Obese Child? They'll be taken away!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I think this is a really ignorant view of things. If you're going to take children away from their parents because of poor eating habits you might as well just snatch them at the door of the fast food restaurants because some children (like some adults) can eat loads of unhealthy food without any result, and some kids (like some adults) can eat healthy foods all day long and still carry more weight than necessary. The thing is, sometimes it's the parents parents fault that those kids are obese because they didn't teach their kids about nutrition and about how to cook, it could be genetic, it could be hormonal, it could be anything. Do I want kids to be unhealthy? No. Do I think that removing them from the home is the solution? Only if I want them to have long term psychological issues stemming from being seperated from an otherwise loving home and then turn that into some sort of eating disorder . . .

shannieboo

Obesity can be genetic so because the whole family is overweight they should get taken from there family..... We all work hard to lose weight sometimes it just doesn't come off! I think that this is horrible and I have healthy children at a normal weight.....

I agree

Car0lina82

I think taking children away from their parents would hurt more than help because there are no guarantees that the child will be happier/healthier/better being one more of thousands in the system, away from all they know and everyone who loves them.

Besides, taking the children away is the 'band-aid' solution to a much deeper problem: There shouldn't be obese children in the first place, and the only way to guarantee this is truly educating the nation.
If we want to get detailed we might as well also assure that parents are making enough money on less hours of work to guarantee at least one of them will be home to cook for the children, too.
Take it a step further and ban fast food joints. And so on, and so on....
So many things spring to mind like much better solutions other than stripping a child away from those who love him.

The day wholesome, organic foods are cheaper than fast food options because of higher demand (in other words, the day people stop favoring McDonald's with their money), then we will truly see change.

Heather75

Maybe we should just grow all children up on special farms. That way, there is no possible way that the parents can screw them up in any way, and the parents will be able to afford to take fabulous vacations.

shannieboo

I think this is a really ignorant view of things. If you're going to take children away from their parents because of poor eating habits you might as well just snatch them at the door of the fast food restaurants because some children (like some adults) can eat loads of unhealthy food without any result, and some kids (like some adults) can eat healthy foods all day long and still carry more weight than necessary. The thing is, sometimes it's the parents parents fault that those kids are obese because they didn't teach their kids about nutrition and about how to cook, it could be genetic, it could be hormonal, it could be anything. Do I want kids to be unhealthy? No. Do I think that removing them from the home is the solution? Only if I want them to have long term psychological issues stemming from being seperated from an otherwise loving home and then turn that into some sort of eating disorder . . .

I could not agree more, thank you

SunshineKisses_2012

Any of you ever been through the foster system or know people who have been? Before we start taking kids away from their parents and putting them in foster care they should fix the foster system.

How is taking a depressed kid away from their family helping?
Lots of medical conditions/food intolerances cause rapid weight gain, and doctors don't diagnose them correctly (I am an example of this) with my Celiac.

The government ruins enough things, it shouldn't take families apart. Why not blame McDonald's instead of the parents? Or the food industry in general?

Why not start with mandatory meetings/classes for these parents? Why start with ripping apart a family?

^ That. When I see a child who is clearly obese, and a parent who is also obese standing behind them, it breaks my heart, but my first reaction isn't "that kid should be taken away from their parents!!" If anything, the parents and children both/all need to be educated on how to make better food choices and have safe areas to play/exercise in. Ripping a family apart is not the answer. I have seen documentaries on the Texas foster care system and it's not pretty. I'd guess that there aren't many more that are any better.

Hot button issue. I guess if you don't have a child or don't have a child that is obese, it's difficult to understand the situation to make sure that the judgments you are bringing down on people would ultimately make it better for the child.

pilotgirl2007

While I agree that parents need to be making healthy choices for their child and teaching them to eat healthy maybe there should be a step in between that requires some sort of class that teaches parents how to tell the difference. I really do think that some people are just SOO ignorant that they really think that some of these foods are ok. Also interesting to note like 500lbs2marathon I was overweight as a child (I am not sure if I was in the obese category... but I was certainly overweight) and my sister was in a normal weight range. My paren'ts did not prepare two meals, one for each of us so one would assume that if I were overweight she would be as well, but we all know that is not the case because of your metabolism and all that entails etc.

I agree that it needs to be looked at closely but it is not as black and white as you would think. There are a lot of variables that need to be considered. I think we need to start with education to break the cycle. If the parents are part of that ignorant group and truely have no idea about nutrition and exercise then their kids will be taught the same ignorance and it will continue on. I never understood why health and nutrition are not part of school studies at an early age. Teach kids to look at the meals that they are being served at school and teach them to determine if it is healthy etc. (although don't get me started on school meals!!) I just think there is a lot we can do for our children before we take them away from loving parents who are probably only repeating the same pattern that their parents taught them. That's just my two cents on the subject

HollyMcCaw

I've also thought about this alot. What about the kids who eat junk all the time but for whatever reason are NOT obese? Are their parents any better then the parents who have obese children. My daughter is 4 1/2 years old and an ideal body weight. I bought her a Happy Meal over the weekend. Does that make me better than the parents at McDonalds with their overweight kids?

