should morbidly obese children be taken from parents?

alpha_andy
alpha_andy Posts: 160 Member
in Chit-Chat
I just learned that this is going on in the UK:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/seventy-four-kids-taken-care-protection-3190690

Anyway I thought this would be an interesting topic.. please keep this polite.
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Replies

  • c2111
    c2111 Posts: 693 Member
    Without reading the article (I'm on a very poor tablet) I'd say yes, sorry I know it won't be a popular answer , but children can't help themselves and if the parents won't and as you said super morbidly obese I presume you mean intervene or left to die
  • sassypants0923
    sassypants0923 Posts: 7,188 Member
    Not necessarily
    But maybe some counseling for all
    I never want to see kids taken from their families unless the situation can't be helped
  • jshay295
    jshay295 Posts: 110 Member
    Perhaps, I think considering the state most of the developed countries are in , that some amount of funding should go towards programs that are designed to teach the whole family how to eat properly(I mean, a professional working one-on-one with these families). If families went through a course like that , and still were found to be making poor choices later then yes, I think there should be consequences.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    No, foster homes and the CPS system are already overloaded here in the US. Also in before the lock.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    Situations need to be accessed individually, but no, I do not think that the child should be removed from the parents because of this reason.

    I have 6 sisters, all of whom are normal sized. I was the fat sister. Why was I fat and not the others? Because I ate more? maybe, predisposition? possibly. So remove the child from the family unit? Pretty harsh in my opinion.
  • ladybarometer
    ladybarometer Posts: 205 Member
    I worked in the group home system and worked with kids on Foster home.. Trust me, they are better off with their parents if the worst of their problems are being over fed or not being taught proper nutrition - that's something that can be taught, and their weight is something that can be fixed or changed, but to strip them from their family and put them with strangers that may or may not abuse and mistreat them is just wrong. There are better ways.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    I stay out of other family's business unless I am 100% sure something terrible is going on. To make a blanket statement would be ridiculous.

    I am never for having the government stick their nose in my life.

    There is no clear answer.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    what a horrible thread.:indifferent:


    this is neither fun nor games:angry:
  • krouse83
    krouse83 Posts: 182 Member
    Just my opinion, but no. I think there needs to be more education for families about healthy eating. Being in the social work field, I see alot of parents and families trying to do the right thing for their children, but they just don't have the knowledge or tools to be successful.

    Now if a parent was forcefully feeding their children unhealthy food and had no intentions of teaching their children how to eat properly resulting in medical conditions that they are neglectful to address then that is a different story.
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
    what a horrible thread.:indifferent:


    this is neither fun nor games:angry:

    + 10000!!!!!!
  • tammys_changing
    tammys_changing Posts: 657
    No. I believe we sometimes slowly kill our loved ones with kindness. Literally! I also think that action could make a child more insecure and cause deeper damage in the long run. However I'm not against intervention. Instead the family as a whole, should be offered the opportunity to learn a healthier living style. Then go from there.
  • d_Mode
    d_Mode Posts: 880 Member
    No child should ever be taken from a parent unless they're being abused or harmed. When it comes to the issue of morbid obesity? Why cause the child even more stress? We don't know the reason for their illness? There could be more going on? Who will decide who is morbidly obese?

    According to my doctor and everything I read, I am obese and I have been this way all my life. It's a slippery slope. Education would be a better course to follow don't you think? Some sort of assistance might be nice, but then again, who will pay for it?

    I just say NO. Instead of taking them away, who ever wants this, should foot the bill to lead them back to a healthy state and ideally, it should be the parents. Just remember, not all parents are created equal. So live and let live or die.

    If my child was morbidly obese I would do something about it and would fight anyone who dare try to take my child away.
  • alpha_andy
    alpha_andy Posts: 160 Member
    I raised the question originally. I don't know what the right answer is. I do think more should be done in the US to stop childhood obesity. It's just not fair to the kids.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    As someone that has worked to reunify families, this should (ALWAYS) be a last resort. There is significant damage done when removing a child from the parent(s). In home parent education and other educational/nutritional supports should be utilized first.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Not necessarily
    But maybe some counseling for all
    I never want to see kids taken from their families unless the situation can't be helped

    This.

