Should parents lose custody of super obese kids?

[Angelmiss49]

that's a tough one too! a part of me wants to say yes... but then when does it stop? do we take the kids away at a certain weight? or do we take kids away just because mom buys them a hershey bar? i'm afraid that's where this would eventually take us.

I soo agree, where would it stop? A neighbor thinks you've spoken too harsh of words to you child, calls the authorities they take the child away because their feelings were hurt, is where that can lead. If the parents were forcing the child to eat so they could break a record for childhood obesity then action would seem the logical step, the parents heads need to be examined if thats the case. Even in most cases of child abuse the child is not usually removed in the beginning unless the child is in terrible danger, at least not in any of the cases I have witnessed anyhow. Teach the parent how to care for the kid and teach the parent how to say no to the kid too.

shalom,

Mizz

Or Mizz a neigbor or a the paret of a child's classmate calls cps because the kid's parents aremkaing him do his homework. I say this because I have seen stufff on the news that homework isn't imporan & it should be outltwed

[glennagail]

that's a tough one too! a part of me wants to say yes... but then when does it stop? do we take the kids away at a certain weight? or do we take kids away just because mom buys them a hershey bar? i'm afraid that's where this would eventually take us.

There can be so many reasons that a child is obese. That being said we have to do something about our kids. One of the things that has always bugged me is that the "good " food cost more so those with out means have to feed there kids things like canned foods, lots of pasta and carbs becasue they can make those go farther than say fresh fruit and veggie.

[OldKingCole]

This is a tough topic! Coming from a former hefty kid, I can def. say I do not blame my mother for my former weight. My mom was a single parent and couldn't afford to but the healthiest meals at times. Healthy food is outrageously priced! As a child I was more concerned with video games then going outside and being active, so as much as my mother encouraged outside activity, I hated it!!!

So losing custody of an obese child...I would have to say no....

I know a lot of people who call child obesity child abuse...I would say that's a strong term for the situation. However, there are situations where I feel that term in necessary...Parents smoking around their children, etc.

[Bold Believer]

What this really and truly is, is the State telling the people that their children are really property of the state and that they are warded to their parents. The government is showing itself to be like fire: An awesome servant and a fearful master.

Mom and dad are responsible for the welfare of their children. The state can only step in in certain cases, and those cases must be extreme and rare. Little Johnny and little Suzy being overweight is not an extreme case of anything except stupidity. The state has already shown it can't manage its own fiscal household. Why should they try to manage anyone's eating habits?

This is wickedness. Resist it.

[MorningGlory]

What this really and truly is, is the State telling the people that their children are really property of the state and that they are warded to their parents. The government is showing itself to be like fire: An awesome servant and a fearful master.

Mom and dad are responsible for the welfare of their children. The state can only step in in certain cases, and those cases must be extreme and rare. Little Johnny and little Suzy being overweight is not an extreme case of anything except stupidity. The state has already shown it can't manage its own fiscal household. Why should they try to manage anyone's eating habits?

This is wickedness. Resist it.

I'm going to agree, for the most part. When Michele Obama talks about healthy diet and exercise, that's a good thing. But she's not the government. When the actual government wants to police our dinner tables, it's time to revolt.

[winsomebulldog]

Yeah, this is just something that would be too hard to logistically do. As has been asked by others, how do we know exactly what the cause of the obesity is? Medical conditions can and do cause some of the issues. Poor education as to what does or does not constitute healthy eating habits can also be a serious issue. And there's always the issue of the price of "healthy" food as opposed to "unhealthy" foods. Cheaper foods are inevitably less healthy because they're produced as cheaply as possible.

There are certainly instances where the fault can and should be laid directly and entirely at the feet of a parent. Not speaking about very young children here, but I have seen real-life instances of parents who supply their super-obese children with the food that keeps them so heavy. I mean situations where the adult child cannot even get out of bed, and so is totally reliant upon their parent to feed and care for them. It's a serious problem and needs to be addressed. This kind of behavior probably begins during childhood and probably has roots in mental illness on the part of the parent. (Wanting or needing to keep their children dependent upon them forever is a possible cause.) Even in these cases, I don't think expecting the government to step in and "fix" the problem is the answer. Frankly, they can't manage what they're already in charge of. The last thing we need is for them to bring their brand of "efficiency" to yet another program.

[Guest LadyC]

stop allowing so much unhealthy stuff into foods. like high fructose corn syrup.

Amen to that!

carbs need to be eaten in moderation,

Isn't that rather the type of carbs? If carbs mean white flour, then I agree. But what of whole grains (which is hard to get a hold of)?

if the only carbs people were getting were the good ones (like from veggies) then it WOULD be in moderation! the vast majority of carbs consumed are from flour and sugar. cut those out and it would instantly moderate.

[Guest LadyC]

that's a tough one too! a part of me wants to say yes... but then when does it stop? do we take the kids away at a certain weight? or do we take kids away just because mom buys them a hershey bar? i'm afraid that's where this would eventually take us.

There can be so many reasons that a child is obese. That being said we have to do something about our kids. One of the things that has always bugged me is that the "good " food cost more so those with out means have to feed there kids things like canned foods, lots of pasta and carbs becasue they can make those go farther than say fresh fruit and veggie.

yeah, healthy food is definitely more expensive. but if you happen to live in an area where there are a lot of mexican supermarkets, you can get produce very cheap. (and walmart price matches.) i scour the sale ads from each store every week. we have more ads from mexican markets than regular grocery stores... and then i take them all to walmart so i don't have to drive to each store. i almost always pay about 33cents per pound for tomatoes and pineapple, 25c/lb for carrots, 89c/lb for grapes, etc. (lots more good bargains from those places, too!) and meats i usually price match for about 1/2 what the regular grocery stores charge. i often have to go to the mexican markets for the meat, because the price is often for bulk meats from the meat counter, and walmart doesn't have a butcher on the premises.

[Guest]

Perhaps The "Government" Bears The Blunt Of The Responsibility For This Deadly Problem?

The Inmates Rule The Streets (And Some Schools In Chicago Land~!)

Leaving The Kids Off The Streets 24/7

Imprisoned In Their Homes

By Loving Mothers

When They Should Be Running Free And Lean

~ When God Rules This Shall Not Be ~

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. Isaiah 65:25

[Smalcald]

The government needs the right to remove children who are being beaten ,sexually abused or starved (which happens in the US not infrequently).

However this is not abuse this is just a health problem and the government has no business stepping in. Besides where would they go? Our foster care system is not very good and there is usually not enough of them. The emotional damage done to a child by forcefully separating them from their family would be worse than the health impacts of being fat, and the odds are the child would not lose weight in foster care.