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Maybe we should just grow all children up on special farms. That way, there is no possible way that the parents can screw them up in any way, and the parents will be able to afford to take fabulous vacations.

Okay, but only if they get to eat healthy food like in all other institutions in the US like public schools. You know, things like pizza, chicken nuggets, tatter tots, fries, pb&j on white bread, and don't forget the canned fruits and veggies!

Schwiggity

You're right. I would've been better off being bounced from foster home to foster home. *Former obese kid if you didn't get it from that sentence*

Heather75

Maybe we should just grow all children up on special farms. That way, there is no possible way that the parents can screw them up in any way, and the parents will be able to afford to take fabulous vacations.

Okay, but only if they get to eat healthy food like in all other institutions in the US like public schools. You know, things like pizza, chicken nuggets, tatter tots, fries, pb&j on white bread, and don't forget the canned fruits and veggies!

Can't they just farm their own food, thus saving the taxpayers money?

Heather75

You're right. I would've been better off being bounced from foster home to foster home. *Former obese kid if you didn't get it from that sentence*

Schwiggity, do you like farms?

Lizzy_Sunflower

I think the OP should move to communist China

we live in America folks!

Don't tell me what to feed my children!

:explode: :explode: :explode:

HollyMcCaw

I also find this post funny coming from someone who's profile claims that they gained 80 lbs in 4 months due to a thyroid problem. But all obese kids have unloving parents?

Danahimself

Maybe we should just grow all children up on special farms. That way, there is no possible way that the parents can screw them up in any way, and the parents will be able to afford to take fabulous vacations.

The Matrix!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Maybe we should just grow all children up on special farms. That way, there is no possible way that the parents can screw them up in any way, and the parents will be able to afford to take fabulous vacations.

Okay, but only if they get to eat healthy food like in all other institutions in the US like public schools. You know, things like pizza, chicken nuggets, tatter tots, fries, pb&j on white bread, and don't forget the canned fruits and veggies!

Can't they just farm their own food, thus saving the taxpayers money?

Can we just move them to a working farm and instead of going to school they can work the farm all day so that 1) that's exercise, right? 2) they're not costing the taxpayers money in this home origination improvement program 3) they can turn a profit and maybe help pay off the current debt bailing us all out (it's going to be their responsibility some day anyway, so they might as well start now)

Kimbers70

I think this is a really ignorant view of things. If you're going to take children away from their parents because of poor eating habits you might as well just snatch them at the door of the fast food restaurants because some children (like some adults) can eat loads of unhealthy food without any result, and some kids (like some adults) can eat healthy foods all day long and still carry more weight than necessary. The thing is, sometimes it's the parents parents fault that those kids are obese because they didn't teach their kids about nutrition and about how to cook, it could be genetic, it could be hormonal, it could be anything. Do I want kids to be unhealthy? No. Do I think that removing them from the home is the solution? Only if I want them to have long term psychological issues stemming from being seperated from an otherwise loving home and then turn that into some sort of eating disorder . . .

I could not agree more, thank you

I second that.

SCC88

I totally agree. I just finished watching this three part documentary on Sky where a mom was feeding her 60 stone son to death. He wouldnt get out of bed and she brought him food every ten minutes. The town where they lived was struck by a hurricane and they couldnt move him so risked leaving him indoors knowing he could of died. When the storm was over the parents returned to their trashed house to find their son got lucky and was perfectly fine (well besides being morbidly obese of course) and they used the electricity generators to power his tv and xbox while the parents sat in darkness throughout the rest of the house.

The kid got a gastric bypass and the kid would cry like a 4 year old for food, which his mother always brought and the nurses would just look on in dismay. Some people think they can FEED people love.

See here for more http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/real_life/2107664/Teen-balloons-to-60st-gorging-on-mums-junk-food-meals.html

EDIT: Something else just popped into my head. After the bypass a nurse walked down the hall with one third of the boys stomach in a jar and the mother yelled out "oh can i keep it" hahahaha!

ckmama

I dare to ask does the original poster have children?

I doubt it. Or they wouldn't say what they've said. Amazing how having children changes our views on what parents "should and shouldn't do".

It's also why I don't go to a male gynocologist.

Hey, maybe I'm wrong.

HollyTsiaussis

This is horrible. I have nothing to say, honestly.

Heather75

Maybe we should just grow all children up on special farms. That way, there is no possible way that the parents can screw them up in any way, and the parents will be able to afford to take fabulous vacations.

Okay, but only if they get to eat healthy food like in all other institutions in the US like public schools. You know, things like pizza, chicken nuggets, tatter tots, fries, pb&j on white bread, and don't forget the canned fruits and veggies!

