I was watching the news this morning in Los Angeles and there was this little boy that was so over weight he could bearly open his eyes. I'm thinking how could this have happened. Then I noticed that the mother was over weight as well.
However! My mother was obese while I was growing up and I was never over weight as a child. I'm a little thick around the edges now, but I'm 25 and that's my own fault. Seven-years-old is WAY too young in my opinion to be morbidly obese.
What do you think?
Is her heart in the right place just a little misguided?
-OR-
Take her kid away and never give him back!
2007-03-23 05:24:38 · 18 answers · asked by Nemesista 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
oh wow, this is so sad. I think, since the mother is also obese, she probably is just very uneducated on proper nutrition. That does not by any means excuse the fact that she is putting her son's health at serious risk! I think the first step would be a court order that the family MUST be counseled by a dietitian and her son needs to be put on an exercise routine under the supervision of a cardiologist. If she refuses, or if things don't improve after she has been educated on the harm she is doing to her child...then I would call it child abuse and yes, her son should be taken away from her.
2007-03-23 05:32:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
You are right that is way to young for a child to be morbidly obese....I think there are others to blame than just the mother such as the child's pediatrician being morbidly obese does not happen over night someone should have been telling her to change the child's diet before it got this bad. I think taking the child away without giving the mother a chance to change her habits is wrong she, clearly need help though. A nutritionist should be hired and a fitness trainer. If the child continues to gain weight because the mom fails to try to change her habits then he should be taken away.
2007-03-23 12:34:59 · answer #2 · answered by missbellacherie 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
There are a couple things that need to be looked at.
What is the child eating? If he's eating junk food and fast food all day, then obviously that is most likely the cause of his condition.
However, if he's not eating unhealthy, yet is still obese, maybe there is a medical condition that needs to be addressed.
Though the show "House" is fiction, think back to the first episode where the 12 yr old girl was obese - they found out she had a tumor that was causing her weight to increase.
There may be an underlying cause to why the 7 year old is obese - and it may be due to the mother, it may be due to a health condition, it may be both.
Someone needs to take control of the situation or else this child will not survive.
2007-03-23 12:35:36 · answer #3 · answered by VAWoman 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I personally think take the kid away. Not forever, but until the mother is able to take proper care of herself and her child. Over eating is an addiction, although some may argue its a lack of self control, I believe it is an addiction. A person continues to eat regardless of the known consequences of this action. So it is almost like a drug addict.
In your case, your mother had a little more control in the fact that she did not allow you to over eat as a child. This mother on the other hand does not have that ability. I do not doubt this mother loves her child and truly wants the best for her child. I just believe she does not have the knowledge and ability at this time.
All that needs to be done is an intervention to help this mother help herself and give her the tools to help her raise a healthy child.
2007-03-23 13:07:03 · answer #4 · answered by Sweet 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The health problems associated with this child being so morbidly obese are no better than if the child was being UNDERfed and malnourished. If the mother wasn't feeding her child and he was sickly and skinny, there wouldn't be contemplation on the subject....However, with this case, the child is extremely overweight and his health is suffering immensely (I wouldn't be surprised if this is more dangerous than if he was TOO skinny and not eating enough.)
People think that when parents overfeed their children with junk, that is does not constitute abuse. They think that with each pizza and cheeseburger they put in front of their kid they are showing them love. I think that's a load of crap. It is the parents job to provide adequate nutrition to a child. Too many kids are suffering immense health problems due to obesity! And what do the parents say?? "Well, he'll cry and whine if I don't let him eat what he wants!!" I read a news article about a different child that was extremely overweight and repeatedly missed school due to health problems (caused by his obesity). Can you imagine someone saying that an underfed, malnourished child that missed school because of health reasons WASN'T being abused??
Parents of obese children are robbing them of a normal, healthy childhood and adulthood!
In addition: The mother claims that she doesn't know why he weighs so much and seems to be convinced it's a medical condition...while this could be a cause of his obesity...I highly doubt it. I saw a news report video where it showed a journal of what the boy ate during meals...his portion sizes are bigger than what I, an adult, eat!
2007-03-23 13:38:44 · answer #5 · answered by LittleRoo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's the mother's responsibility to regulate what her kid is eating and make good dietary choices for him. A 7 year old cant make their own food choices any more than he can go get a job and support himself. Parents need to take action and make sure their kids lead a healthy lifestyle. The fact that she's obese herself is no excuse- she has the right to put herself in an early grave by eating poorly, but she doesnt have the right to impose that decision on her child.
If she's incapable of seeing to her child's well-being, then he needs to be taken away. Period.
2007-03-23 12:34:41 · answer #6 · answered by Siren61 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I agree with I believe it was amanda that the kids doc should have said something long before now. The mom needs to have someone there monitoring the kids wieght and diet for a while but I don't believe the child needs to be takin away at this point.
2007-03-23 13:15:54 · answer #7 · answered by Sharon S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they should take him away. She's obviously not concerned enough about his well being to regulate what he eats. When I was a kid, I was not fed McDonalds 3 times a day, and i'm thankfull for that. You can't rely on a child to make decisions like that, its up to the parent and she is a very poor excuse for a parent. Therefore he needs to be taken away before she ruins his life. It would be different if he were older, but not 7.
2007-03-23 12:29:44 · answer #8 · answered by Hollywood 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
They should force a nutritionist to live at the house. While it certainly is wrong to stuff a kids face with food, separation is way too harsh. Especially from the child's point of view, he wouldn't think it is his mom's fault.
2007-03-24 22:51:50 · answer #9 · answered by JIMMY j 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, what good would that do to take a child from his Mother who he loves with all his heart. I think they should be monitored and he should be put on a healthy diet as well as her and learn about proper nutrition. But he does not need to be taking away. That would destroy him.
2007-03-23 12:33:18 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