200lb 8 year old boy....

jbdowns35
jbdowns35 Posts: 352
in Chit-Chat
has been taken from his mother and placed in foster care. Social services say they worked hard with the mother for 20 months to bring down the boys weight. Anyone want to weigh in?
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Replies

  • TerraGirl17
    TerraGirl17 Posts: 275 Member
    I really don't understand how an 8 year old child can weigh that much, what was the mother feeding him?? My 8 year old daughter weighs 55 lbs and I would say she is very healthy
  • chrissym78
    chrissym78 Posts: 628 Member
    Poor kid! I heard about this. My 8 y/o son weighs about 75 lbs and he is on the chunky side of a growth spurt. I can't imagine how he'd function at 200+ lbs.
  • sing4me4you
    sing4me4you Posts: 88 Member
    When I saw that story, my first thought was how scared he must be. Feel bad for both the boy and his mom.
  • Pkiddy
    Pkiddy Posts: 145 Member
    I'm assuming he has been tested for all kinds of illnesses to eliminate a medical reason for his weight. Personally, Child Protective Services waited too long, they should have given her 3 months, we all know there can be a change as fast as that. I'm glad he is now under supervised care - this is the best thing to happen to him.
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    Cant imagine a 8 year old that weighs as much as I do .. WOW... my 7 year old is 60 lbs soaking wet...
  • DietingMommy08
    DietingMommy08 Posts: 1,345 Member
    R u serious!?!? My 3 year old is around 40lbs and with his height the doctor ALWAYS presses the issue that hes 3% overweight, how did they let that poor boy get that big?!

    That is disturbing and i agree, child protective services did wait FAR too long.

    My heart goes out to that little boy.
  • sylvuz323
    sylvuz323 Posts: 468 Member
    Cant imagine a 8 year old that weighs as much as I do .. WOW... my 7 year old is 60 lbs soaking wet...

    I just had a moment and realized he weighs more than I do...not good at all, but definitely has to be a traumatic experience to be taken from your mom.
  • arykh24
    arykh24 Posts: 64
    the child has obviously NOT had a picture perfect life thus far. Like many adults, he may have unknowingly turned to food for comfort and now he is obese at an early age. Very sad...but can be reversed if someone would take the time to teach him and work with him.
  • CallieDerenthal
    CallieDerenthal Posts: 170 Member
    i work as a nurse at a peds clinic and was horrified when i read that story. we have so many kids that are obese due to lack of exercise and poor nutrition. it's heart-breaking to see the health issues that come with all the extra weight at such a young age. hopefully the system can work with the child and his family to get him healthy and back home.
  • suegmune
    suegmune Posts: 81
    My 3 year old is around 40lbs and with his height the doctor ALWAYS presses the issue that hes 3% overweight,

    Really? That's almost disturbing to me....that they'd consistently press the issue....my two year old (2 yrs 5 months) is over 40 lbs...and our pediatrician doesn't say much of anything. I've brought it up numerous times, and she is not concerned at the moment, says he's growing normally (he's very tall too). Hopefully with my better eating habits, my son will eat better too.

    About the boy in the topic....that's sad. I would never want my kids taken from me for any reason. Wonder if she tried, or perhaps needs help herself. And, I think there are too many people that have no idea how to eat right.....perhaps she had no idea, or didn't get help (Financial reasons?). I don't know. Its not my place to judge without any other facts.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    My heart goes out to the boy and his family. I have mixed feelings. I did fostercare for 7 yrs and adopted 3 kids from the fostercare system, and they all have problems. Alot of there problems stem from attachment issues, but most of them would have attachment issues even if left in the home it is the type of environment they come from that contribute to these issues but sometimes taking them from the home makes it worse. I could write a book on this subject.......just sad
  • TWrecks1968
    TWrecks1968 Posts: 138 Member
    I have to say I am truly on the fence about this one. It is devastating to think of an eight year old boy at 200 lbs. I do think that is child abuse, just like smoking in a car with kids in it, not restraining your kid or child seat in a car with a seat belt, or taking them to a Rated R movie. I just get nervous when Child Protective Services get involved with parenting. I don't know, this is so extreme, and this definitely shows a gross amount of neglect on the parent's part. What would a foster parent be able to achieve, get the child in a weight loss program? Would foster parents that the authorities pick be qualified for that or care enough about the child to make sure he gets the help he needs. Almost all of my children are rail thin because they move around all the time, but my seventeen year old was with me through my heaviest, and he struggles with his weight. I took on the responsibility of taking him with me to the gym to lift and go out for bike rides and walks. It is making a difference. I would just want every possible avenue tried before the kid is taken away. That would be just too traumatic in my opinion.
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    My heart goes out to the boy and his family. I have mixed feelings. I did fostercare for 7 yrs and adopted 3 kids from the fostercare system, and they all have problems. Alot of there problems stem from attachment issues, but most of them would have attachment issues even if left in the home it is the type of environment they come from that contribute to these issues but sometimes taking them from the home makes it worse. I could write a book on this subject.......just sad

    There are two different issues here.