Can't they just farm their own food, thus saving the taxpayers money?

Can we just move them to a working farm and instead of going to school they can work the farm all day so that 1) that's exercise, right? 2) they're not costing the taxpayers money in this home origination improvement program 3) they can turn a profit and maybe help pay off the current debt bailing us all out (it's going to be their responsibility some day anyway, so they might as well start now)

Okay. They can work the farm during the day and go to school at night. They have to support us when we get old so we want to make sure they get an education, too.

Froggy1976

I also find this post funny coming from someone who's profile claims that they gained 80 lbs in 4 months due to a thyroid problem. But all obese kids have unloving parents?

This^^

dayzeerock

I'm sorry that I came off harsh, because I know I did. It's just that I've worked in the Pediatric ward for so long at our hospital and see so many children coming in with GERIATRIC-type illnesses and diseases, and parents just - don't - seem - to - get - it. We offer free classes THREE NIGHTS A WEEK for parents, ranging from cooking to mealplanning on budgets to family fitness...and not ONCE have I seen more than 3 or 4 parents show up, even though we recommend it to EVERYBODY. These parents with sick children are NOT taking an active role in their childs' health, and this NEEDS to change! And no, obesity is NOT genetic like some of you are saying...it's FAMILIAL, which is different. Obesity absolutely cannot be blamed on genes. And I'm not saying that EVERY overweight child needs to be stripped from their parent's arms. I'm talking about the ones that are morbidly obese, the 90-pound two-year-olds, whose parents refuse to admit that they are KILLING their children. If parents refuse to change their ways, and continue to allow their children to get to THIS POINT, then yes, I'm sticking by my original post. However, the post was not meant to target those that are only a little overweight or "chubby" like some have said.

ak_in_ak

Taking a child away from a parent because they are obese will not solve the problem. If anything it will make them eat more. It breaks my heart when I see a family where everyone is overweight! As an overweight child I know how bad it sucks and I will do anything to not have my child go through that. I also know how hard my mom tried to help me but there was only so much she could do. I was at a restaurant the other day and each member of the family had an appetizer and more than one entre. That is just nuts! I feel like that is negligence. Yes some kids are predisposed where it is harder to lose weight, but being overweight is asking for your child to have depression and a lot of other problems. Instead of being taken away there should be classes or something like that available.

amymeenieminymo

Any of you ever been through the foster system or know people who have been? Before we start taking kids away from their parents and putting them in foster care they should fix the foster system.

How is taking a depressed kid away from their family helping?
Lots of medical conditions/food intolerances cause rapid weight gain, and doctors don't diagnose them correctly (I am an example of this) with my Celiac.

The government ruins enough things, it shouldn't take families apart. Why not blame McDonald's instead of the parents? Or the food industry in general?

Why not start with mandatory meetings/classes for these parents? Why start with ripping apart a family?

^ That. When I see a child who is clearly obese, and a parent who is also obese standing behind them, it breaks my heart, but my first reaction isn't "that kid should be taken away from their parents!!" If anything, the parents and children both/all need to be educated on how to make better food choices and have safe areas to play/exercise in. Ripping a family apart is not the answer. I have seen documentaries on the Texas foster care system and it's not pretty. I'd guess that there aren't many more that are any better.

Hot button issue. I guess if you don't have a child or don't have a child that is obese, it's difficult to understand the situation to make sure that the judgments you are bringing down on people would ultimately make it better for the child.

I guess maybe for some, but I don't have kids yet and I cannot imagine a world where we take kids away from parents because they are overweight.

dayzeerock

I also find this post funny coming from someone who's profile claims that they gained 80 lbs in 4 months due to a thyroid problem. But all obese kids have unloving parents?

This^^

What does healthy lifestyle and thyroid disease have in common? NOTHING. I had cancer, so sue me and sue my parents, because that must be their fault, right?

kbarry90

I was and still am my parents only fat child. My parents have 6 kids together and we all ate the same thing everyday. So your telling me that since I was the only fat child my parents other 5 kids got to stay at home but I had to go that makes perfect sense right there.

ckmama

are you some mad genetic scientist that has proven obesity isn't genetic :huh:

Here I found this just by doing a google search, but i'm no genetics counselor either.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Obesity/

Heather75

I think growing up on a farm would be very nice.

angb_girl

Ignorance MUST be bliss. It is the only explanation I can find for this idiotic proposition, there are so many things wrong with it. I've been overweight since the 3rd grade due to sexual abuse, my parents knew nothing about, by a babysitter. Textbook psychsematic response by women with these experiences. Their subconsious tricks their mind into eating to stave off any unwanted male attention. My parents loved me more than anything, but when a kid is trading **** for candybars at school, there's not much parental intervention to be done. Please think before you write. Or, God forbid, do a little research. You clearly have too much time on your hands.