school says granddaughter too fat

I would write a note back to the school and and find out if they are like most schools and eliminating P.E. out of their curriculum.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. You know your kid and how active she is. Does she run around a lot or is she a couch potato, etc. Perhaps she is getting ready for a growth spurt. It is really not the schools place to send you a note, that is what pediatricians are for. It would be a good way to turn it back on them, if you are concerned about the elimination of P.E. and recess in a lot of school, etc.

Since Mass passed this I have not heard about it being implemented. This is a load of crap and the BMI scale is horribly inaccurate. I expect to get a similar one for my daughter if they are rolling this out. According to this BMI calculator, she is in the 97th percentile and Obese. Let me get a letter from the school calling my daughter obese and see how quick I jump down their throat. My daughter is taller than all the other kids and by no means even chubby. I would say send some nasty mail to the Deval Patrick to tell them to butt out.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

Why in the world would you jump down their throats? Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic in North America. Yes, the BMI scale can be horribly inaccurate but it can also be an indicator that something may be wrong. For some families, such a note might be the wake-up call they need.

If your daughter is not obese and her doctor is happy with her weight, etc, then it's not an issue for you. In that case, say thanks for the note, but our pediatrician/family doctor is on top of things and we're happy with our daughter's development.

Please don't shoot down a program that's aimed at helping when estimates are that this generation of kids will be the first to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Parents who have obese children know they have obese children. This program is not "for the greater good" it's a boneheaded idea that is based off a bad scaling system. Since my daughter's pediatrician is perfectly happy with her, the school sending a note saying she is fat is not going to do anything but make her uncomfortable about her weight. This is out of line.

I'm a teacher and I've never heard of this.

Why are they weighing her? I'd call the principal and inquire about this and ask for some sort of rule or law that says the nurse can screen kids for that. Really, schools around me can't screen for ANYTHING unless the parents sign for it. And sending a letter home about obesity is a screening.

They do this in OH.

I know a mother who was denied independent health care insurance for her child. She was just a year or so older then your granddaughter. The company denied her due to her weight. She was chunky and, six years later, is still a chunky kid. But, she's not obese, just a little overweight. Finals was able to get her covered for health.

I was super skinny. I weighed 42 pounds in fourth grade. I was figure skating all the time, and both my parents were skinny as kids. I fattened up in my forties, and am here trying to lose twenty pounds.

She sounds a bit on the bigger side for her height. I have 8 children. At 4 years old they have ranged from 33" to 38" tall and been between 25 1/4 pounds to 30.5 pounds. Now my husband and I are quite small people and my children will always be on the smaller side. If her parents are bigger people she would probably lean the other way from mine. I would go by what the child's doctor says.

Those numbers are for my 7 oldest kids. The youngest is just a year old.

Since Mass passed this I have not heard about it being implemented. This is a load of crap and the BMI scale is horribly inaccurate. I expect to get a similar one for my daughter if they are rolling this out. According to this BMI calculator, she is in the 97th percentile and Obese. Let me get a letter from the school calling my daughter obese and see how quick I jump down their throat. My daughter is taller than all the other kids and by no means even chubby. I would say send some nasty mail to the Deval Patrick to tell them to butt out.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

Why in the world would you jump down their throats? Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic in North America. Yes, the BMI scale can be horribly inaccurate but it can also be an indicator that something may be wrong. For some families, such a note might be the wake-up call they need.

If your daughter is not obese and her doctor is happy with her weight, etc, then it's not an issue for you. In that case, say thanks for the note, but our pediatrician/family doctor is on top of things and we're happy with our daughter's development.

Please don't shoot down a program that's aimed at helping when estimates are that this generation of kids will be the first to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Parents who have obese children know they have obese children. This program is not "for the greater good" it's a boneheaded idea that is based off a bad scaling system. Since my daughter's pediatrician is perfectly happy with her, the school sending a note saying she is fat is not going to do anything but make her uncomfortable about her weight. This is out of line.

I don't think it's true that parents who have obese children know they have obese children. Or there wouldn't be so many parents claiming they didn't know there was a problem when things get out of control. I agree that there's no way the children should see the letter. This should be between the school and the parents but I don't agree that it's completely out of line.

I don't know how I feel about it. My daughter is in third grade and is 4 feet 6 inches and weighs 58 lbs. She's skinny but healthy and within normal limits. One of her friends, who is very short (about 3 feet 11), weighed in at 45 lbs. She asked me why she was "fatter" than her friend.

She then heard from another friend, who is very overweight, who confided in her, amidst tears, that she weighed 113 lbs. She is in the same grade as my daughter and is about an inch taller than she is. I don't know exactly what this is supposed to do-- make kids feel bad for themselves? It's beyond ridiculous. I think sometimes parents do need a slap in the face because we all have this want to say that our kids are the best and great just the way they are-- but when things just aren't right, they just aren't right.

Coming from someone who was overweight her entire life-- partially in childhood-- with a mother who made me feel awful while trying to be helpful about my weight-- i can honestly say I am simply hoping that our good lifestyle choices will help my daughter never to have that problem. I hated my mother for making me feel like a disgusting human being. As an adult, though, I can see that she was just desperate to make sure I turned out healthy. It's not a good place to be in.

This is a huge problem. We have schools pushing low fat, garbage, non-real, processed, GMO junk as "healthy" food. These kids are getting even more confused. It's awful.

I think that it is great the school is being pro- active in trying to establish healthy eating habits for your child and for your family. I would highly recommend watching the HBO special "The Weight of the Nation: Children in Crisis" (which can be seen for free at: http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/films/main-films/Crisis).

I think you should tell the school that you will go by your (the child's) pediatrician's recommendations, and have the child checked by her pediatrician, letting the pediatrician know what the school said. While it's true that there is a lot of variability and that the family knows the child better than the school, the flip side is as we all know obesity is a huge (no pun intended) and growing health problem in our society and the problem begins for most people in early childhood. So- it's best to be sure. Check with the pediatrician.

^^THIS. Please do not be the parent who ignores what could be an important issue. Your physician may tell you the school is full of crap, or that a little less dessert might be in order. The school will have more respect for you, and work with you better on other issues, if they know that you are not simply discounting everything that they say.

I don't think it's true that parents who have obese children know they have obese children.

On borderline cases I agree, But really I think that parents with obese kids just don't know how to fix or don't care.