school says granddaughter too fat

Me I'd tell them to mind their own freaking business and they better not ever say it to her or there would be hell to pay. Some schools just hire someone to play nurse, they aren't even real nurses. I had to go off on them before saying my kid had lice when it was dandruff. I went up there and chewed her out and told if she didn't know the difference between lice and dandruff then I could show her but if she ever had my kid sit in her office all day again for nothing then I'd be sure to see her fired from her job. The REAL nurse called me that afternoon and apologized for the incompetence of the other "nurse". She said she would not allow her to check heads again. Don't let them get away with it, if you do then it will happen to some other little girl who may already have self esteem issues. Stupid people.

Children and their well being are a schools "freaking" business and it's folks like you that make our lives hell. Why not support your schools that are educating your loved ones instead of berating them. Or even better--homeschool if public education is so bad! Sheesh.

I would take her to a doctor's office. Make sure there is no concern, then ask that the doctor write a letter to the school nurse and the negative impact of misdiagnosis such as this. I.E. poor self esteem, eating disorders etc that could be caused by doing this.

Me I'd tell them to mind their own freaking business and they better not ever say it to her or there would be hell to pay. Some schools just hire someone to play nurse, they aren't even real nurses. I had to go off on them before saying my kid had lice when it was dandruff. I went up there and chewed her out and told if she didn't know the difference between lice and dandruff then I could show her but if she ever had my kid sit in her office all day again for nothing then I'd be sure to see her fired from her job. The REAL nurse called me that afternoon and apologized for the incompetence of the other "nurse". She said she would not allow her to check heads again. Don't let them get away with it, if you do then it will happen to some other little girl who may already have self esteem issues. Stupid people.

Children and their well being are a schools "freaking" business and it's folks like you that make our lives hell. Why not support your schools that are educating your loved ones instead of berating them. Or even better--homeschool if public education is so bad! Sheesh.

Um. No. It's not. A school's chief concern should be education and making sure the kids aren't bullied by each other. A parent's chief concern should be taking care of a child's well being (mentally, emotionally and physically) and making sure their school isn't messing their kid up.

So are we better off not cooperating with those whose main job is to educate?

Check with her doctor. As with adults a muscular person can weigh more than the charts recommend and still be healthy. Also ask questions -- what numbers did they use to make this determination? height? age? body fat percentage?
As you know, it is important to bring up children with healthy bodies and attitudes toward food. Too many people started life-long obsessions as a result of childhood (mis)guidance. Also consider how long she's been at the weight and height -- children sometimes pack on weight just before they have a growth spurt.

So are we better off not cooperating with those whose main job is to educate?

Since were schools left in charge of teaching kids how to eat properly? Seriously. Parents should be teaching their kids this stuff.

They should but they aren't. Stop feeding the kid junk food.

Since were schools left in charge of teaching kids how to eat properly? Seriously. Parents should be teaching their kids this stuff.

Nutrition and fitness classes?

I was curious and did her BMI and it says she is in the normal range so no worries!!!!

This is a very interesting situation. I am overweight and have been for a mojority of my life. Since becoming a parent I have limited the amount of unhealthy snacks around the home and yet when my daughter was weighed by her doctor last, in Aug. 2011 when she was 5 yrs old, she was above the height and weight ranges for her age.That was no surprise as she's been there since her 6 week checkup. She's now 6 yrs old, 3'10" tall and 79 lbs. Yes she's way over her weight range but I'm not overly concerned as she's always been an active child. She's also a strong child. At 2 she was lifting her tricycle because she couldn't pedal and keep up with her cousin, so she would lift it and walk around with it. It was solidly built and by no means light, just like my daughter. At 3, she was bigger than the 5 yr olds at the kindergarten I signed her up at. At 4 her cousin, who's 3 yrs older, started borrowing her clothes and still does from time to time. At 5, I was tired and worn out and she had energy to burn, getting her to bed was the beginning of a new war every night. I signed her up for martial arts classes in Aug. 2012 to up her activity level and hopefully have it easier when it came to bedtime. Weightloss was far from my mind then but it would be a bonus if she did lose some weight though. I try my best to pay closer attention to what I give her to eat as well as how much I give her to eat and to ensure that she is active, at least on evenings. She can do push ups (more than I can) and situps (with someone holding her feet). She loves to run on the treadmill and ride her bike for hours, if I left it up to her. The point I am making is this, yes there are problems with childhood obesity but every child is different and focusing only on weight and height and not bothering to factor in strength, stamina and activity levels is very narrowminded. Fitness includes all those factors. A healthy lifestyle focuses on fitness and diet. If your granddaughter is active (always running, jumping, skipping/hopping or does some sport), healthy (doesn't get sick often) and eats properly (doesn't need a lot of encouraging when it comes to eating fruits and veggies) then I wouldn't worry about the note so much. You know her medical history, use that as your guide as to what you should do next.

My 4 year old granddaughter came home from school with a letter from the school nurse saying she was" obese". She wanted a home visit to discuss proper nutriction and calorie control.

