're probably ALREADY paying for that kid. Unfortunately a lot of these obese children are welfare babies and mom and dad use their food stamp money to buy nothing but CRAP. I think the food stamp system should be like WIC - only certain foods are allowed and only for a certain amount of time. This would also help with the national healthcare issue - if you don't have as many people sick because they're not obese, diabetic, or whatever, we wouldn't have to worry about trying to figure out a way to pay for their medical bills, too. We have too many government assistance programs as it is - taking these children out of their homes would just add to that problem. Education is key. Children and parents alike need to be taught about sustaining a healthy lifestyle. If you're an adult and you can't take care of yourself, you shouldn't be having children. Unfortunately, a good portion of the US is too stupid to realize that.

You kinda took the words right outta my mouth, but I have been blasted so bad for saying this in the past. If it were more regulated to only allow certain items, I think it would help A LOT. But then people argued (on the debate board I'm on), that the government shouldn't be paying for high priced "health" foods. It's a double edged sword to get into it, really...

I don't think the government should be paying for food at all. You don't work - you don't eat. I personally LOATHE the welfare system - I've seen it abused far too many times. Want to take care of national debt? Start eliminating government assistance programs and make people work for their food like they used to.

I understand that there are legitimate cases of people actually needing help, and I'm perfectly fine with those people receiving help - it's the ones that abuse the system that I can't stand. If you were able to weed out all the abusers, maybe then the people that actually NEED help could get it.

AMEN!!! If we want to really help people, we should do what they used to do-give poor people access to agricultural surpluses. Giving people 'debit cards' so they can go buy pop, gum, and candy does more harm than good. Agricultural surpluses would give the needy nutritous food.

Brandicaloriecountess

Take away a child from an otherwise loving home because the kid is obese? No, not in my opinion. Especially as the previous poster said she was fed lots of junk food and stayed thin. Should they have been removed from their home? No? Simply because her family seems to have a high metabolism and can eat stuff and stay thin.

McKayMachina

Take away a child from an otherwise loving home because the kid is obese? No, not in my opinion. Especially as the previous poster said she was fed lots of junk food and stayed thin. Should they have been removed from their home? No? Simply because her family seems to have a high metabolism and can eat stuff and stay thin.

We're talking about 90-lb. toddlers and 400-lb. preteens, here. How is this "loving"? That's child abuse, my friend.

This isn't about pudgy kids. This is about super morbidly obese kids.

gfergus1

Just to set the record straight, if everyone had actually read the article, the children they are referring to are not "fat", they are morbidly obese and their lives are in danger because they are so overweight. The article states that these children are at risk of dying by the age of 30! There is NO excuse for that! It has nothing to do with food companies or WIC! How expensive is a can of beans and a bag of rice? A jar of peanut butter and a loaf of wheat bread? An apple and a gallon of milk? The issue is LAZINESS. It's easier to go through the McDonald's drive-thru than prepare a balanced home cooked meal. These habits are passed down from parent to child and the children continue to eat that way once they are capable of making their own choices. And I don't believe it is right to automatically force the parents to give up custody, but I do believe that the government needs to interfere by forcing the parents as well as the children (depending on their age) to attend nutrition & wellness classes as well as working with a social worker so they can understand how to live a healthy life style. Yes, education is the answer but these families will not learn if no one makes them. Parents need to be aware of their childrens' individual needs; what is okay for one child may not be for another, and that is where the child abuse comes in. It is not right to expose children to environments that are unhealthy and unsafe, and if parents are allowing their children to eat themselves to death, that is abuse.

McKayMachina

Just to set the record straight, if everyone had actually read the article, the children they are referring to are not "fat", they are morbidly obese and their lives are in danger because they are so overweight. The article states that these children are at risk of dying by the age of 30! There is NO excuse for that! It has nothing to do with food companies or WIC! How expensive is a can of beans and a bag of rice? A jar of peanut butter and a loaf of wheat bread? An apple and a gallon of milk? The issue is LAZINESS. It's easier to go through the McDonald's drive-thru than prepare a balanced home cooked meal. These habits are passed down from parent to child and the children continue to eat that way once they are capable of making their own choices. And I don't believe it is right to automatically force the parents to give up custody, but I do believe that the government needs to interfere by forcing the parents as well as the children (depending on their age) to attend nutrition & wellness classes as well as working with a social worker so they can understand how to live a healthy life style. Yes, education is the answer but these families will not learn if no one makes them. Parents need to be aware of their childrens' individual needs; what is okay for one child may not be for another, and that is where the child abuse comes in. It is not right to expose children to environments that are unhealthy and unsafe, and if parents are allowing their children to eat themselves to death, that is abuse.

