Obese Child? They'll be taken away!

lcarter25

I would agree on taking the children and putting them in a medical facility where the parents could visit them everyday. I watched this program on super obese people that go to brookhaven where they are taught to exercise and eat right, etc.....but the parents would have to be searched everytime they enterened because they could bring in snacks from the outside at the childs request. This would just be for the SUPER obese children.....and their should be vending machines in the school with just healthy snacks....not oreos and cheese its.

On a different subject At my highschool, we had the BEST food EVERRRRRR......we were allowed a dessert at lunch and the cookie alone had 1000 calories, but it was DELICIOUS......and we had things like chicken fried steaks and such. for breakfast we were allowed hasbrowns or cowboy potatoes, sausage and bacon, eggs, and we could either get waffle sticks or pancakes.....we got a fruit, a donut and 2 drinks(juice, milk).....all that food for 1.25....and the lunch was 2 dollars.....we had two lunch lines, one was prepared food like chicken fried steak and the other was brought in food like pizza ,corn dogs, hamburgers and fries....and as much soda at the soda machines as you wanted...a lot of kids were on a free food program for low income familes.....do you honestly think a teenager is going to choose fruit over a little debbie snack EVERYDAY???/ During highschool i got more into nutrition, so i thought "hey i can have this 1000 cal cookie if i have a bowl of iceburg lettuce drenched in ranch dressing" or" i can eat this mound of fries if i have some milk"......even though i wasn't in any sports and didn't burn off any of those Cals

Some parents can't afford to make their children's lunch or even breakfast everyday, which leaves them to getting on the "food program" at school, so i think there should be a food program at the school every year you are in school to teach you how to eat and portion control and the importance of working out.

So what i'm saying is the nutitional education should be more important in school

i for one ate what i wanted outside of home

kingkong123

Maybe I didn't read the original comment closely enough. I was going by what the article was talking about. Super crazy, extreme cases. I also think you have to look at the simple decision - whether to remove the child from the home when, as the article says, all other reasonable options have been exhausted. You could argue for years about the foster care system or post-removal conditions, but that's not the point and I don't know enough about it to comment.

Love also has nothing to do with it. You could, in exactly the same way, love someone and feed them drugs. You're excuse would be weakness? Being an enabler? The one girl in the article almost died at 16? It would have been okay that she died because her parents loved her?

This will be just come down to a difference in opinion, but yes, I think if your child is a teenager and weighs 500 pounds (which means immediate and future health risks, including death) they should be removed and monitored. The parents are clearly incapable of caring for a child.

What if that child died and then they have another child who also became super obese and died as a teen? By your logic, it's okay for this to continually occur. It's not.

The point here isn't just that the child is obese. The parents are neglecting their child (Physical neglect (i.e., failure to meet adequately the physical needs of children)) that is not the same thing as removing a child because they are obese. Many of the responses on here are from parents who have small children. The big question for all of us is - what is the definition of too much? Who makes it? At the younger ages, the range of what defines normal, obese, and super obese is not a large range. Yes, some babies are even born super obese. I had a friend with a newborn so chubby you couldn't see his eyes. He eventually grew out of it, but when you just say because of someone's size that they should be removed, you miss what has happened to that child and still won't be able to properly care for them.

I don't know what the definition would be. That would be for the doctors/scientists to determine. A chubby newborn? Come on. Clearly, this is not what I or the article is referring to. I admittedly don't have kids. But for a young teen to be 500 pounds? Dam. The one girl almost died in the hospital....that's crazy. I just don't see how you could be deemed as being able to care for a child. But that's just me.

kbarry90

I guess I am looking at this with another point of view as well. According to the charts, my 5 year old is 95th percentile for height and stays between the 5th and 10th for weight. He eats a lot. Most of it very healthy and balanced, but, gasp, I do let him have fast food on occasion and treats that include sweets. According to the charts he is underweight. I love him very much and I am not lazy. He has freshly prepared meals multiple times a day, to include snacks. Based solely on the charts though, if we are going to base only on numbers and not the reality, should he be removed?

What is causing a 2 year old to be over 100 pounds? What is the cause of the obesity? Do we take a child away because they were molested/raped outside the home and never told their parents and they eat to comfor themselves? Will removing that child from their home really improve the quality of their life? I do feel horrible every time I see an overly chubby child. I know that they have increased risk for disease, and that they are likely to be bullied and treated horribly by other children AND adults. The one comfort these children have is their family.

