Obesity in Children

[jaspurr]

I was watchng Fox earlier and as this news article has reached your distant shores I thought I would get your feelings on the matter

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6402113.stm

Basically an 8 year old child is 4 times his normal weight and the authorities were considering taking him away from the mother for child cruelty/abuse. She feeds him 3 fried meals a day plus a snack every 20 minutes and blames the authorities for not acting sooner. What is it with this attitude of it is always someone else's fault? People need to take responsibility for their actions. As it was he is staying at home. Do you think they should interfere or leave them alone?

[alpha]

thats over 200 pounds! :shock:

its an interesting question though, typically i would say let people do what they chose to, but since it involves a child (at age 8 ), who you could argue does not have much control in the matter, i'm sorta on the fence on this issue

[BigTwinky]

While this is not child abuse, what the parents are willingly doing to the child is going to greatly harm him in the future, immediat and long term. The health issues this kid will have at a young age will be nasty, not to mention the emotional problems with going through school being the fat kid.

So while they are not physically hitting the kid, they are still doing huge damage to him.

You can even say its neglect. They would take the kid away if they were not feeding him, so this can be considered the other end of the spectrum.

While parents are a key part of any child growing up, just because you gave birth to the kid doesn't mean you have the right to do what you want with them.

You should need a liscence to breed. To many people have kids that should never even be taking care of a hamster.

The above was said assuming that there is nothing biologically wrong with the kid and that its the parents lifestyle and what they do to their kid that is making him the way he is.

[The_Crazy_Ace]

The authorities should most definitely intervene. Of course, determinin what the intervention and treatment for the child would be would open an even bigger can of worms.

[jaspurr]

Interesting. It seems none of the leave them alone voters are willing to say why. :?

[(DSP)-Bar]

3 fried meals a day and snacks all the time.. that is dangreous.. kinda like our micky Ds boy who ate big macs for a solid month and was starting to get sick. I would say that a crimnal case would be a no but I feel that someone should intervene due to the safety of the kids health. I feel the parents have a right to feed their kid what they want as long as it is within reason but this hits the out of bounds line.

[{CLR}PermethiasRain]

hmmm thats a tough one obesity in kids can be from a few different reasons for some its genetics but for the parents who feed their kids like they are a bottomless pits it almost is a crime they are not givin their kids a chance society can be tough on over weight people all the jokes and allienation im a proud parent of two and i couldnt imagine one of my children being 4 times the weight they should be thats really sad in cases like that maybe someone should step in cause the parent obviously isnt lookin out for the childs best interest and a child certainly doesnt have the ability to make the choices until they are older that is good topic alot can be said about this one

[Zurog]

Skeletal Stress
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Balding
Sweat
Horrible smell
Tooth decay
Heart Attack (Potential Paralysis, Brain damage etc)

Not very fun stuff. No one wants to be or have any of those symptoms. However they all have one common attributer, obesity. So when you say "some 8 year old weighs 200 pounds," I'm some-what shocked and a little sad. However just because it's upsetting to see some kid whose going to have trouble down the road (most of us do regardless of our upbringing) does not mean this needs to be dumped on the government's shoes.

We do not live in a socialist society. It is not the governments job to take care of every single person in the nation. While government should be there to provide support and aid when times are dire (disasters, depressions etc) this is not something that falls under that category. In the case of this kid, it should fall on his parents to know what to and to not feed their kid. They should have a fair understanding of what is and isn't healthy, what is and isn't nutritious, if by nothing else than personal experience. If the government were tasked with going after every single parent who makes a bad decision regarding their child(rens) future, there would be no such thing as parents, just government agents raising kids.

So what, Zurog? Just gonna let the kid die because you don't want to shovel over extra money? No. I'm not saying that in the least. Helping kids like this lose weight, keep it off, and educating parents on the proper foods a child needs to properly developing is something that can be, and usually IS done by an NPO (Non-profit Organization). An example, which is the actual opposite of the situation, is the Christian Children's Fund, which helps kids get educated, eat, and stay healthy. There's a slew of information on the net available about obesity, how to prevent it, and how to get rid of it. http://www.obesity.org/

This is something PEOPLE need to do. This is not something that the government should just routinely take care of. We do not live in an Orwellian 1984 society, and trying compensate for anyone's inadequacies as a parent or a human being is perpetuating a control society. Who is Oceania at war with? No thanks, not me. If people were truly taken aback by this, get involved in an NPO that helps fight something like this. I'm sure they're out there.

PS: PermethiasRain: There's this thing to the left of the comma and to the right of the question mark. It's called a period. Proper punctuation is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack, off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse. <3

[thedeadlyassassin]

Thedeadlyassassin's theory!


Fossil Fuels will not cause global warming, all the fat people's farts will

[{CLR}PermethiasRain]

lol zurog i will keep that in mind thx for the tip :D

[Zurog]

Thedeadlyassassin's theory!


Fossil Fuels will not cause global warming, all the fat people's farts will

Actually, scientists agree, more pirates = less global warming, which negates any flatulent.

