Social Workers Remove Newborn from Obese Mom
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Do they take children away from parents who smoke? Drink in excess? What about anorexic or bullemic parents?
UGH. It upsets me because it's a stopgap tactic, not a true solution.
Help Mom. Help her learn to fix herself and her nutrition.
BUT -- there are no rules or guidelines about becoming a parent. There is nothing to stop her from being obese, overfeeding her children, and them becoming obese. This violates basic human rights, in my opinion.
Actually, yes to any of those conditions if the parents are creating an unsafe or abusive environment for their children.
If they can prove malnutrition (it can occur due to overfeeding of the wrong foods) and serious underlying health concerns of the children that have been neglected, then yes, there is certainly a case. Based on the excessive weight of the toddler, I'd say there is some serious concern for nutritional counseling or having a guide assigned. I've known of a case of this first hand in my hometown. A six year old girl pushing 200 pounds with numerous health problems and a family turning a blind eye to it. SOMEONE at school, be it a teacher or a concerned parent is going to recognize a pattern of poor health or abuse over time and report it. If this was the case with this woman, there's probably more than meets the eye in that story. Obesity alone is no cause for concern. Neglect, malnutrition, and health problems...yes, absolutely.
Is social service the work of a nanny state? I'm just curious as to what others truly think? Are you concerned in the welfare of children or should we go lassiez faire and say "eh, it's the parents decision, regardless of whether they're actually parenting."0 -
I don't want to be rude - but I might just want to mention that the majority of us on this site were or are overweight or obese. Should we have our kids taken away?
Just sayin'...0 -
FYI:
Here is a link that I found about the story...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222044/23st-mothers-newborn-girl-taken-care-obesity-fears.html?ITO=14900 -
"The parents originally contacted social workers themselves to seek help with managing their (six) children, one of whom has developmental problems. At that time they had a toddler who weighed 4 stone (almost 60 pounds) and a 13-year-old boy who weighed more than 16 stone (over 220)...She has already had the youngest of her six children, aged 3 and 4, removed from her care...The married couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were warned last year that that they had to bring their six children’s weight under control."
Do you not think the parents in this case are guilty of neglectful parenting? I do. If someone told me that I was going to lose my children if I didn't start feeding them properly, I think I would get my butt in gear and start taking care of my kids. Feeding too much is, in my opinion, just as bad as feeding too little.
Her children weren't removed because SHE is obese, they were removed because she isn't parenting them properly.0 -
All I can say is I'm so glad my kids weren't taken away from me when I was raising them because I couldn't afford to buy enough food for them or because I couldn't pay the utilities and they got shut off or because I couldn't afford to buy decent clothes or because I fed them too much junk food or I didn't get them a flu shot, or no insurance or any number of other reasons why I could have been considered a bad parent for crying out loud!!! This really ticks me off!!! Where do they draw the line? If your kids are 10 pounds overweight are you in danger of losing them? What about if they get colds too often? Did I read they had three months to get the kids's weight down? It's taken me over a year and a half to lose 30 pounds! I think the government is way out of line on this one. :mad:
:explode:
I don't know how my kids ever survived to ages of 23 and 35.0 -
There's more to this story than just a weight issue.
" ‘They would only listen to the social workers. They were accusing me and my wife of physical and emotional abuse and physical neglect – and we deny all that."
HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED
MARCH 2008: Family claim they are told their six children could be put into care because they are overweight. They say social workers have warned they will intervene if three of the youngsters – including a 12-year-old boy who weighs 16 stone – do not lose weight within three months. His sister, 11, weighs 12st and a four-year-old sister weighs 4st.
JULY 2009: Report reveals Dundee City Council plans to spend £114,000 on hiring a team of specialists to stop the family from overeating. Three full-time professionals will advise the parents and their six children on general health issues, diet and lifestyle choices.
SEPTEMBER 20: Two of the children, aged three and five, taken into care. Eldest child already in care.
SEPTEMBER 30: Parents fail in an attempt to have their children returned. Children’s Panel hearing decides they should be kept in care, pending a family assessment by health workers.
MONDAY: Mother gives birth.
TUESDAY: Infant is taken away.
YESTERDAY: Children’s Panel decide the three youngsters still living at home should go into care.0 -
It's not neglect. Maybe ignorance, but not neglect.
Let's look at this from a different angle. Maybe, just maybe, growing up the mother had a mother whom demonstrated love by feeding her. It's huge in some cultures, Italian anyone? Maybe the original mother had genes that allowed her not to become obese. Now this woman is growing up thinking that you show love through food, and this is what she is doing to her children. It's a possibility.