I was molested as a child never told my parents most likely never will. Don't see the point of bringing something up from years ago and reliving it you know? I believe this is the reason I was the only one of my parents kids who were fat but I'm trying to change now. My sister was also molested by the same person she try to tell them and when they asked me I denied it because I didn't want to deal with the pain my sister turned to drugs I turned to food. Every child has their own way with dealing with issues that occur in their life. Just because a child is overweight or obese people shouldn't assume that the parents don't care and they are just fat because they don't care about themselves. My parents love me.

dumb_blondes_rock

What needs to happen is to figure out why a two working parent home cannot afford eating healthy in this "rich" country.

THANK YOU, to the poster that said this. This has been the hardest challenge as a parent! As a single person when I didn't have the expense of a family I was eating organic, lean meats, super healthy food. Now as a parent...we barely have groceries to scrape through between paychecks. And now that my daughter is eating what we eat and I am trying to cook meals healthily 100% of the time...it just isn't happening. I know what my child needs to eat and we can't afford to provide those meals every single day so the unhealthy cheaper choices that I know I should not be feeding my child are served some times.

That being said, when I say we can't afford groceries that means we can not afford McDonalds and my child had never had McDonalds and I hope she never does.

Education and making healthy food available to families is the answer here not ripping families apart.

For us it was, man we are flat a** broke, we can get a head of broccoli for 1.50 or get a double cheeseburger for a 1.00.....which is more fillling? That is why a lot of the obese children come from Lower class families because you get fuller for cheaper at fast food restaraunts than you can eating healthy

vim_n_vigor

I don't know what the definition would be. That would be for the doctors/scientists to determine. A chubby newborn? Come on. Clearly, this is not what I or the article is referring to. I admittedly don't have kids. But for a young teen to be 500 pounds? Dam. The one girl almost died in the hospital....that's crazy. I just don't see how you could be deemed as being able to care for a child. But that's just me.

The point here is that the children should not be removed based solely on their BMI. I think a much better question than whether a child who almost died in the hospital was not caught well before then? Her doctors, teachers, counselors missed the boat there. She should have been helped long before she got that large.

Dmax12

Alcohol is legal. People buy it, they drink and drive, kill people, and the stores still sell it. Why has the gov not stepped in?

People smoke cigarettes (former smoker here). Second hand smoke kills and tobacco has been proven to be a killer. Why hasnt the gov stepped in?

I could go on and on all day....obesity is an issue, yes that is true. But you dont just steal kids away from their homes. Period.

Alcohol - Drink and drive with a kid in the car and he/she will be! and your right to operate a motor vehicle in a normal fashion as well as large sums of money.

cigarettes - they have, millions of dollars are raised via tabaco taxes that support anti-smoking movements

You could go on all day, but unhealthy food is not taxed and your not ticketed for giving it to you kid. So I don't see where any of your points are valid...

kingkong123

I don't know what the definition would be. That would be for the doctors/scientists to determine. A chubby newborn? Come on. Clearly, this is not what I or the article is referring to. I admittedly don't have kids. But for a young teen to be 500 pounds? Dam. The one girl almost died in the hospital....that's crazy. I just don't see how you could be deemed as being able to care for a child. But that's just me.

The point here is that the children should not be removed based solely on their BMI. I think a much better question than whether a child who almost died in the hospital was not caught well before then? Her doctors, teachers, counselors missed the boat there. She should have been helped long before she got that large.

So it's the doctors, teachers, counselors fault? Not the parent or parents who brought them into the world, live with them, provide food for them, and are responsible for their well being? I'm not trying to be a d***, but the blame game is a tired excuse.

kingkong123

Alcohol is legal. People buy it, they drink and drive, kill people, and the stores still sell it. Why has the gov not stepped in?

People smoke cigarettes (former smoker here). Second hand smoke kills and tobacco has been proven to be a killer. Why hasnt the gov stepped in?

I could go on and on all day....obesity is an issue, yes that is true. But you dont just steal kids away from their homes. Period.

You have to be 21 and 18 to buy those respectively. The government stepped in when they banned indoor smoking. They're working on banning smoking outdoors, e.g., NY. Steps are being taken.