[BigTwinky]

hmmm thats a tough one obesity in kids can be from a few different reasons for some its genetics but for the parents who feed their kids like they are a bottomless pits it almost is a crime they are not givin their kids a chance society can be tough on over weight people all the jokes and allienation im a proud parent of two and i couldnt imagine one of my children being 4 times the weight they should be thats really sad in cases like that maybe someone should step in cause the parent obviously isnt lookin out for the childs best interest and a child certainly doesnt have the ability to make the choices until they are older that is good topic alot can be said about this one

Dude, you typed all that with no spaces or punctuation.

[{CLR}PermethiasRain]

i know it wont happen again sorry :(

[juneau]

i know it wont happen again sorry :( :group:

[Scowl]

"He refuses to eat fruit, vegetables and salads - he has processed foods.

"When Connor won't eat anything else, I've got to give him the foods he likes.

"I can't starve him."

This part stuck out for me. No, I'm not the supreme authority on proper child rearing, but this lady is way too soft on her kid. Reading the above quote, the first thing I thought of was, "Why not? He'll eat fruits and vegetables before letting himself starve to death." I mean, come on. Here's a salad, here's some fruit, there's your dinner. Eat it, or don't eat at all. And what's all this "he refuses" crap? How about if he refuses to go to school? "Hey, mom, I refuse to look both ways before crossing the street. I refuse to listen to you. I refuse to obey the law."

Hell, when I was a kid I sure wished that I could refuse anything my parents told me to do. And I'm certain that, if that were the case, now I'd be dead or in jail.

[{CLR}PermethiasRain]

juneau thats very nice of you we all need a hug from time to time even the people who dont know how to use punctuation :D thats me lol

[BigTwinky]

i know it wont happen again sorry :(

Liar!

juneau thats very nice of you we all need a hug from time to time even the people who dont know how to use punctuation thats me lol


:o :hit: :P

:cheers:

[darth_nevus]

hmmm thats a tough one obesity in kids can be from a few different reasons for some its genetics but for the parents who feed their kids like they are a bottomless pits it almost is a crime they are not givin their kids a chance society can be tough on over weight people all the jokes and allienation im a proud parent of two and i couldnt imagine one of my children being 4 times the weight they should be thats really sad in cases like that maybe someone should step in cause the parent obviously isnt lookin out for the childs best interest and a child certainly doesnt have the ability to make the choices until they are older that is good topic alot can be said about this one

Dude, you typed all that with no spaces or punctuation.

Hey that's my job. im the messy typer!

[jaspurr]

Skeletal Stress
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Balding
Sweat
Horrible smell
Tooth decay
Heart Attack (Potential Paralysis, Brain damage etc)

But that's enough about jaspurr.....LOL :twisted:

[MrHazz]

hmmm thats a tough one obesity in kids can be from a few different reasons for some its genetics but for the parents who feed their kids like they are a bottomless pits it almost is a crime they are not givin their kids a chance society can be tough on over weight people all the jokes and allienation im a proud parent of two and i couldnt imagine one of my children being 4 times the weight they should be thats really sad in cases like that maybe someone should step in cause the parent obviously isnt lookin out for the childs best interest and a child certainly doesnt have the ability to make the choices until they are older that is good topic alot can be said about this one

Dude, you typed all that with no spaces or punctuation.

Hey that's my job. im the messy typer!

Hey, you guys are are starting to make me look good! :twisted: :D

On the topic here. The mother should learn that there are other things then being a fry cook to feed your kids! All tho I would not mind stopping by her house once a week for something. :D
The mother needs a class on how to take good care of her child and have someone checking on them from time to time.

[Duke{CLR}]

As a general rule I think the less government gets involved the better. It is not against the law to be fat. If someone wants to make that a law then where do you draw the line? Then do we start testing for cholesterol? Then maybe we should require everybody do 50 push ups every morning. Then we get regulation on the food we eat and finally some day we all just eat soylent green.

Its interesting see that you have lazy parents over there as well. This mother is obviously not doing her job and I think its despicable. Now what if she spanked her son for not eating his vegetables then would the spanking police would come by and take him away?

[BigTwinky]

I agree, its not against the law to be fat. As ADULTS, we have that choice.

Kids usually don't. Kids depend on their parents to make the right choices for them they are not able to make. That is where the difference is. What she is doing to her kid is not right, and she is doing it by choice. And no, just because he whines that he wants fries isn't an excuse.

What she is doing is neglect. She is neglecting to make the right choices for her kid. I know, no one is perfect. We don't all make the right choices. But this one is pretty obvious.

Same as someone who would not feed their children. Its not against the law to be anorexic. Health problems, mental problems, social problems will all start popping up in both cases.

While I also agree that the government should usually stay away from family situations, this one crosses the line in my books.

[Duke{CLR}]

I think going down the road or regulating what parents feed thier kids would be a mistake. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[BigTwinky]

I think saying regulating what they feed their kids is a bit much. I wouldn't go that route. But when there is neglect, someone needs to step in.