There maybe can be some re-education on the part of the mother and the older child, and they can in turn use that new knowledge to become a healthier, more loving family.
What we don't need it the government deciding what dictates a good or bad parent and when they should be able to take a child away. What if the next head of child services decides that all parents who smoke create a greater possibility of raising children that smoke and the kids should be removed? You name it, its out there.
Honestly, I hope they do decide that... smoking around your children is disgusting and should be punished... maybe not by having your children taken away, yes that would be harsh... but so is putting cchildren through that kind of abuse. The other day I saw a mother of three smoking her brains out while driving her car. We were stopped at a red light and I saw the children in the car windows closed and all.0 -
I don't want to be rude - but I might just want to mention that the majority of us on this site were or are overweight or obese. Should we have our kids taken away?
Just sayin'...
I see where you are coming from but I think the outrage is not for the fact the mom is overwheight, it for the fact that that the kids are already unhealthy and obese. If the the mom was obese but had healthy kids without such a high body weight they would have no reason to take the kids. It looks like in this situation the kids were already in trouble. My best friend is overweight and she makes sure to teach her children healthy eating habits and also gets them involved in school activities. Her kids are healthy but these kids obviously were not taught that. Like I said I think that is why people are outraged.0 -
It's not neglect. Maybe ignorance, but not neglect.
Let's look at this from a different angle. Maybe, just maybe, growing up the mother had a mother whom demonstrated love by feeding her. It's huge in some cultures, Italian anyone? Maybe the original mother had genes that allowed her not to become obese. Now this woman is growing up thinking that you show love through food, and this is what she is doing to her children. It's a possibility.
There maybe can be some re-education on the part of the mother and the older child, and they can in turn use that new knowledge to become a healthier, more loving family.
What we don't need it the government deciding what dictates a good or bad parent and when they should be able to take a child away. What if the next head of child services decides that all parents who smoke create a greater possibility of raising children that smoke and the kids should be removed? You name it, its out there.
Honestly, I hope they do decide that... smoking around your children is disgusting and should be punished... maybe not by having your children taken away, yes that would be harsh... but so is putting cchildren through that kind of abuse. The other day I saw a mother of three smoking her brains out while driving her car. We were stopped at a red light and I saw the children in the car windows closed and all.
I honeslty dont believe genes make a person over eat or become fat. We all have control over what we eat and what our children are taught. If genes determined what we would become I would be a 350 drunk with anger problem. But I had control to say NOPE not going to be me.
Just because the parents smoke would not be a reason it would have to be proven that the parents are smoking around the child and causing immediate danger to the child. I can understand if the parents smoke around the child and he or she gets sick be it asthma or something like that. I know many parents who smoke but go to a lot of trouble to make sure the child is not exposed to it.0 -
Wow. How the heck did Obama win the election with so many ultra conservatives around here. *wink*
This is Orwellian in nature, nothing less. But I guess I'm in the minority thinking that taking the children instead of seeking to solve the problem is no solution at all.
Wow. Honestly baffled.0 -
Total BS.
Don't remove the kids.
If the government wanted to actual step in and HELP, they would take care of the MOM, not remove the kids.
Amen! I don't agree with that in all cases but in this one - definitely!
:flowerforyou:
AGREED!0 -
"The parents originally contacted social workers themselves to seek help with managing their (six) children, one of whom has developmental problems. At that time they had a toddler who weighed 4 stone (almost 60 pounds) and a 13-year-old boy who weighed more than 16 stone (over 220)...She has already had the youngest of her six children, aged 3 and 4, removed from her care...The married couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were warned last year that that they had to bring their six children’s weight under control."
Do you not think the parents in this case are guilty of neglectful parenting? I do. If someone told me that I was going to lose my children if I didn't start feeding them properly, I think I would get my butt in gear and start taking care of my kids. Feeding too much is, in my opinion, just as bad as feeding too little.
Her children weren't removed because SHE is obese, they were removed because she isn't parenting them properly.
I soooo agree with you Brenda! I came from a family that was obese....BY CHOICE.....To this day I feel that my mother had no business having children!
Out of 4 of us I was anorexic at 5 and the other 3 morbidly obese by age 9. Back then the doctor said that fat was in our genes and I was just a stubborn child. That was a supposedly educated man, degrees and everything! We drank soda daily, and my first real homecooked meal was when I spent Thanksgiving at my fiances house when I was 21. I never knew that real food didn't come from a box.