I'm pretty sure drinking and driving is also against the law. Step in how? Give people the death penalty for a DUI? And you are basically implying that if one of these children dies, the parents should be punished via the legal system, which I'm guessing is not what you want to say.

dumb_blondes_rock

Alcohol is legal. People buy it, they drink and drive, kill people, and the stores still sell it. Why has the gov not stepped in?

People smoke cigarettes (former smoker here). Second hand smoke kills and tobacco has been proven to be a killer. Why hasnt the gov stepped in?

I could go on and on all day....obesity is an issue, yes that is true. But you dont just steal kids away from their homes. Period.

Alcohol - Drink and drive with a kid in the car and he/she will be! and your right to operate a motor vehicle in a normal fashion as well as large sums of money.

cigarettes - they have, millions of dollars are raised via tabaco taxes that support anti-smoking movements

You could go on all day, but unhealthy food is not taxed and your not ticketed for giving it to you kid. So I don't see where any of your points are valid...

But a parent is allowed to smoke in the house, which will effect the childs health....You can even legally smoke as a pregnant woman and drink as much alcohol as a you want and still are able to keep your child.

vim_n_vigor

I don't know what the definition would be. That would be for the doctors/scientists to determine. A chubby newborn? Come on. Clearly, this is not what I or the article is referring to. I admittedly don't have kids. But for a young teen to be 500 pounds? Dam. The one girl almost died in the hospital....that's crazy. I just don't see how you could be deemed as being able to care for a child. But that's just me.

The point here is that the children should not be removed based solely on their BMI. I think a much better question than whether a child who almost died in the hospital was not caught well before then? Her doctors, teachers, counselors missed the boat there. She should have been helped long before she got that large.

So it's the doctors, teachers, counselors fault? Not the parent or parents who brought them into the world, live with them, provide food for them, and are responsible for their well being? I'm not trying to be a d***, but the blame game is a tired excuse.

The people who involve CPS are generally the doctors, teachers and counselors of the child. Parents don't generally call CPS to let them know they are not taking care of their children properly. The parents did not do the right thing for this child and others didn't as well. There are probably hundreds of people in that child's life that could have intervened at any time. The point here is still - obesity is not the reason she should be removed from her parent's care. She should be removed because they are not properly caring for her. Kicking, hitting, biting, shoving, underfeeding, restraining, unsanitary conditions, any sort of extreme condition is reason for these people to get involved and care for the child. Yes, it is their LEGAL responsibility in some positions to report these cases. Guarantee in a house where a child almost dies from being 400 lbs overweight, there were other questionable conditions.

Dmax12

Alcohol is legal. People buy it, they drink and drive, kill people, and the stores still sell it. Why has the gov not stepped in?

People smoke cigarettes (former smoker here). Second hand smoke kills and tobacco has been proven to be a killer. Why hasnt the gov stepped in?

I could go on and on all day....obesity is an issue, yes that is true. But you dont just steal kids away from their homes. Period.

Alcohol - Drink and drive with a kid in the car and he/she will be! and your right to operate a motor vehicle in a normal fashion as well as large sums of money.

cigarettes - they have, millions of dollars are raised via tabaco taxes that support anti-smoking movements

You could go on all day, but unhealthy food is not taxed and your not ticketed for giving it to you kid. So I don't see where any of your points are valid...

But a parent is allowed to smoke in the house, which will effect the childs health....You can even legally smoke as a pregnant woman and drink as much alcohol as a you want and still are able to keep your child.

I am 100% pro-life, but by definition of the legal system an unborn child is not its own, but rather a function of the mother, therefore the law CANNOT step in unless they declare that unborn child as having a separate life and individual rights. Pro-Choicers do not want this.

Since Tabaco's second hand effects "have not been substantially linked to major health problems" the law again can do nothing about 2nd hand smoke, thank Lobbyists for that gem.

lcarter25

Alcohol is legal. People buy it, they drink and drive, kill people, and the stores still sell it. Why has the gov not stepped in?

People smoke cigarettes (former smoker here). Second hand smoke kills and tobacco has been proven to be a killer. Why hasnt the gov stepped in?

I could go on and on all day....obesity is an issue, yes that is true. But you dont just steal kids away from their homes. Period.

You have to be 21 and 18 to buy those respectively. The government stepped in when they banned indoor smoking. They're working on banning smoking outdoors, e.g., NY. Steps are being taken.




