Morbidly Obese Children- Abused?

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  • srslybritt
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
    I read and can comprehend that his BMI is 41. I'm saying that not ALL cases of OVERWEIGHT (being above overweight does still mean overweight) children shouldn't be treated the same way.

    Really? Why so aggressive?

    felt like I'd scrolled through a lot of child cruelty apologia by the time I'd posted, if someone had starved a child that thoroughly would that be abuse? but whether feeding them so much junk they weigh the equivalent of two adult women by the age of 11 amounts to abuse is debatable? feel a bit despairing

    poor boy

    I'm going to specify again.

    I wasn't talking about this case specifically. Someone needed to step in, and they did.

    I'm saying that not all cases need to be handled the same way.

    Glad we could clear that up.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    Agreed that I can't say it's abuse, but bad parenting.

    I think it stems from people's general ignorance (not knowing) about nutrition. You hear pieces all over the place about super foods, about the food pyramid, about exercise, and there are people like physical trainers and dieticians who know about this, but educating the general public is a difficult task.

    Not only educating them, but that they're willing to do something about it.

    Most people - if they're ANYTHING like me (and I disbelieve I'm the only one who did this) - when they leave home, it's like "WHOOHOOO - I can do what I want, where I want, and how I want - NO MORE RULES FOR ME!!!" And that applies to food intake. Then they have kids, and unless they're into or studied nutrition in any way shape or form, they have no concept on how to teach their kids the right way to eat.

    My own parents - my mother put bacon grease in darn near everything she cooked from the green beans to frying eggs in it, to greasing the pan for the cornbread with it. BUT she'd tell me to eat more carrots and celery because they were healthy! (Not trying to really disrespect my mother, just making a point that it includes her, and her mother, and her mother's mother).

    It's incredibly sad for the child.

    There are times when a relationship is considered "toxic", and I think that's where they were going, that it had developed to a toxic level, and the parents/mother enabled the child to get to that point, and didn't know better. Sometimes they can put the child in a recovery center while the parents learn appropriate ways to deal with whatever issue(s) is(are) at hand. I would have rather seen something like that happen rather than CPS come in and remove the child "by force".

    Educate the child separate from educating the parents, and teach them how to be together - that's what I would have liked to have happened. But that's just me.
  • amwbox
    amwbox Posts: 576 Member
    Here's one angle: If it were a dog, and it was allowed to become morbidly obese, we'd call it animal abuse. Same is done to a child, and its not considered abuse.

    Because....dogs are more important than children?
  • danstvguy
    danstvguy Posts: 46
    Not sure where this boy lives but in the U.S. his future, without intervention, would be of progressively worsening health issues. If alcoholism is an illness why shouldn't morbid obesity be as well?

    Problem is that obesity is gaining acceptance in our culture ...... When I was a teenager we had to strip for gym class and climb ropes, run miles, and do calisthenics ... now P.E. is an elective. The Wellness Coordinator at my last company was about 50 lbs overweight .... and I saw a documentary on the "Fattening of America" recently where the specialist and Obesity Expert doctor being interviewed was noticeably fat. Shirttails out worn out all around the office and women often wear house dresses to work ..

    Its getting easier and easier to be fat and feel good about it in America.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    In this case I think it is abuse.

    The family would have received doctors help and counselling etc for free before they decided to take the child away.

    The parents clearly made no effort to try to help him lose weigh and just made excuse after excuse. So yes, if after all this they needed to take him away for his health it is clearly abuse. If he had started losing weight they wouldn't have taken him, and at that weight and age it should be easy to help him lose something at least.


    But

    I wouldn't say that in every case - as people have said you have to look at each case individually, but then that is true for a lot of things.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-25299764

    Also not the first time in the uk. And you'll note that in this case the child lost weight while in foster care, which would suggest the decision was a good one. I hope this happens with this poor boy.

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