What's your opinion on this?

Question

At the store, a grandmother was walking with her 2ish This child had one of those bigass bottles of *MOUNTAIN DEW.* This child was what I would consider grossly obese. There was no shape to her face, her belly was indistinguishable from her chest, her arms looked like sausages coming out of this little t-shirt she had on, and when she walked her thighs never separated - and she walked with the classic "obese person's walk" - you know, with the legs below the knees splayed apart from each other.

IMO, this is at the very least child neglect, if not child abuse. I know some children have thyroid issues, but there is NO way that the vast majority of kids these days are just "ill."

What do you think? Should doctors who see this children report the parents for neglect? Abuse? Keep their mouths shut? How can parents do this to their kids? If you disagree this is horrible treatment, what is your justification?

A question about bottles and soda reminded me of this encounter.

Sorry, edited for length and wrote first sentence wrong - should have said Grandmother was walking with her 2ish granddaughter.

To the idiot who thinks I'm "shallow," please remind yourself that I'm speaking about an obese *child* - you do realize that children can be obese - that I wasn't *extrapolating* that the kid may someday be obese - but that she IS obese.

And while the walk I describe may be attributable for some people to arthritis, it is *also* incredibly characteristic of obese people. How do I know? My mother is obese. My neighbor is obese. I've seen more than one obese person walk. I didn't say it was *only* obese people who walked like that, so you're assuming something - fortunately for me, your assumption didn't make a you know what outta me - just yourself.

If I were shallow and judgmental, I'd be talking about how ugly fat people were - not about how I feel it's child abuse to give children 32 ounces of Mountain Dew while the child can barely walk because they're already the weight of 10-year old at 2. And the arthritis? It's many times due to weight. So bugger off.

And Miss Genetics - so the 32 ounces of Mountain Dew has nothing to do with it, eh?

*snork*

Hey, Colleen? I have 2 kids - neither have ever walked that way. Neither have the children of my 2 best friends,or any of the children that I see weekly at my church. Maybe you're testy b/c your kids do?

So, tootsie, just because YOU'RE okey-dokey with children being "big-boned" (*snork*) doesn't mean they're not obese.

You may be just dandy with burying your head in the sand and pretending obesity in children doesn't exist, but don't expect the rest of America to follow suit...

Oh, wait, your mindset is the problem and it's gaining (oops, pun intended?) - so maybe people with your mindset will win out, but then you'll all be hopelessly screwed by the time you're in your 30s because you and those like you will be unable to work or function in any meaningful way thanks to the health problems parents like this child's inflicted on them with their crap. We need this for a reason:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/which-car-seat-for-an-obese-child-406/overview/index.htm

http://homecaremag.com/mag/medical_obese_children_show/index.html

http://www.webnat.com/hi/ObeseKids.asp

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-research/summaries/woo-obesechildren.jsp

You do the math. If people like me are just "shallow," then tell me why so many organizations have to make special car seats and provide websites to assist with this *epidemic.* Or I suppose we're all just shallow for noticing when children are freakin' unhealthy?

Oh, good grief, Miss Genetics - are you serious? I'm sorry, perhaps if I would have written, "the Mountain Dew bottle was stuck in her mouth as though it were a bottle of oxygen providing life support to a firefighter in Hell," that would have made it clearer that she was *drinking* it?

Oi *big roll of eyes*

Answer 1

Yes, I feel that this is very much on the verge of Child abuse. I think that parents today who get their children into these situations should be got for child endangerment/neglect. I think that Dr's should be reporting these things esp. if they find there is nothing medically wrong with a child who is obese. I know my boys cry and cry for "junk food and soda pop" and I give them some OCCASSIONALLY. But it's not an everyday thing. I agree with you that parents should be held accountable for what their children consume. I mean, they would get a person for child endangerment if they let their kids have some kind of household posion. What do they think junk food is??? Just look at the kids that are getting Type II Diabetes, and heart disease. If that's not posioning them, I don't know what is.

Answer 2

I do not agree with this behavior. Just today, I was at a dinner and there was an obese mom and her very obese 5 year old son. They were thr first one's through the line and they were the very last ones done eating and there were well over 100 people eating. He would want to get up and play and she would tell him to sit and finish his dinner. It was making me kind of mad. The kid can't even climb up the ladder on the swing set. It is sad. Parent's need to take responsibility and be the parent! And, yes, I would consider it neglect when they are obese enough that it is going to cause health problems.

Answer 3

you are asking opinions so i will throw my .03 cents in (inflation).
health care providers are required by law to report any instances of what may be perceived as a form of child abuse and or neglect of a minor child or they themselves can be charged with the same (but it becomes felony then). how can a parent allow this to happen? they may and more than likely in the same boat as the child by being obese themselves and don't really see it as a problem, "oh he/she is just big boned" is the most common remark. the answer to that is just pure cut and dried ignorance,
the health and care of the child should be instinctive to the parent(s). then comes the question, should ignorant people be allowed to produce children, well they have the same rights as anyone, they may just need a little more help. this subject is just that, subjective, and is, somewhat volatile to many but it should be addressed. better education should be provided to inexperienced people. and i think since you asked for opinions, it should come from the fast food industry, snack foods people
the quick meals types etc. i could keep writing about this but a lot of people (who don't have the time ) won't read it , which is in of it's self is another cause of this issue.

Answer 4

I don't care how over weight a child is Soda should never be in a bottle. I understand where she is getting at ( though her explanation may have offended some). Genetics aside... some folks have bad eating habit's that they pass down.Especially in the U.S.A. Actually Mountain Dew should never be in the hands of a baby.Healthy eating start very young.Unfortunately the"bad" habit's we as parents ALWAYS reflect on our children. I think parents who don't teach their children healthier eating habit's are setting their child up later. The longer we exercise our habit's. The harder it is for us to break them later.

Answer 5

I do think that parents over feed their children just to have them doing something and leaving the parents alone. Too many parents are lazy anymore and wont get up and play with their children. They just plant in front of the tv and allow the children to eat whatever they want so they will be left alone of they plop the children in front of the tv and let cartoons raise them.

Answer 6

I think that at two years old it is impossible to tell if the child is going to be obese...I think YOU are a very shallow and judgemental person And obviously you haven't seen ALL obese people walk because the walk you describe is actually the walk of someone with arthritis in their back, and even anorexic people have that walk. I think maybe when you are able to walk on water you can judge others as you see fit, until then keep your opinions about others to yourself you're not God.

Obviously you didn't read my very first comment...again you ARE shallow,. There is no way you could determine that a "chubby" 2 year old is obese. ALL toddlers walk the way you describe...hopefully you will never have the chance to have children because heaven forbid they walk like a two year old!!!

Answer 7

One word for ya sweetie...... genetics........ just because the parents are waffers doesnt mean that the kid'll come out the same..... Genes tend to pull from generations back, so it may not be either the child or the parent's faults.....

And no the mountain dew may not have anything to do with it..... u just saw the kid with the bottle, she just may have been holdin the darn thing........