    People do not realize how traumatizing removing a child from a loving parent can be for the child. The child doesn't see anything wrong with their relationship with their parents. To be taken away from someone that hugs you everyday, tucks you in at night, and tells you that you are the most special thing in the world can be utterly devastating for the child.

    It's completely different when a child is beaten. The relationship is clearly damaged. But to take a child under any other circumstances is really harmful to the child's psyche.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    Yes, in my opinion. It's child abuse. Work with the families first, to teach nutrition and exercise, and healthy habits, but if the parents refuse to change, and providing the child doesn't have some sort of medical condition that makes for a certain body type, then yes. The children should be removed.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    I think you should make a new thread about pull ups.:happy:
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    what a horrible thread.:indifferent:


    this is neither fun nor games:angry:

    Then start a boobie Friday thread.
  • Ashes_To_Beast
    Ashes_To_Beast Posts: 378 Member
    Governments need to take accountabillity before they mess with anyone's children, look at daily recommende foods on most government site's, most recommend approx 7 servings of Bread(rice,pasta,cereal) witch are mostly simple carbs and loaded with sugar and only recommend 2 to 3 servings of meat and or milk/cheese/yogourt.
    You misinform society and then make them accountable, they should have government funded programs to educate on PROPER nutrition and funded exercise programs and then if nothing is done by the parents to help these kids, the government sould step in.Because the children suffer for everyone else mistakes once again.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Seems to me that this is an extreme response to a situation with very little information about whether or not there was any sort of compulsory education for the parents before hand. By taking a child away from their parents you teach the child and parent fear, by making resources available to teach people a healthier lifestyle you're giving them what they need to change the situation. If the government is going to pay money and waste resources by putting a child into the system, then there's money that can be diverted into education.
  • MB2MN
    MB2MN Posts: 334 Member
    I think the issue of poverty is really what needs to be addressed first. Parents living below the poverty line often can't afford to purchase good quality food for their children or themselves. Some people will argue that if you do the proper research you can find healthy, cheap food but the fact of the matter is if you are raising 3 kids and working at least 1 full time job (perhaps more) you just don't have time for that.
  • d_Mode
    d_Mode Posts: 880 Member
    I think you should make a new thread about pull ups.:happy:

    hahaha... don't get him started!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I have to go to work but I'm going to put this here preemptively, because there's no other way this thread could go:

    1474222_o_zps732426dd.gif
  • mruntidy
    mruntidy Posts: 1,015 Member
    Only if the parents are under threat from being eaten...
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    I think you should make a new thread about pull ups.:happy:

    hahaha... don't get him started!
    it is my ultimate goal

    guess what? I can do TWO push ups in a row now.

    I will do a pull up even it takes me another year.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I have to go to work but I'm going to put this here preemptively, because there's no other way this thread could go:

    1474222_o_zps732426dd.gif

    I wish everyone would stop condemning this thread before it gets started. So far, everyone is in agreement. Though, I am certain there will always be that one troll that rocks the boat. But, maybe, hopefully, rational people can see that for what its worth and keep it civil...

    Hopefully...
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    There is more to life than how much a person weighs. That is particularly true in terms of parents and children. I think that removing a child from a parent's care should only happen in situations where intentional harm is being done. My guess is that is not the case when children are morbidly obese. What is happening may have many roots, but I am guessing a big part of it is parents who have no concepts of how to prepare healthy meals, or cook at all for that matter. They are not doing it to intentionally harm their child, but out of ignorance they are doing their best to care for that child. In light of that, it seems a much more positive approach would be to implement programs that would help them understand what is happening, and give them the ability to care for their child in a way that allows for healthy home cooked meals. This is but one factor that I can think of, but I know from my experience with people both rich and poor, that many people have no idea how to prepare meals from scratch, so TV dinners, fast food, and the like are what they make because it is what they know how to make. Rather than assuming the state can somehow care for children better, when it is only one aspect of their life, healthy eating, that is the issue, would be wrong. Deal with the root of the problem, not the symptom.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    I think it's very sad to take children away from their families...but if their lives are at risk, I think it's a last resort.

    The problem is, they probably won't return the children to the families at any point.
  • LarryDUk
    LarryDUk Posts: 279 Member
    I think the entire family should be taken to the middle of the village and stoned to teach everyone else the same lesson!

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