I'm pretty sure drinking and driving is also against the law. Step in how? Give people the death penalty for a DUI? And you are basically implying that if one of these children dies, the parents should be punished via the legal system, which I'm guessing is not what you want to say.

in the UK its 18 what if your 15 year old looks 18 and can get cheap alcohol and binge drinks - should she be taken away??

The list of crazy scenarios could go on really.

Yes parents need to be educated and not feed their kids crap and prevention is definitely better than cure, but the blanket statement of obese kids should be taken is crazy.

What about a family who have multiple kids but one fat one? Do they hate the fat one and therefore it should be taken?

SamiSamiBoBlammy

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?

Absolutely agree!

Teach the whole family better habits and get the whole family healthy - not just the child.

ALSO, there are so many kids in foster care already. Most of the kids have been abandoned or abused and are having a hard enough life - don't crowd their foster homes with kids who had a home to begin with and had parents who wanted their kids and only made bad food choices.

The food industry needs to change - quit opening restaurants on every corner and make them change their menus. There's absolutely no reason for a meal to be 2000+ calories.

tashjs21

What needs to happen is to figure out why a two working parent home cannot afford eating healthy in this "rich" country.

THANK YOU, to the poster that said this. This has been the hardest challenge as a parent! As a single person when I didn't have the expense of a family I was eating organic, lean meats, super healthy food. Now as a parent...we barely have groceries to scrape through between paychecks. And now that my daughter is eating what we eat and I am trying to cook meals healthily 100% of the time...it just isn't happening. I know what my child needs to eat and we can't afford to provide those meals every single day so the unhealthy cheaper choices that I know I should not be feeding my child are served some times.

That being said, when I say we can't afford groceries that means we can not afford McDonalds and my child had never had McDonalds and I hope she never does.

Education and making healthy food available to families is the answer here not ripping families apart.

For us it was, man we are flat a** broke, we can get a head of broccoli for 1.50 or get a double cheeseburger for a 1.00.....which is more fillling? That is why a lot of the obese children come from Lower class families because you get fuller for cheaper at fast food restaraunts than you can eating healthy

That is exactly my point. It costs a lot less to buy the processed or more fattening foods than the healthy choices. I try to balance it out the best I can.

This whole argument is just ignorant. Counseling and educating and making healthy choices more easily available to families such a better and (cheaper in the long run) alternative to taking a child away.

mandimoore617

I haven't looked through every page of this topic, but I wanted to say something... Sorry if someone else has already said it.

Perhaps someone needs to think of how the child would feel when he/she is taken away from their parents. I say this as a mom (to a perfectly healthy 2-year-old of normal weight)... See it from a child's eyes. All I can think of is a child thinking, "They are taking me away from my mommy & daddy because I'm fat. I'm fat, so I'm being punished." That sounds like the line of thinking that will ensure the child has weight issues their entire life.

I'll end by saying that sometimes it is the parent's fault, but other times it isn't. Who is going to make the decision on who to blame? Who's going to make the decision on which children to take away? So no, I do NOT agree with this at all. Send the children to "fat camp" each summer or something, give the parents TOOLS to help their children, but do NOT take them away from their family.

coltonsmumma

I'm not going to read past the first page, but perhaps the money that would be given to the foster parents (most are only foster parents for the money) would be much better spent at putting the child through a program with a personal dietitian and/or trainer.

Schwiggity

"These parents don't care about their children, and obese children blablablabla."


Sincerely, someone who has never been morbidly obese.

calliope_music

uhhh no no no. obese children should not be taken away from their parents. breaking up a family is one of the worst things you can do to a child. i work with kids in the foster care system so i see this every day - they are depressed, anxious, oppositional, defiant...just to name a few. also who says that their new home would be any better? spend money on education regarding nutritional foods, not putting kids in the foster care system.

the foster care system is overwhelmed already. why not try fixing the system rather than overloading it more? these kids need help, not to be ripped from their families. and until you have actually SEEN a child being taken away from their family and seeing the emotions behind it, seeing the families cry and beg them not to take their child...yeah. it's pretty heart wrenching.

also, they'll take away obese kids but not kids whose parents are drug addicts or abusive? that's effed up.

Russellb97

I'm not sure if the researcher really believes this or he just wanted to start a debate. Honestly it is lunacy if they think taking overweight children out of their house is going to solve anything!

