Overweight kids- Who's to blame

It's the strangers in long jackets offering kids sweets that are to blame. Ask any parent and they'll tell you those guys are on every street corner.

I blame this guy:

My mom admitted that it was probably her way of "raising" me that caused me to gain a bunch of weight.

She was the type who could eat anything and "appear" healthy and skinny..

She said she'd just feed me juice and cookies when I was a toddler. Large portions and 2nd/3rd helpings were normal growing up.

The one thing that helped me was that I was a fairly active kid so I was only "pudgy" when I was a teenager. But once I stopped sports and went to collage, I ballooned. (HW=185, CW=128 and contest prepping)

I totally agree that if the child does not have a medical condition. It is the parents fault. It's our job to raise our kids smart and healthy. If we don't know something, we shouldn't keep our kids ignorant. The more I learn about nutrition/exercise/health, the more I think this information should be taught in public schools and should be general knowledge.

My 8 year old daughter is overweight and I firmly believe it is my fault. We were having pizza once a week, McDonalds entirely way too much, carb loaded, processed dinners every night. It wasn't because I didn't have time to cook, it was because I was lazy. Just plain lazy. She gained weight while I was pregnant (and eating horribly), but she was headed in that direction long before that and I feel horrible that I didn't do something about it sooner. She is starting to get made fun of, and I remember getting bullied at school and how much I hated it. I can't believe that I let my daughter get to the same place I had been.

The only thing I can do now, is fix my mistake.

I just posted a status update about how my kids are adapting well to the new lifestyle change, and I am excited to see results in my daughter as much as I am myself. When they choose fruit over junk, I am elated.

I don't get how parents are blaming the schools. Don't you get a lunch menu every month? We do. We'll go over it and if there is something she doesn't like then she packs lunch that day.
Also, you can't blame some schools for getting rid of recess. That's like blaming your desk job for getting fat because they don't allow you to go play for 30 minutes.

If you know they aren't getting activity at school, shouldn't that be replaced at home? 30 minutes at school or 30 minutes at home is the same thing, right?

Snack time isn't to blame either. We pack our own snacks. So if you are packing cookies and soda...how is the teacher to blame?

Everything starts at home. If your child is struggling at school, you work with them at home. Teachers can't be held 100% responsible for your child's education. If your child isn't getting enough healthy food at school, then you do it at home. If your child isn't getting enough play time at school, you fix that at home. I'm sure all of us can find time. If you can sit down and watch an hour sitcom, drama, movie, etc. then you can take your kid for a walk or go play in the park or whatever.

We have an Xbox/Kinect in our home and I'm an achievement *kitten*. I'm currently doing Zumba Rush and there are achievements that take two people. I make it fun for her by saying "try to get 3 stars on the next dance!" or she'll say, "These moves are really hard...can I do my own thing to the music?" and I say sure! Psh! As long as you stay in the view of the kinect, I'll get the achievement for finishing a 65 minute class with two people. lolololol She's 6, so I don't expect her to have that much coordination during the Rumba.

She plays softball and rides her bike. We don't constantly sit in the house playing video games. I grew up with video games and still played outside because my parents set limits.

I think too many people grew up butthurt about rules that when they had their own kids, they decided they wouldn't set guidelines and limits and would give them whatever they wanted!


I know have better guidelines for myself. I don't eat fast food that much (maybe once a month) anymore because instead of driving through the drive thru, I park and ask myself.

1. Am I truly hungry enough to consume 800-1500 calories at the end of the day?
2. How is this meal going to make me feel in a few hours? Will I be hungry again? Will I feel satisfied that I consumed that many calories in such a small meal?
3. Would I allow my daughter to eat this meal all by herself?
4. If I cut out TV time, is it possible to go to the grocery store right now and make something better before bedtime?

99% of the time I go to the grocery store. This was months ago. Now I don't even stop because 1200 calories for a chicken nugget meal is INSANE and I don't want my daughter to think that multiple trips to fast food during the week is okay.

I don't want my daughter to be afraid of food. I want to be able to go to Rita's after softball practice or allow her to use her Pizza Hut coupon for Book It. I want her to know that it's okay to have these things SOMETIMES.

Of course it is the responsibility of the parents to keep their children healthy. Trying to blame someone/something else is a joke. Parents have to be good role models and teach their children how to eat properly and stay active.

Barring any medical conditions, it's absolutely the parents/caretaker's fault.

^This 100%^

Around where I live there has been incidents of kids being spoken to by strangers trying to get them into cars...a few of my friends have shut their kids up inside with tv/PC for company...yeah, they're getting fat...

I let my son out to play on his bike, play football etc as he has a mobile and it's been drummed into him not to talk to strangers.

I saw an article on my FB feed today about personal trainers claiming that parents were to blame for their overweight children.

It was causing ALOT of debate.

Personally I think that yes, if there is no medical reason for your child being very overweight, then it is the responsibility of the parent to ensure that they aren't eating poorly or being inactive. And if the child still doesn't lose weight it is up to them to seek professional advice about it. If a parent fails to do that then they are to blame for their child's weight.

What does the rest of MFP think?

as a mom , i totally agree, while genetics plays a role, modeling plays a bigger role, my kids are healthy because i eat healthy, i am not because well... lets just say, no matter what your parents tell you


Ramen and Saltines with butter,

really isnt a meal...

One easy solution to this problem is to call your kid nicknames like Fatty or Porkchop so they'll develop an eating disorder by their teens.

In the absence of a real medical condition, it is 100% the parents.

I am a father. I take responsibility for my daughters. Period. The only person I share responsibility with for ultimate success or failure of our children, good, or bad, is my wife.

Yes, there are outside influences on our children, but it is our responsibility to give our children the tools with which to resist the bad (advertising for garbage, bullying, school lunches, etc.) and be positively influenced by the good (school, sports, etc.).

Edit: typo (of course)

I was an obese child back in the 1970s where there weren't a whole lot of obese kids. I took tap, jazz, ballet and swimming every week.. and practiced my dancing at home. I also ate a poor diet as did most of my skinny peers.. My working mother just fed me what the other kids' working moms were feeding them (processed packaged foods, pizza, etc) but on me it turned into fat.... Also I was always more interested in food than the typical child... If I went to a birthday party and you asked me about it.. I'd tell you all about the food we had rather than the games we played or who was there. If there was food being offered, I was first in line. I was placed on my first diet at age six.

Later in life, I discovered that I have metabolic/endocrine. (hypothyroid for one) Back when I was a child, they didn't use the same tests to diagnose as they do now.. My doctor simply felt my thyroid gland and told my mother it was normal.

So, why was I an obese child? It was a combination.. I was fed a poor diet high in calories and low in nutrition both at home and at school. I was overly interested in food.. if it was being offered, I was eating it AND I had metabolic issues which compounded the problem.. It's like I was living in a perfect storm for childhood obesity.