Should Parents be charged with abuse/endangerment if they're child is obese/overweight due to overfeeding?????

Question

I was watching Maury and they had the overweight babies on there. So I go to thinking shouldn't they be charged with something because there is no reason why these kids should weight this much. There was a four year old that weighed 120 pounds. I am a mother of 2, my son is almost a year and barely weighs 20 pounds. I feed him whatever he wants and I give him all the things he needs but yet he isn't overweight? Its all about portions. They were giving their kids like 4 chicken wings and waffles and candy for breakfast. In my opinion they're hurting their kids by overfeeding them mostly junk. What do you think?

My son will be one January 6th and his doctor says he is a healthy weight. He is 18 months and 30 inches long. My child isn't consider underweight according to his doctors. He was five pounds at birth.

Ok, I don't make fun of fat people. I'm not making fun of these kids. I just think that they need help and they should be forced to feed their kids better. I have a hard time telling my kids no you can't have sweets, hell I love sweets myself. I'm not a skinny person I'm 5'2 and weigh 140. So, please don't think I'm the type of person that'll laugh at overweight people. I'm just saying something should be done to save these kids. No its not my business but if they're talking about my kid stops breathing in her sleep because of overweight then hell maybe something should be done. Not to the point where they loose their kids but this is crazy. Both my kids eat a lot and they are small, but everybody is different.

I don't starve my son! I thought I was overfeeding my son honestly until I found out how much he weighed and just because my son isn't very big doesn't mean anything. Ok maybe criminal charges are too much but still they should be forced to be educated better to make their kids a healthy weight.

Answer 1

I agree with you to a point. If it is a child that is too young to get thier own food ( like a school age kid) then it has to be the parents. My son is also 1 and a lil on the small side from being early, he eats a healthy balanced diet, he would rather have pickles than ice cream, which I personally think is odd but hey thats just him. My friends nephew is the same age as my son ( only a few days apart) and they weighed almost the same at birth, ( only a few ounces different) my son weighs about 23 pounds and hers weights almost 40. and its not like he is "stocky" or anything he is just sloppy chubby. Her sister feeds him whatever she eats and pretty much the same amounts. I once saw her feed him 3 sloppy joes and a huge pile of french fries for lunch. I left the house in tears because of what she is doing to that child, my son has been able to walk since about 9 months. Hers can barlely get to his feet with help. If i could charge her with child endangerment i would, in this case it is 100% her fault. But once kids are old enough to get into things them selves and go to school and buy there own lunch there isn't much you can do. I think parents need to teach their children good habits from the get go so they have the tools to keep making good choices once it is up to them.

Answer 2

If a kid is that overweight then the parents should have to go to special schooling every night along with the child. They should have to pass a course in order to avoid having charges brought against them . Just like driving. Screw up and you lose all. Same with a kid. You want that child? Learn to do it properly or lose the priveledge. And while they're at it, if the person becomes pregnant with another then they should take that/those kids too. It's not funny. But the worst part is that too many have babies and are just too lazy to get up and make them a meal. Kids pretty much eat whats in front of them. No matter where or what. Bad enough they get into the dog food. yuk
And if it's just the girl with the kid then the father of that child should have to attend that schooling too. Maybe if they had to sit thru courses of how to raise children they would think twice about producing them. They didn't ask to be born. Both parties should be held responsible.

Answer 3

No I do not think they should be charged right away.
They should at least have a chance to feed the kid healthier things. No matter how much they eat, its what they eat. Breads, starches, pastas...NOT GOOD! Sugar...not good! I think they should be given a warning about it, maybe probation? And get help from the doctors or somebody who will help them make better choices, and if after one year there is no or little improvement...then maybe they should be charged.


By the way, don't worry my daughter is 1 year and she is 17 lbs. She is real skinny and muscular. All of the baby clothes are baggy on her but they fit her length wise. So its just the way she is made/shaped whatever...same with big babies too. But everybody expects a baby to be a bit chunky over weight and then too thin out later on in life ...
It is not always the parents fault because if a kid is hungry and begging for food...are you going to be able to say no? Im not sure but sometimes it does go a bit overboard. Same way with skinny babies, you cannot FORCE them to eat. You can try and try to get them to eat...but sometimes they close their mouths and refuse. There is nothing you CAN do. Nobody can CONTROL their children, all we can do is teach the
things we know and try and encourage them to make the right choices and noone is perfect!

Answer 4

I actually agree with you. Usually I'm against any government interference with anything but they're obviously hurting their children by their actions. I've seen those shows as well and you hear the parents say well they want the food. Yes but they don't need that much food...and you're their parent! You have to set your foot down and keep their well being in mind before their "wants". Personally the second my daughter starting gaining weight like that I'd be at a doctors office, either asking about what I was feeding them wrong or about thyroid and pituitary issues (they run in our family). I mean really...just because you child wants something doesn't mean they need to have it...especially when it's 4 bowls of ice cream for breakfast.

Edit: I don't mean children with health issues that can cause obesity and are currently adhering to the medical plans made by doctors. I mean the children who's parents feed them a bag of cheese poofs and 4 hot dogs as an average days lunch.

Answer 5

Parent should be held accountable for their children's weight, especially when they are under the age of lets say 12. As a parent you are in charge of the food that you child consumes. I know when they are between the age of 1 and 4 they are usually picky eaters but if the only thing they like to eat is chocolate cake, as a parent you would n't give them that very day. It's about portion control and healthy choices. There are are so many ways to get your child to eat a balanced meal. Also parents need to understand that they are responsible for all of their child's actions, weight, education etc. After all parents are the molders.

Answer 6

I can't imagine a 4 year old weighing 120 lbs. Feeding candy for breakfast????? That IS the parents fault. I agree, this should be considered abuse.

No Jen I do NOT laugh at fat people. I am VERY anti appearance predjudice. That doesn't mean I am not concerned about the very real obesity problem in the western world.

Answer 7

I watched the show this morning too and thought the same exact thing. I couldn't believe that woman said her daughter was fine. The other thing that shocked me was the mom who is scared of her son because of his temper tantrums. If my son ever acted like that he would be in very, very big trouble. My son is a year old and already knows to not throw tantrums in public.

For those moms who kept saying that they hide the food so their kid can't get it is so lying. There is a reason for overhead cabinets. Unless the child is, in most cases, 5 ft tall they are not going to get the food, or better yet don't buy it.

Answer 8

Some peoplea are genetically prone to gaining more weight than others. Most parents are giving their kids junk food and not spending time with them, but there are those that have kids who might eat a well-balanced meal and still be overweight, so I'd say no because right now we don't have enough knowledge of people's genetic make-up to do anything about it.

Answer 9

no because theres other reasons my daughter was premature born 27weeks weighed 2lb 1oz she was always underweight 9th percentile shes now coming upto 10 and is a little overweight my next daughter was 7lb 4oz at birth and shes so thin underweight but tall there all different my children are healthy and try my best give them fruit and veg but these babies must have something wrong with them i know it looks awfull but i would deff say no to child abuse unless like your saying what if some parents are doing it on perpose you never no

Answer 10

Very good question. Parents are truly stupid to not be aware about portion sizes and healthy foods to feed their children. I think if a child is that overweight that the parents should definitely be held accountable.