I understand the outrage that someone could step in and take your kids for being fat, but that is not the case. I totally agree that it is child abuse to allow your children to become obese, I mean come ON! 220 pounds at 13? That is totally out of control for something that IS controlable.
I'm overweight, but I teach my daughter healthy habits. I also take her for a physical every year, something most parents I know don't bother with. Its the little things that count when it comes to things like this. I have alot of friends who are social workers, people really don't understand what they take into consideration and how many oppurtunities they give the parents before they step in and remove a child, let alone 6 children, from thier homes.
Just my opinion.0 -
I had to look up stone/pound conversion. The mother weighed 322lb before getting pregnant. Her 13 year old was 222 lb and she had a 64 lb toddler.
The story is so sad on several levels... what kind of emotional trauma her kids must be going through. I don't feel the government has any business taking her kids away. Obviously the family needs some kind of education regarding healthy eating, but I really don't think the government should even be that involved. It's sad and scary that it can happen.
a 64lb toddler I am sorry that is neglect.
Maybe thats how the government saw it neglect of health.
who knows-
But I have seen heavier women come into my job that 322lbs- the sad thing is being obese and pregnant isn't good for you or the baby- Being too big makes it harder to monitor the baby and for the mother to even feel it. It also makes it harder for the sonographers to get a ultrasound.0 -
Total BS.
Don't remove the kids.
If the government wanted to actual step in and HELP, they would take care of the MOM, not remove the kids.
Amen! I don't agree with that in all cases but in this one - definitely!
:flowerforyou:
AGREED!
No the government shouldn't take care of the MOM- She needs to take care of herself and her kids of all things0 -
I "hate" to say this, but I tend to agree w/ the social workers. I am obese (5'-0", 162 lbs) but I don't have children "yet"? I do not want children until I am at a healthy weight level (hopefully b4 I'm 90).
My cousin and her husband recently adopted a newborn baby boy. They are both severely overweight and had a difficult time getting approval for a child. People are already worried and comment that their boy is getting a little big. I don't know what to say .... I wish and pray for the best.
I pray for this family and I hope they will all come together forever.
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Honestly, I hope they do decide that... smoking around your children is disgusting and should be punished... maybe not by having your children taken away, yes that would be harsh... but so is putting cchildren through that kind of abuse. The other day I saw a mother of three smoking her brains out while driving her car. We were stopped at a red light and I saw the children in the car windows closed and all.
O yes! I'm all for this one too!
It disgusts me that people are so selfish that they do not care that their destructive behaviour is hurting someone else. If you want to destroy your lungs or eat youself into oblivion fine, but don't do it around me. And most certainly do not do it to or around a living creature that does not yet understand fully the damage that is occuring!
My friend smoked through her pregnancy. Her son was born premature and with chronic bronchitis. He had to have at least 2 breathing treatments every day of his little life! And guess what, she only smoked outside when the weather was nice. When it was too cold, she made HIM leave the room. I caught her giving him a freaking breathing treatmeant WHILE smoking a cigarette! He WAS taken away from her! THANK GOD! And she is NOT my friend anymore! I lost every ounce of respect I ever had for her.:mad:0 -
Wow. How the heck did Obama win the election with so many ultra conservatives around here. *wink*
This is Orwellian in nature, nothing less. But I guess I'm in the minority thinking that taking the children instead of seeking to solve the problem is no solution at all.
Wow. Honestly baffled.
I'm with you. And I'm in no way to blame for Obama getting elected. :bigsmile:0 -
I just read the story myself. What gets me is that the parents were warned last year and told that they had to get the childrens weight undercontrol. Right or wrong if that was me I would have done everything in my power to help my kids get healthy. Its not like this was a sudden thing they had notice.0
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And:
" The council spent £114,000 on "minders" to ensure they were eating properly."
The baby has been returned to the family. This is what the father said:
"We haven't always agreed with social workers and not always cooperated so we've had to put our differences aside for the sake of our children."
They DID give them what they needed to control the situation and a very generous amount of time to do so. The father admitted ^^^^^^^ right there, they did not always cooperate.
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/132069-newborn-baby-returned-to-overweight-dundee-couple/0 -
MARCH 2008: Family claim they are told their six children could be put into care because they are overweight. They say social workers have warned they will intervene if three of the youngsters – including a 12-year-old boy who weighs 16 stone – do not lose weight within three months. His sister, 11, weighs 12st and a four-year-old sister weighs 4st.
YESTERDAY: Children’s Panel decide the three youngsters still living at home should go into care.
These were also the weights that were mentioned of the kids 1.5 years ago.
How much more weight did they gain in 1.5 years.0
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