I was an overweight child and while my parents who are also overweight didn't know how to help me with my weight they instilled enough confidence in myself so I could learn and do it on my own. If I had been taking out of my home I would have been a miserable "fat kid" who missed my family. Parents need to take responsibility and maybe some cases could be called "abuse" but the majority of them really do care, they just don't know what to do.

It's very hypocritical to put all of the blame on parents when our schools feed our children junk food and the US government subsidizes big corporations that make crap food cheap!

I want to be positive but I don't think there will ever be a solution to this issue, there is just too many issues to fix.
If it's difficult for us adults who have the means and the desire to be healthy can't do it, how do we expect children who don't understand the consequences to do it? How do we expect low-income families to do it?

I put the responsibility first on the parents, but this is not the answer.
http://getfit4chirst.blogspot.com/2010/09/childhood-obesity-skyrocking.html

calliope_music

So, should we take kids away from parents who are skinny but not healthily fed? Should all kids that eat McD get taken away? How obese is too obese? Sure, some of these kids probably would benefit, but so would some skinny kids. There are homes with very obese kids and very skinny ones - all in the same family. Do you take only the obese child away?

Not quite I get whats being said here... Kids who are too skinny but are being fed a poor diet should be taken away??? YES and absolutely!!! am I not understanding the hypothetical situation here? Kids only eat poor foods as a result of their parents, kids only play inside as a result of their parents. The point of being a parent is to teach your kid how to be an adult, that includes proper nutrtion. And we should not BLAME McDonalds, thats a weak persons excuse. McDonalds exsists because you gave them money. there is no one to blame but yourself.

Though I don't like the idea weigh me this, Is it better to experence trama young or die younger with health problems?

kids don't just eat poor diets because of their parents. schools don't give out the healthiest lunches. sure you could pack your child a lunch, but do you have food at home to pack lunch? what about lunch for your 4 children? also, the kids i work with spend their money on crap food. they get a dollar, they're buying chips and candy. they're anywhere from 10 to 14 years old, plenty old enough to make food decisions.

also, have you ever experienced trauma at a young age? it can follow you through life. feel free to ask the 20+ children i counsel on a daily basis. having the crap beaten out of you at the age of 3 or so severely neglected at age 5 can, in fact, screw you up for life.

red01angel

Like someone has already said, education and access are key.

Its a pretty well known fact that obesity affects children in the underclass more than the middle/upper classes. In underrprivaleged urban areas, there really aren't any grocery stores to speak of...parents do their grocery shopping at 7-11 because that's all that's in the neighborhood, and with gas at ~$4.00/gal (assuming they even have a working car) they can't afford to drive to more affluent areas to get groceries. It's a sad reality that is absolutely disgusting IMHO.
Also, those parents were probably raised in a similar environment, so they completely lack the knowledge that many of us would consider the most basic.

I also see a difference between an overweight kid and a kid who's so overweight that they're on their way to a TLC special. Those kids could probably benefit from some sort of intervention, but I believe being taken out of the home should be used as a last resort in only the most extreme cases. Foster care is no picnic, and could do more harm than good...especially to a fragile child.

brewingaz

While my kids aren't obese, I'd love to see what happens to you if you come to take them away from me. You won't like it, I can tell you that much.

maryzcontrary

...and we MUST punish those wicked, wicked parents - send them to a 'Fat Farm' where they are re-educated.....

....and THEN, we can take all the overweight adults that are placing such a burden on our healthcare system and we can lock THEM up in special camps till they lose weight~~OH, and THEN we need to order mandatory gastric bypasses for them so they will NEVER, EVER be fat again...

OH and THEN we need to pass legislation to outlaw Jack in the Box, Burger King, McD's, KFC, Taco Bell, all Chinese Restaurants and make SURE that we legislate that Mexican restaurants are no longer allowed to serve those fattening margaritas and enchiladas....

And don't forget to legislate Pepperidge Farms, and Little Debbie, and Blue Bell Ice Cream -- oh yeah, make SURE we close down Marble Slab Creamery and Cheesecake Factory.....

veganbaum

I didn't read all the posts, but some have already mentioned education. Personally, I think people should have to earn a license to have children. I mean, you have to have a license to drive a car, but for one of the most important things there is - raising children - absolutely nothing is required other than a functioning reproductive system. People should have to take courses in nutrition, basic parenting skills/philosophies, and even CPR. Once they pass those courses, they get a license. Then, as so many have suggested, if there are issues in the home that are observable to others, such as obesity, there should be services to provide a plan to help the parents, and if that doesn't work, then the children should be removed from the home. There is something wrong when you see an obese five year old whose parent has just bought them a 16oz bottle of soda.

