What Do you Think Should Happen to Parents Who Allow their Young Children to become Extremely Obese?

Question

I see extremely overweight pre-schoolers being bought 2-3 donuts at my job. Then wash it down with sips from mom's soda drink.

I was watching a tv show yesterday and the 12 year old girl was 321 pounds. Her mom feeds her c**p. The child never ate a salad in her life. She did not even know what an apricot was.

I think the parents are setting their own children up for a life of mental (self esteem) issues, not including the obvious health concerns.

This should be considered child endangerment when the parent allows this to happen (when the child has no medical issue-)99% of the time))

Answer 1

as sad as it may seem nothing should happen.....every parent has the right to parent there child how they deem worthy

who are to tell them how to raise there kids....i wouldnt want someone telling me how to...

Answer 2

well frankly they should be charged with child abuse

if you beat your child to death you would be prosecuted but if you feed him to death that's OK

Answer 3

They should be taken to court and charged with child abuse

Answer 4

The parents should be charged with child abuse and forced to take classes to teach them about proper nutrition and exercise (which may also benefit the parents- check out the parents of a lot of these obese kids and you'll see where the kid gets it). Seriously, it is not hard at all to keep a kid from getting obese- my parents have never been crazy health nuts, nor have they ever really been very controlling of what I eat, yet I've always managed to be just a bit below average weight. This tells me that these parents always give their kids junk food and that self-control is never mentioned under their roof. They seem to think that they'll somehow damage their kids if they deny them anything, but they're doing a lot more harm by endangering their health (both physical and mental). Of course, the same isn't true for the people who actually do have health issues or take medications that make them gain weight. (I know that this does really happen sometimes because it happened to a friend of my sister- she was really skinny until she started taking a certain medication and hasn't been able to lose the extra weight since.) However, that's not at all a common situation; many more people use it as an excuse than there are people that it truly applies to.

Answer 5

Its a form of neglect! I have 2 kids, My son eats all vegies and salads, my daughter doesn't. So I give her vitamins and make sure that she only snacks on healthy things. yes of course they have lollies and chocolate, but this is kept down to a minimum. Both my kids are a healthy weight, and I would really blame myself if they weren't!

Answer 6

health and welfare

Answer 7

They need to go to parenting school or something because letting your child be fat is like killing them

Answer 8

You are leaving out a major component of obesity.....genetics.  Are you going to persecute people because of their genetic makeup?  That smacks of the Third Reich.

*edit*  See my question posted in reponse....basically Phil Y read it and then regurgitated my theories in his answer to THIS question.

And for those giving my thumbs down....what is YOUR phd in?

Answer 9

well i think the parents need to start a work out routine and eating healty with their kid becuz it does create alot of problems

Answer 10

What's the quote:  "You need a license to own a dog but any ****

can be a parent?"  Something along those lines.  

Are we going to legislate this too?  Are we going to take children away from parents who smoke with them in the house, car, what have you?  Are we going to lock up expectant moms who drink or smoke while pregnant?  Where do we draw the line?

Most parents do the best they can, their parents probably messed them up first and they don't know any better.   I would wager that the parents you describe are overweight themselves?  

I don't have a good answer to your question.  I am an opponent of more legislation, I think when the government gets involved things get worse.  (Personally I want the government to keep its nose out of my life and its hand out of my pocket. )

I feel bad for the kids (and their parents) but I don't know how you fix it.

Answer 11

i am a mother of a 6 year old boy, and we do not really do sweets in our house. (i stock a 6 pack os cola for guests....but it's gathering dust now...) when my son and i want a treat, we bake...brownies, cookies, cakes....but i alter the recipie to be lower sugar, lower gluten etc... i have been teaching ,my son the importance of heathy eating, and there have been times when he goes to gramma's and comes back after a sugar binge there and regrets it. i think that parents who willingly let their their children become overweight, should be help accountable. i think they should have madatory excersise programs where parent AND child are to  participate, as well as a coarse on the effects of exteme weight gain on the mental side as well as physical.

just like if you beat your children, you have to be taught how to manage stress and anger issues. as far as i am concerned, parents are to be teaching children not only how to obey and develope their childhood, they need to lay the building blocks of health for adulthood as well.

Answer 12

Parents should be charged with neglect, and forced to take mandatory parenting classes, as well as bring their child to a nutritionist/trainer to help fix their lifestyle/weight issues. If they can't do this, the child should be taken away. Morbid Obesity is a SERIOUS issue..much more than just "looking fat". People die from being too overweight. Some people should just NOT be allowed to pro-create.

Answer 13

Well there goes our freedoms one by one - Hey I don't agree with their methods of parenting but I don't want any interference with my Rights.

Do right by your child when or if you have one or teach health awareness.

Answer 14

When technology surpasses the evolutionary imperative for natural selection, we invent new ways of killing off large amounts of people.

This is one of them.

Oh, and fat is where the amount of adiposal tissue hanging from your arms, waist, and thighs exceeds the mass of muscle hanging on the aforementioned parts. Obese is when there is a large margin.

That's not society, that's medicine. But feel free to increase your blood pressure to the point of blindness, have blood sugar levels high enough to hook you up to the Wonka factory, and enough cholesterol coursing through your veins to plaque up the Golden Gate Bridge. They make extra-large coffins now.

