Should the obese 8-year-old in England be removed from his mother's care?

Question

Also, do you feel that letting an 8-year-old hit 195 pounds is abuse? If so, what would you say it is worse than, and what would you say it isn't as egregious as?

Answer 1

Yes he should be removed from his Mom.. Then his mom needs to take some *Healthy eating courses* and loose some weight herself...

Some of your words are bigger than I am... lol

GOOD LUCK

Answer 2

Interesting question.

My first thought, when I heard the story was that it was another case of over-reaction, however, it appears this woman has been offered help and not used it. She has been given the informatin on healthy diets and not used it.

None of the family seem to look particularly healthy...

I don't feel it has anything to do with poverty. You can buy cheap fruit and veg in any supermarket. It may not be the highest quality, but it's still fruit and veg and not fattening.

It's cheaper to make your own lasagne or pizza for example, than it is to buy one, and it's healthier too.

I know this because I am far from financially well off at the moment, but my son has a healthy, balanced diet and looks well on it. He is slim, his hair is in good condition and his skin is clear. It's not difficult to maintain, and should certainly not be considered a problem to learn if it means protecting your child.

Apparently she can't stop him from eating, and she's tried to lock away crisps/sweets/chocolate etc. Easy answer to that? Don't buy them in the first place!!! The money saved could be used for buying better quality fruit and veg!

I do think it's abusive, and if people find that word too extreme then it certainly comes in to the category of neglectful, which can often lead to abusive...

I am a 5' 6" 30 year old woman who has given birth twice, and this 8 year old child weighs about 5 stone (70 lbs) more than me!

I personally don't think it is "worse" than any other form of abuse, in the long term it is damaging not only to his physical health but also his mental and emotional health. It may not seem as bad as say sexual or physical abuse at first glance, but it's long term effects are potentially just as damaging.

Yes, I do think he needs to be taken away, temporarily. He should be put in to a residential home for clinically obese children to lose the weight.

In order for his mother to be granted the right to have him back she should make changes to her and her whole family's diets, and prove she has done so. Otherwise it would all return to bad habits when the child went home, and he would grow up the same and treat his children (if he is lucky enough to live that long) the same.

Vicious circle.

CG.

Answer 3

First off, who knows that its not a medical condition? Some kids gain weight at a rapid pace, and theres never a reason as to why. Im not fully convinced that this mom has nothing to do with it, but on the same hand im not sure that she should have him taken away thats just wrong. You know how many kids out there are obese and in his shoes. They are everywhere and theres no reason whats so ever to pick on this one lady, Help her help him lose the weight. Thats what i think. We have 4 boys, our 8 year old only weights 45 pounds and is considered "underweight" our 7 year old is 75 pounds and considered "overweight". They 3 healthy meals a day, and maybe a snack. Thats it. Some kids are just wired different and its harder for them to lose or gain. I dont think its the governments position to take this boy away. That will only case more harm to the situation.

Answer 4

I agree with the idea that what's needed is intervention (following diagnosis and evaluation so that there is a better idea of what combination of intervention and counseling is required). I think that removal of the child is not a real answer and could lead to makiing the problem more complicated for botht he boy and other members of the family. The problem is that we don't generally have, in the Western world (not just in the U.S., or Canada, or England) adequate ways of dealing with the interests of children and society of the effects of distortions that may occur (now or downstream) in the way that children are raised, whether in traditional families or as a result of social norms or influence of friends. I think this whole area, physical and psychological, requires more attention, beyond the experts and extending into major social awareness.

Answer 5

I think it is abusive, or atleast neglectful. I dont believe he should be removed from the home, but I do believe the mother should be made by the court to attend some parenting classes, and nutritional and diet courses.

That child may very well have made it to adulthood in good health, only to balloon up and reach 600 pounds all on his own, or he might have been an excellently healthy individual who was active and fit, sad thing is, he doesnt have that option right now. He'll be so unhealthy by then.. it'll be a wonder if he survives.

None of them looks to be very healthy.

Answer 6

Well, I don't think the boy needs to be taken away from his Mother, per se, but it is quite disheartening to know that she isn't doing what she should for her son's health.

Being morbidly obese is abuse, in my opinion. The kid doesn't have a glandular problem, he just eats and eats and eats...and his Mother isn't doing much to stop him. She pretty much said that she tries to get him to quit eating so much, but then he just bugs her about food and she gives in to his demands.

At the rate this 8-year-old is going, he will die of a heart attack by the time he is 30. Parents need to take better care of their children, and treat obesity like the disease it is!

Answer 7

I think he should temporarily be removed. He needs to be in some sort of facility that can help him lose that weight quickly. Meanwhile, that mother needs counseling and training in nutrition and parenting. I think letting/enabeling a child that age to get that large is absolutely abuse! That boy did not get to be that size overnight. Why was she not doing anything about the problem when he reached 125 lbs, or 150 lbs, or 175 lbs???? She had plenty of time to deal with her child's weight problem and has grossly neglected the issue.

You want to compare it to other types of abuse; well instead of typical emotional abuse to the child by the parents, this child is going to be emotionally abused by everyone he meets (every child on the playground, every stranger he passes on the street who's going to give him dirty looks). Let's talk about physical abuse, this child could literally die tomorrow from a heart attack. He may not have bruises, but you wanna tell me it is not physically painful for a child that size to walk around, let alone climb stairs or run around!

Answer 8

Well.... I don't know how much it will help to remove the kid from his mother. I mean, if u think about it most of the people in the world right now are overweight.... Tho 195 is a bit of an exageration. I think he should be helped but by taking him away from his mother won't help much.

Answer 9

Greta question! Sure could be fun to debate this question. I would say it is a form of abuse. How dare the parents try to blame McDonald's? How does the child get McDonald's? HHMM???Sounds like they have serious parenting issues. It is abuse and they will be charged with neglect and abuse when the child dies of a heart attack at age 12! It is sad that a parent would allow their child to eat like that. Can they say Gluttony? Is that not a sin?

Answer 10

At first, I thought it was horribly irresponsible of this mom for letting her son get so huge and that "yes" he should be taken from her. However, as I thought more about it, I thought of my 8 year old step-great-nephew who was recently taken from his mom and step-dad because he was being physically and emotionally abused. He was originally conceived as a last-ditch effort by our step-niece to keep a man (who was already married and had fathered other out-of wedlock babies). He hit the high-road as soon as he found out she was pregnant and has never been around. From birth, our nephew has been treated poorly by his mother. The only person close to him who really loved him (my sister-in-law, who was his step-grandma) died when he was a baby. I have seen the pictures of this obese boy and his mom in London. They are happy, they love and care about each other and I think it would be more detrimental to the boy's health for him to be put in "the system". I think a better approach to helping this boy is to put him and his mom into a residential-type setting to test him for medical reasons for his obesity and to teach them both how to eat right, make good choices, exercise, and get on the right track to reverse any health damage that has already been done. I think something does need to be done, but taking him away from his mom is not the best solution unless it is what needs to be done to make mom realize how serious this is.

Answer 11

i presumed breaking apart families in worry replaced right into a generally American obsession! This proves me incorrect, i assume... If his ear grew to the dimensions of an umbrella, or his foot grew to the dimensions of a ski, no sane guy or woman blame his mom! fat is a single device made up of tens of millions of extremely user-friendly platforms interior each and each cellular. Do your homework. There are hereditary subject concerns that reason obsessive ingesting. Has this been governed out by skill of any physicians who focus on bariatric subject concerns? perhaps somebody needs to do their homework...