And I agree with the posts about food access and cost. Real food shouldn't cost so much. However, I disagree that a burger is more filling than a healthful alternative. When a person eats a mostly whole foods based diet, generally they are extracting nutrients more efficiently. They are getting more nutrition from the food and if it is a regular part of their diet, their body is used to it and becomes full. A fast food burger is only temporarily filling and gives the body minimal nutrients. But the body has to be retrained to digest real food and feel full.

I also think it's time for the government to push the idea of "VIctory Gardens" again, but I'm sure that won't happen because industry lobbyists wouldn't want the government to make it a goal to get more people to grow their own food.

Melroxsox

Why don't we all become more productive. Instead of sitting on our *kitten* at our pcs or smart phones....go get some exercise and accomplish the real reason we are actually on this site. This argument could go on for days...which is probably what the poster wanted to begin with. Just sayin........

tladame

Taking an obese child out of their home is not a solution. Like some others here have said, what about other children in the household who get to stay because they are thin? This would further isolate the obese child. My husband works for CPS, and there are plenty of worse things that can happen to a child than becoming obese. Besides, in *most* cases, nobody will love and care for your child the way you would.

It’s interesting to hear the stories here from people who were obese as children. Some became obese as a product of their environment, while others admit to overeating junk food outside the home. I can understand a parent’s frustration, because you can’t MAKE a child eat healthy food, all you can do is offer it to them (and remove all junk food from the house so it isn’t available).

Thanks to all who shared your stories, you are a brave and inspirational bunch. :flowerforyou:

Russellb97

I am writing my next book on this topic and I observe children's eating habits. I see families with one overweight kid and a normal weight kid. The overweight kid at a party was just hovering around the snack table. I saw her take handfuls of snacks over and over again. Her mother told her a few times she had enough but she would keep going back for more. Her sister on the other hand had one plate of food and that was it. 2 kids, same family, but totally different eating habits. Is this the parents fault? Maybe some of it, but some kids including myself are just more predisposed to have weight and eating issues. Foster care will NOT fix this.
Kids don't think "if I eat too many cookies I will be fat and have a life long weight issue" they just think and live in the moment.

One of things I'm promoting for children is the elimination of snacks or allow one snack a day of a vegetable or a fruit. Kids snack too much, and most snack foods are garbage and then when parents try and feed them a nutritious meal they aren't hungry.
Some say no snacks or one snack isn't enough food but I see it this way.
It's ok to be hungry, and if a kid is hungry he is more likely to eat what you give him ie; veggies. If he won't eat the veggies he's not starving.

Froggy1976

While my kids aren't obese, I'd love to see what happens to you if you come to take them away from me. You won't like it, I can tell you that much.

Favorite post of the whole thread ^^^

tashjs21

While my kids aren't obese, I'd love to see what happens to you if you come to take them away from me. You won't like it, I can tell you that much.

Amen!!!

Becky1971

Nothing wrong with snacking if it is healthy. I function way better if I'm eating five or six times a day. I don't think taking snacks away is too helpful. I didn't always allow my kids to have what they wanted when they wanted it, but the fruit bowl was available every day anytime of day. And the vegies in the fridge as well.

I am writing my next book on this topic and I observe children's eating habits. I see families with one overweight kid and a normal weight kid. The overweight kid at a party was just hovering around the snack table. I saw her take handfuls of snacks over and over again. Her mother told her a few times she had enough but she would keep going back for more. Her sister on the other hand had one plate of food and that was it. 2 kids, same family, but totally different eating habits. Is this the parents fault? Maybe some of it, but some kids including myself are just more predisposed to have weight and eating issues. Foster care will NOT fix this.
Kids don't think "if I eat too many cookies I will be fat and have a life long weight issue" they just think and live in the moment.

One of things I'm promoting for children is the elimination of snacks or allow one snack a day of a vegetable or a fruit. Kids snack too much, and most snack foods are garbage and then when parents try and feed them a nutritious meal they aren't hungry.
Some say no snacks or one snack isn't enough food but I see it this way.
It's ok to be hungry, and if a kid is hungry he is more likely to eat what you give him ie; veggies. If he won't eat the veggies he's not starving.