This child weighs 44 pounds is 3 foot tall. She has no protruding stomach, her butt is normal looking. She has normal looking arms, no excess chub, her face is thin and her neck is thin. She wears normal size childrens clothing sizes with ease. She looks like a normal size little girl with no weight issue. (believe me we watch closely for the kids to not go down our road). But this little girl is solid, she doesn't look it but pick her up and you feel it.

The school is basing their opinion on the scale and not the body. What do you think of this?

I would ignore it. I think it's upsetting to hear things like this, and at that age I don't think it's appropriate.

I just had a look in my daughter's red book (not sure if you are in the UK?) and the weight chart in there says she is fine for her age. She's at the top of the centiles, but not above them.

My 3 year old son is the opposite. He is 3 foot 4 and 36lbs, so 98th centile for height and below 50th for weight.

Personally I wouldn't worry about it and just keep on as you are. Kids tend to get taller and thinner.

I'm a teacher and the school that I work at sends these notes home. The school does dental, vision, hearing, and weight screenings. I think it's provided more for parents who can't afford/don't take their kids to the doctor or just have no knowledge of good health. Sad but true. If you don't agree with it, throw it away and tell the school you're not interested. The screenings are typically done for the entire school or by grade levels, so really your child isn't being singled out. It's just another service that schools are expected to provide, because unfortunately for some parents (NOT ALL!) we are the ones that are supposed to raise the kids.

I'd send them a thank you for your concern "note". I would also include, "I appreciate your concern for the kids health. Of course you must also be doing this with all of your teachers and staff, right?"..............Oh no wait, that would be discrimination and illegal- yet its ok to send a note for a child.

Not against the schools supporting fit kids- but this is not the way to achieve it- also, tear down a childs self worth and moral, it can take years to recover. Schools get off your lazy butts and fix the nutrition issues in cafeteria, and then get off your butts and get these kids moving in school (this OP has nothing to do with your little one).

I teach Zumbatomic- this kids version of Zumba. Its fun, silly and a great program. There are programs to get kids more fit if that is a problem- but, the pot calling the kettle obese........is crap!!

I'm not sure how the meals are in your schools cafeterias but in the one I work in, they do try to give kids healthier choices such as baking instead of frying, salad, fruit, etc. The problem that most people complain about are the calorie counts of lunches. Yes, they are between 1000-1400, however, they are that way because for many children in my district it is the only meal they will get that day. That's why the meals have a higher calorie count. If we decide the meals calories should be based on three meals a day and cut them to 500-600 then some of these children will not get a sufficient caloric intake. I understand that it is not the schools responsibility but in the area of education we worry about our children ALL of the time, not just when they are with us.

I was curious and did her BMI and it says she is in the normal range so no worries!!!!

Did you use a BMI calculator for adults, or for children? Using a child's BMI calculator, these are the results-

Results


Based on the height and weight entered, the BMI is 23.9 , placing the BMI-for-age above the 99th percentile for girls aged 4 years 0 months. This child is obese and is likely to have health-related problems because of weight and should be seen by a healthcare provider for further assessment.

I doubt a Professional is saying something just to cause you ire! Clearly they believe they are identifying something of note. Put the child first and AT LEAST talk to your GP, rather than wasting time venting your spleen on this website. If the GP says all is ok then great! If he says you have cause to worry, then buy the school medic a huge bunch of flowers! Doh!

I'm a teacher and the school that I work at sends these notes home. The school does dental, vision, hearing, and weight screenings. I think it's provided more for parents who can't afford/don't take their kids to the doctor or just have no knowledge of good health. Sad but true. If you don't agree with it, throw it away and tell the school you're not interested. The screenings are typically done for the entire school or by grade levels, so really your child isn't being singled out. It's just another service that schools are expected to provide, because unfortunately for some parents (NOT ALL!) we are the ones that are supposed to raise the kids.

That really is so, so unfortunate.

*shakes head*

I wonder when the ING got taken out of the parent.

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It really is! We have some absolutely amazing parents that take wonderful care of their children. Then there are those that you wonder how long it's been since they have bathed their kids. Last year, after the dental screenings, the kids each got a tooth brush. One little girl was so excited to get one. I asked her if she had one at home and she said no that her dad couldn't afford it (????!!!!!). The screenings are supposed to be beneficial. I know they can be kind of harsh, because they just say the information, the don't beat around the bush. I agree with the others, take your granddaughter to the doctor. Get her looked over...what harm could it cause? These screenings really aren't meant to be offensive, just to provide facts about your child's health.

Exactly! It will be a cold day in hell when I take advice about the health and well being of my child from strangers on the Internet over a licensed medical professional.

I doubt a Professional is saying something just to cause you ire! Clearly they believe they are identifying something of note. Put the child first and AT LEAST talk to your GP, rather than wasting time venting your spleen on this website. If the GP says all is ok then great! If he says you have cause to worry, then buy the school medic a huge bunch of flowers! Doh!