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

joehempel

Most people dont read the articles, just the topics.

Education is the most important thing in my opinion....set a time line, setup some counseling.

If after like 6 months the parents are still feeding them teh same thing...that's negligence, and it's child abuse. Take the child away, and control the environment...yes it sucks for a few years for the kid...but they'll thank them later I bet because they'll be ALIVE to thank them.

McKayMachina

Most people dont read the articles, just the topics.

Education is the most important thing in my opinion....set a time line, setup some counseling.

If after like 6 months the parents are still feeding them teh same thing...that's negligence, and it's child abuse. Take the child away, and control the environment...yes it sucks for a few years for the kid...but they'll thank them later I bet because they'll be ALIVE to thank them.

Good answer.

I read your original thread on this, too. Great prompt for discussion.

jmatthews75

, but I do believe that the government needs to interfere by forcing the parents as well as the children (depending on their age) to attend nutrition & wellness classes as well as working with a social worker so they can understand how to live a healthy life style. Yes, education is the answer but these families will not learn if no one makes them. Parents need to be aware of their childrens' individual needs; what is okay for one child may not be for another, and that is where the child abuse comes in. It is not right to expose children to environments that are unhealthy and unsafe, and if parents are allowing their children to eat themselves to death, that is abuse.

Why is it the government's job? They are not the watchdogs. How about family and friends first off. If by government you mean educators and counselors at the schools getting more involved the sure. I understand that the kid is going to die, that they are way too fat. Its a shame, but it didn't happen overnight, and nobody else steps in till now? that is a joke. Obviously the child's Dr. saw the problem, a family member... the world is to PC and someone should have slapped some sense into the parents, doesn't have to be uncle sam. it can be anyone. It could be you, would you say something to a parent with a fat kid, have you? will you? if not, then stop preaching on here that it is the governments job because you are just as bad as the parents for letting the kids get that way. Stand up people and don't be scared to let someone know when they need help.

gfergus1

I agree, other people need to step in before it gets that extreme, but the extreme cases are what we are talking about. For these extreme cases, it is absolutely the government's job since the parent's obviously are not listening to other's advice, and that's what CPS is there for. I'm not saying it was right for the doctor referred to in this article to automatically assume a case of abuse, since the mother obviously went to him for help. That's why I said, I don't believe it is right to automatically force the parents to give up custody, there needs to be an intermediate step before that decision is reached.

Brandicaloriecountess

Take away a child from an otherwise loving home because the kid is obese? No, not in my opinion. Especially as the previous poster said she was fed lots of junk food and stayed thin. Should they have been removed from their home? No? Simply because her family seems to have a high metabolism and can eat stuff and stay thin.

We're talking about 90-lb. toddlers and 400-lb. preteens, here. How is this "loving"? That's child abuse, my friend.

This isn't about pudgy kids. This is about super morbidly obese kids.

You have your opinion and I have mine. I don't think it's a reason fo remove a child from the home. Yes a parent can have a super obese child and still provide a loving home. I think it's going to do a good amount of psychological damage to tell a kid they can't be with their parent anymore bc they are too obese.

