Parents of obese children?

Question

Who bring up their children within the lifestyle which makes them obese; fast food, fizzy drinks, computer games all day and no exercize- should this be considered neglect and what would you want social services to do for these individual families?
Realistic and idealistic answers welcome!

I'm not necessarily stating my view- I'm interested in others as it's a view I have come across recently. There was a case in the news a few months a go where a boy was so morbidly obese they tried to take him away from his family. Social services don't simply 'punish' parents but can also provide guidance and assistance to parents, families and children.

Answer 1

This is one of the most stereotypical questions I have seen. Your question offends me deeply and I hope you will read this answer though it is long.

First of all, obesity is not a crime or horrible thing. It is society that has a problem.There are plenty of worthwhile and lovely and kind and active obese people.

2nd-- obesity is a multifaceted disorder with multiple causes.

3rd, people who are obese are not always junk food eaters. People have a genetic propensity towards obesity.

I am obese and I have an excellent diet likely far better than most people. My allopathic medical doctor is extremely into alternative health as am I.

I have been eating out of health food stores and coops for 28 years. The doctor has all her patients keep a one month food journal of everything they eat. Most of her patients are very much into health and heath foods, supplements, etc so they are more aware than the average person and that is why they sought out this particular doctor. She told me I had the best diet of any of her patients.

I have been eating things like tofu and tempeh and bulgar and kefir and miso etc over 25 years, long before most people did. I have a diet that is 95% vegetarian and 80% vegan and 50% of my diet by volume is produce. You are wrong to say that obese people eat junk food, fast food, fizzy drinks, pop, etc. This is a common and inaccurate portrayal. Some do and some don't. Not all parents of obese kids feed them junk foods.

In college I learned that obesity has several theories about its cause other than diet and exercise, like set point, etc and other metabolic disturbances. Many obese people eat less than thin people.

Finally, lack of exercise is a national problem and schools share some of the blame for cutting and devaluing phys ed classes. I student taught at a school that did not even hire a gym teacher but had the classroom teacher teach gym to her class once a week.

There are plenty of parents of thin or average children who overdo computer games and discourage exercise and constant TV watching. There are lots of parents of thin or average weight children whjo eat all manner of junk foods. Do you propse taking away their kids? No, because their's is hidden and the obese child's
is apparent and assumed to be a result from this.

That you would even ask the question is insulting to those of us overweight people who are excellent parents and great achievers in life. I would stack my kids against yours or anyone else's anyday.

For instance, my youngest won good citizen of the year 5 years in a row at school and the oldest who a multiple inductee in who's who among American high school students, an honor going to 1/2 % of the nation's teenagers. They had so many honors and positive comments from teachers and adults and were well liked by their peers.

They are now grown, one is obese and the other is normal..they were essentially reared the same. Obesity runs on my family and I attribute their weight differences to one being bottlefed and one being breastfed on demand with child led weaning (to age 4)..as this impacts the number of fat cells and how they perform.

They had excellent diets. Back in the days when I was less informed, my youngest when he was a toddler used to say "mom, if I am good, can I have some liver?" (or spinach? He got some strange looks.


If you think children's services could have done a better job had they taken my kids from me, you are sadly mistaken. From what I have heard about children's services., they are the last ones capable of giving advice.

I am VERY offended you asked this question.

Answer 2

I think it is a form of neglect, of course it is. I have a 6 year old son and a baby that's not started on solids yet, but everything I cook them is made from scratch. Of course there are the odd days when we have takeaway, but that is the exception rather than the rule.

The fast food establishments do have a lot to answer for, if it wasn't for the toys that are marketed along with the meals then my son wouldn't be bothered at all about a happy meal from McDonalds.

I'm not saying children shouldn't have the stuff that's bad for them, but just in moderation. Anyone can follow a recipe for fresh homemade food, and it doesn't have to be time consuming.

I work full time too, so anyone using that excuse is a load of balls.

Answer 3

The pitfalls of excessive behaviour,careless diets and living habits can be seen in alot of families today because of the lack of awareness programmes, time and interest constraints for actually patterning a healthy lifestyle and the lack of proper infamily role models.
It is neglect of a sort but often stems from blissful and optional ignorance. So instead of punishing the parents, social service can go about bringing awareness programmes into the living room, organising competitions and fairs to propagate healthy lifestyles, creating support groups to help remedy victims of this neglect.
Often children are brought up with all the right patterns, but when they leave home early, their genes and propensity for unhealthy eating could get activated by the freedom of being independent or the wrong type of friends or lifestyle. So do not always blame the parents!