Duke, what about if they don't feed their kids? Or they give them the bare minimum not to starve them to death. Should someone step in?

What if the parents enjoy trying to keep the kid awake as long as possible. This can have serious consequences. I don't think how much a kid sleeps should be regulated, but I do think someone should step in.

Its not an issue of saying that a kid needs 134g of protein, 73g of fat each day and anything above that they will be fined.

[Scowl]

Instead of regulating what kids eat, how about more regulations on what's available on the market? The fact is that the vast majority of the food we eat has all kinds of garbage in it. It's made that way because it means larger profits for the food industry, but for us it means serious health risks.

Of course, that would all be too late for this kid (not that it'll ever happen, anyway). In his case, maybe some kind of assistance is called for, even though such a thing shouldn't be necessary. Someone mentioned non-profit organizations; I think that would be a more suitable alternative to government interference.

[jaspurr]

Interesting responses. IMO it is nothing short of child abusea and therefore someone needs to step in as they have in this case. The parents will get all the support needed at this stage as will the child. The authorities always try to keep details of children secure in such cases but his very thoughtful mother paraded him in his underwear on national television so he is off to a bad start with regards to further abuse from his peers. Well got to go eat....Later

[Scowl]

Interesting responses. IMO it is nothing short of child abusea and therefore someone needs to step in as they have in this case. The parents will get all the support needed at this stage as will the child. The authorities always try to keep details of children secure in such cases but his very thoughtful mother paraded him in his underwear on national television so he is off to a bad start with regards to further abuse from his peers. Well got to go eat....Later

Now that I did not know. My opinion of this woman just keeps dropping further and further. What the hell is she thinking? I'm almost always against taking kids away from their parents, but she seriously makes me wonder if that wouldn't be the best thing in this case.

[BigTwinky]

You will never have food regulated to the point of cutting out the junk food. The world is run by corporations, and doing such would mean such a huge drop in profits, not to mention the loss of jobs, that it will never happen.

[MeepZero]

Now I could take part in the "meat" of this discussion, but Ill "chew the fat" with an entirely different approach.

...and blames the authorities for not acting sooner.

WHY THE HELL IS THE MOM BLAMING THE AUTHORITIES ON THIS?! It sounds like shes not at fault for WILLFULLY giving her kid a bucket of fried chicken every 20 min. Sure we could fight the whole "child abuse" kick, but how bout the "insane mom" kick? It amazes me how little parents will take accountable for their kids. And god forbid anyone just outright say "hey mom, your kid looks like a minivan packed with little debbie snacks, quit feeding him porkchops!" Or just as much, the mom actually takes that thought and does something constructive with it. But OH NO we cant view it that way can we (we being the american scociety of overly politically correct whiners that we are...)

:pissed: :pissed: :pissed:

[MrHazz]

I get the this kind of carp day in and day out. :roll:

[Alley_Viper]

I don't think govt. should get involved. I think all of her neighbors need to gang rush her and point out the fact that her 8 year old is now 200+ pounds of chewed bubble gum.
Refuse food hell... Like was stated earlier, leave a salad in the fridge or some fruit on the table with nothing else for a few days.. I bet his tubby ass would eat it then! Even taking him to the park to hose him down for a weekly bath might get the point across! I blame things like that on the parents as well as the kid. By 8 years old, most kids know full well how to manipulate others to get what they want, and do it constantly. Mom needs a backbone and a cherry switch.
Now I know there are some people born with medical problems that can cause them to be rather large, one of my nephews is like that. Valid reason there! "I have to feed him what he likes to eat" or crap like that is not, and needs to be tattoo'd on her forehead.

[Zurog]

I'd like to bring to your attention that I took the first anti-intervention stance AND THEN everyone started. I basically set trends.

[Duke{CLR}]

I didn't mean to post and run but I had a van to catch.

You will never have food regulated to the point of cutting out the junk food. The world is run by corporations, and doing such would mean such a huge drop in profits, not to mention the loss of jobs, that it will never happen.

They are trying to ban trans fats in NYC restaurants. Once the government goes down a path like this it won't stop. What will they try to ban next?

Should we take kids out of a home where the parents smoke? Or expose their kids to violent video games? There are parents around here that are horrified that my son plays with toy guns.

Big Twinky quote ( I dont know how to do two quotes :oops: )
"Duke, what about if they don't feed their kids? Or they give them the bare minimum not to starve them to death. Should someone step in?"

Of course, Not feeding a kid is abuse, food is a need. Deciding what kids eat should be up to the parents not someone else. This case is disturbing the kid faces a long life of health problems and social issues. I am not sure what should be done I just don't think government is the answer.

[33milk33]

hey guys... 200 pounds??? ii just seen this on internet... 400pounds kid..

wow.. i feel bad to her. i think she is only 7 years old.


http://emuse.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/15068

check it out. i do'nt even know if that's cuz of sick or she just eat too much. man.. i really gonna start on diet.