PositiveGoals

There would need to be a CPS investigation into why the child is obese, as with any other negelect or abuse case. Look in the fridge. Is there healthy food. Watch the house. Do the children ever go out to play. When I was a kid, video games were just becoming a big thing. Atari and Intelivision. I remember my Mother would force me to go outside and I had limited cartoon or game time. Often times genetics plays a role. Often time the childs ADHD or other medication has weight gain as a side effect. Often times the parent is providing the heatlhy foods at home, but it's the schools that are serving crap to our kids. Some school actually serve McDonalds. My son went to school in NY and CA and every school he has been in has had soda machines, snack machines, as well as snacks and sugar drinks for sale in the school store. Even when I was kid (I'm 40 yrs old), they had the snack counter in school. Kids take their lunch money and by chips, cookies, and candy. They choose chocolate whole milk over skim. They are offered deep friend fish sticks, Ellios style pizza, greasy 80% sloppy joe's. Unless there is obvious neglect, where the witness the parents coming home with McDonalds or Pizza every night, and the fridge is packed with junk, how do you go about taking a child away for obesity?

My son and my nephew grew up together in the same house. My twin and I lived together and raised our boys together until I married & moved across the country. My nephew got the fat gene from my family, my son was lucky enough to skip the gene. I kept my home full of healthy foods. My son, love healthy food and had embraced physical fitness. My nephew eats what ever junk he can get his hands on in school. He ballooned as a kid. As he got older, it became even harder to stop him from eating wrong. As a teen he would run around with friends, hanging out at fast food restaurants. I do not know if there an easy solution. What I do know is that morbid obesity is not something that happens to happy people. You can't lose weight until you get your head right. I do not know how ripping a child from their parents would put them in that mindset. Abandonment issues is one of the biggest reasons for emotional eating. I think that schools needs to be more involved in the counseling process. I think schools need to have healthy food only in the building. I think schools and pediatricians need to be aware of the signs of neglect or abuse related obesity. Then and only then should they involve Child Protective Services.

Scoobies87

I think any parent who neglects their child this much does not deserve to be one in the first place. Not only are they setting their child up for bullying at school and a miserable relationship with food but they are also in affect killing them. It may sound harsh and I'm sure some people will have a rant about it but that is the reality of it.

joehempel

I think any parent who neglects their child this much does not deserve to be one in the first place. Not only are they setting their child up for bullying at school and a miserable relationship with food but they are also in affect killing them. It may sound harsh and I'm sure some people will have a rant about it but that is the reality of it.

Bottom line....it starts with the parents.

Someone isn't going to get fat eating sweets during a one hour period in school.

And kids can have all the abandonment issues they want...at least they'll be alive and have a chance to deal with them rather than taking up land in a cemetray too son.

josie575

I feel this way if it is illegal to kill your kids by starving them, then the same repercussions should apply if you are killing your children by allowing them to be obese.

bcattoes

NO. simply put. Educate them, but don't take the kids away from the parents. Why punish the kids, not to mention, who is going to pick up the tab for this? We can't afford anything in this country as it is, you want to add another crazy thing into the mix? Something else to eat up taxes. Something else to take money away from public schools. Yeah, that makes sense... The moron that came up with this one probably doesn't have kids and has never lived life outside of a book. Sure the parent needs a good kick in the *kitten* if the kid is that overweight, but don't put that burden on me to pay for it. I have enough problems on my own.

Yes!! Agree completely. Punishment is not the answer. Education is. REQUIRE the parents to attend nutrition and parenting classes. Removal may be in order if they refuse the classes, but that should certainly not be the first line of intervention.

vbennett7

Another potential problem: If you took away obese kids, how do you decide where to draw the line? My daughter is a little pudgy. I know its easy to think that the line would be obvious, but how long until it started shifting?

Also, some healthy foods are affordable, but where I live a bag of potatoes compared to purchasing McDonald's French fries-the price is no where near the same. Yes, the parents need to be educated about it. And in our town, school lunches have really changed since the healthy kids act. And the vending machines at school.

All that said, it is really hard to understand why a parent would want/let their child get THAT big.

Grimmerick

I hope they consider that some of these children should be tested for Prader-Willi syndrome before they are taken from their parents. Prader-Willi syndrome is a congenital (present from birth) disease that involves obesity, decreased muscle tone, decreased mental capacity, and sex glands that produce little or no hormones. Basically these kids are always hungry they have nothing to tell them when they are full and it is very difficult for parents to control that so in that case it wouldn't be fair to the parents or children. But they should be given warnings first and if their parents do nothing about it within 6 months then they should go to the next steps. Not saying they should be taken but their parents should be penalized.