Answer 4

Supermarket's help this problem by selling crisps and fizzy drinks so cheaply - a child will eat what he/she is allowed to eat. There is enough information around on healthy eating for people to improve their own and their children's diets. Has anybdy seen Honey, we're killing the kids? It is a programme which introduces healthier lifestyle choices to a family and show's computer generated images of what the children will look like at the age of 40. If a child's health is putting them at considerable risk then Social Services could look at supporting the family with healthy eating, exercise and medical care if diet is not the reason.

Answer 5

How will we find the "neglectful" parents of the thin or average kids whose parents feed them crap..go to any grocery store checkout and watch the crap people buy...this comes from people of all types of weight and affects kids of all weights.

I agree you are stereotyping and judging people based on hearsay and your own narrow views.

You are hurting parents and kids who are already hurting enough from society's harsh judgement of their worth based on your ignorant views as some of the parents above have stated. Not anything is under control. I suppose if people like you were in charge, all overweight people would be killed or sterilized so as to not offend your sensitivities and standards of acceptance.

Overweight and obese people have done many things to enhance and benefit society and most overweight people have some of the most down-to-earth personalities and kindest hearts around. You are not helping their struggles for acceptance , by posting this garbage.

I am certain a screwed up agency like children's services would turn out kids who had mental and emotional problems far more than parents who indulge their kids..be they fat or thin.

As a former el ed teacher, I saw many fabulous obese kids and concerned, involved obese parents...and wouldn't dream of suggesting they were neglecting their kids as most were wonderful, involved parents and had great kids.

Neglect from obese kids was generally accompanied by other signs of neglect such as having emotional problenms, wearing the same dirty clothes each day, non involvement in the kid's school life,etc. and not merely from being obese.

Answer 6

The most natural and healthy diet for humans is an omnivorous diet, and not a plant based diet, or a meat-based diet per se. The Paleo Diet can be very widely varied and omnivorous for the most part, but the most important thing is that it’s unprocessed, and avoids the worst foods that agriculture brought mankind… refined inflammatory vegetable oils, refined grains (some are worse than others), and sugar! Learn here https://tr.im/vmo4Z

As you can see, the benefits of adopting a Paleo way of eating can be incredible! I’ve been eating 95% Paleo for the last 5-6 years and I’ve never felt better. I have dozens of friends that have adopted a more Paleo way of eating too, and have seen all sorts of health problems disappear, including eliminating acne and other skin problems, digestion problems, improving brain clarity, and of course, losing a lot of body fat!

Answer 7

This question hurts me.
I have an 11yr old daughter who is very heavy, she weighs over 150 lbs....
Neglect is a harsh word, seeing that the doctor, blood work. and all the test that she has gone through have so far all failed!
Yes, she sometimes has candy (like all children her age)
But she does not "pig out" on this crap daily.
I love my little girl more than words could explain, so we will NOT give up on why she gains weight so rapidly.
And as far as exercising, she has gym class every day, we go for walks everyday, and she is also in swimming lessons.(3rd year).
Don't you think hearing her cry, "why am I so fat" hurts enough????? It is incredibly hard when a mother can't fix a problem her child has!!! Don't worry she is loved.
And by the way, her school is very helpful, and encouraging for her as well.

Answer 8

I certainly think that parents need to take some responsibility for these poor kids, but it is probably as much about education and guidance as about any sort of punitive action.

Although we are focusing on the kids, the problem is really broader. In many cases, the whole family is eating unhealthily and lacking in exercise. The real problem is that large number of kids are being brought up in an environment where these things are the norm. We don't have a hope of changing the children if the rest of the family keep eating pies and watching tv...

I think we need some sort of education programme for parents. The problem is that the ones that need it most are least likely to turn up, so we also need some sort of encouragement. Perhaps, child benefit payments only occur if you have completed the course...

Answer 9

My view on it is the parents are entirly to blame for obese kids,its the parents that buy the groceries,its the parents who give them pocket money.Social services need to educate the parents on healthy living,ok not many people can afford 5 a day fruit and veg but it doesnt mean one has to fill the cupboards with crisps,pop,sweets etc.Im a single parent on very low income i feed my kids as best i can yes they like pop and crisps who doesnt but there are limits.

Answer 10

I agree with 'Sweets' and 'Mrs.Star's' comments. Parents need training on these issues. The most regrettable thing about this is, why do they need training? It should be natural for a parent to do the best for their children. It should also, of course, be plain common sense.