That was really mean, wasn't it... Oh well, sometimes 'tis better to slap a hand than hold it.

Answer 15

in my book parents don't wanna say NO to their children.

Answer 16

Obesity is due to either glands or overeating, period. The incidence of glandular problems is very low. Therefore most fatties are fat because they eat too much and it is bad for them.

Allowing or causing a child to become fat is to my mind cruelty, abuse, endangerment, whatever- and the parents should be hauled in front of a judge and ordered to sort their act out for the sake of the child.

If this involves simple education then great but the chances are it will need enforcement.Failure to act should mean they lose custody if necessary. Who is more important? Lazy parents or children?

Answer 17

Well for one I don't think it has anything to do with our RIGHTS as one person stated. We as parents do not have the right to do with our children as we please, if we did there would be no need for child protection agencies.

This is not a parenting style. It is out and out ignorance and when it gets serious it borders on neglect and endangerment.  A large amount of the parents doing this are overweight themselves and they really just need to be educated on how to set up a healthy lifestyle as far as eating and exercise.

Alot of it is pure laziness, they don't want to listen to their kid whine so they give in and give them a cookie, or they say that that is all their kid will eat.

When it starts giving the child health problems as far as diabetes and asthma and not even being able to play with other kids' it has gone too far and someone does need to step in for the protection of the child. I am not saying the child should be taken away, but some of the parents simply need wake up calls and some resources to help them out.

My kids' tell me all the time that their friends at school bring redbulls in their lunch boxes and come to school with lattes, and this is 4th and 6th grade. Alot of kids, and kids where you think they have good parents, so it makes me wonder what makes parents think it is ok? Another time my kids had a bbq party at school and one of my daughter's classmates was mad that there were only going to be hamburgers so her mom (on her lunch break) brought bacon and cheese for her to put on her burger!

P.S. How could someone not know what an apricot is? My 5 year old knows what one is.

Answer 18

I agree. I think the situation should be assessed by a case worker, and depending on the severity of the situation certain actions should be taken.

Answer 19

I feel its basically child abuse and should be treated as such.

Answer 20

It's hard to answer this question without sounding like a hater of fat people, but this scenario calls for grounds for removal.

I agree with you that the parents are the perpetrators in this situation and are not fit to raise a child.  The nation already has a terrible obesity problem, and these types of parents aren't helping any.

Answer 21

I do not believe that it is society's place to say whether someone is fat or not.  I grew up in a family where we relied on food as a sign of love and I know that many other families are like this as well, but I do not feel that anyone other than the individual should be held accountable for their food intake.  When I was younger I would focus on dieting even if my parents were not, I know that I will always struggle trying to keep weight off, but it is not anyone's business than mine.  If my wife doesn't like a little extra meat on her husband then she married the wrong guy.  I think it is starting to get ridiculous how people want  governments and officials to be responsible for other's actions....Why can't a parent be responsible for their child's food intake, if it makes the child fat, the child will be called fat and picked on, if it means enough to him to change his diet he will.  We are continually trying to make life easy for everyone, but that is not the way life is.   Furthermore, if someone wants to eat 10 Big Macs a day he should be able to, he understands that this may have an effect on his lifespan, but feels that the satisfaction of eating it is worth it.  I think you may want to review your thoughts on this issue.

Answer 22

At times I wonder why these parents are doing that. They don't realize their children are going to get bullied or tease while they are in school. Do they ever think of that.. I am mother of two boys. They eat healthy food. At thanksgiving I make them eat good amount of healthy food before they can have deserts at the table there. Right now if you see my 6 year old son. You probably think I am not feeding him at all. WHich I am feeding him. He is skinny and under weight. Since he was born I had hard time for him to gain weight like his doctor wanted him to. He 46 Pounds but he gaining weight. I don't starve my kids or anything. But I do make sure they eating something healthy.

Answer 23

It really depends... What would you do in my case.... I have 4 children... My 3 yr old is a thin 23 lbs.. my 8 yr old is a tiny 50lbs my 22 yr old is 112lbs but my 13 yr old is 235lbs... they all eat the same and the 13 yr has no metabolic conditions. We have taken her to doctors and dietitians... Should we be charged?

Answer 24

It's pretty harsh how the parents let their child end up like that. my uncle in law's wife just had a baby. she's about 7 months and she can eat a whole potato and a whole big mac, my mom can't even finish a big mac.  its so sad. she's heavier than the my 10 month old baby cousin.

Answer 25

Gosh - that is a tough question.  It should be endangerment because it is definitely endangering the child's health and future.  But, generally, the government doesn't tell people how to raise their kids so it isn't likely they are going to step in on this one.  A lot of times it is because the parents are fat and stupid also.  They don't know about proper nutrition.  It is really sad for the kids.

Answer 26

it's not always the parents fault that their children are fat. the 2-3 donuts and the c**p feeding is but not all parents feed their fat kids like that. seriously my mom cooks meals that are more what you should eat. i'm not saying that i don't eat more than what i should i mean i am almost 300 pounds, but junk food can't necessarily make you fat. you can fat from overeating anything.