    1. The child definitely needed to be removed from the home.
    2. There needs to be more accountability within the foster system.
  • jbdowns35
    jbdowns35 Posts: 352
    Social Services waited WAY too long!!! I hope they didn't JUST put him into foster care, he needs professional medical help. I hope the foster family is prepared to care for this child. Poor kid. Can you imagine the pressure this 8 year old is under? He has to loose so much weight in order to be back with his mother? I wonder at what point his mother will be allowed to regain custody & will she then be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle for him? I'm assuming she is also overweight & has poor health habits.
  • Lily_1
    Lily_1 Posts: 38
    Let's not judge others. It is most wrong with this world. Our society is so quick to judge others. The reality is that this is more common. Childhood obesity has a myriad of factors, this is just one case that has made national headlines. It started prior to this child's life and can be attributed to not only what he eats but other toxins in his neighborhood, school, as well as his emotions. We can however become more informed and learn from this enlightenment and start by making better choices for ourselves and our family members and loved ones. We are all connected. To observe this type of condition in such a civilized society clearly indicates the issue is much bigger than 200lbs and has gone on for more than 8yrs.
  • DizzieLittleLifter
    DizzieLittleLifter Posts: 1,020 Member
    I'm going to step out of the box here and say I don't agree with the child being removed from his home, BUT I never saw the articles. Instead, the family should have been required (court ordered) to see a Dietitian, family counseling, weekly meetings and weigh in. Even a week or two at a "weight loss camp". Every option should be exhausted before removing a child from their home. The mother may not understand how to help her child lose weight and the child (I have a 9 year old) IS capable of sneaking food, and making his own bad food choices. If they live in an inner city it may be possible that the only food options close to them are fast food. Think about it, there isn't a grocery store on every corner in America, but there sure is a fast food option. In that case they would need nutrition counseling. It's not always just clear cut black and white "yeah take the kid away". :(
  • epona_mus
    epona_mus Posts: 207 Member
    On the other side of the spectrum...

    A couple convicted last year of starving their infant daughter because they feared the baby would become too fat have lost permanent custody of their three young children

    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016882590_labberton29m.html

    If we are going to remove children because they are not being fed ENOUGH because of the impact to their health, it seems fair that we remove children from homes where they are being fed TOO MUCH and it is impacting their health.

    However, don't get me started on the broken system that is Child Protective Services...
  • dragonbait0126
    dragonbait0126 Posts: 568 Member
    I read another article about this that was posted in another thread that said the foster mother is having issues keeping up with all of his appointments and treatments and they are offering extra assistance to her. This all started when the mother took him to the ER because he was having trouble breathing. There was some type of agreement or program in place where CPS got involved. None of the articles I read stated that the kid had been tested for any type of disease or genetic disorder before being taken. I don't know if they did or not. I would HOPE they did. I think there are way to many facts that are not known about this case to pass judgement. I'd be curious to know what type of assistance the family received to help the kid before he was taken and if why the results they were looking for did not happen. Not to mention the numerous other factors that could contribute to his weight. He's 8. He could be trading his healthy lunch for something else at school. Or eating his lunch plus one from the school. Or sneaking food. The mother could have financial issues were she couldn't afford whatever is was that she was being told to do. I don't know and I don't want to place any blame anywhere as it could be a combination of a multitude of things. I just think that there are way to many unknown facts to be able to make a judgement on this.
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    I'm going to step out of the box here and say I don't agree with the child being removed from his home, BUT I never saw the articles. Instead, the family should have been required (court ordered) to see a Dietitian, family counseling, weekly meetings and weigh in. Even a week or two at a "weight loss camp". Every option should be exhausted before removing a child from their home. The mother may not understand how to help her child lose weight and the child (I have a 9 year old) IS capable of sneaking food, and making his own bad food choices. If they live in an inner city it may be possible that the only food options close to them are fast food. Think about it, there isn't a grocery store on every corner in America, but there sure is a fast food option. In that case they would need nutrition counseling. It's not always just clear cut black and white "yeah take the kid away". :(

    The original news reports say measures like this were taken, and the family did not comply.
  • Lily_1
    Lily_1 Posts: 38
    Let's not judge others. It is most wrong with this world. Our society is so quick to judge others. The reality is that this is more common. Childhood obesity has a myriad of factors, this is just one case that has made national headlines. It started prior to this child's life and can be attributed to not only what he eats but other toxins in his neighborhood, school, as well as his emotions. We can however become more informed and learn from this enlightenment and start by making better choices for ourselves and our family members and loved ones. We are all connected. To observe this type of condition in such a civilized society clearly indicates the issue is much bigger than 200lbs and has gone on for more than 8yrs.

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