Should the Blame Solely rest on PARENTS if their children are OVERWEIGHT?

Question

I just wanted to get a General Opinion. Genetics aside, Do you think it could be resonably argued (maybe even regardless of genetics) that since the parents control: what comes into the house (after all the parents {legal guardians} are the ones buying the food ), {for the most part}, eating habits, how the food is prepared, food guidelines (i.e limitations, portion control), outside play time (i.e. the child getting exercise, being active) etc.. so if the child is overweight, it's the parents to blame. If it's not their responsibility then who's is it? Aren't the parents the one who should to put their foot down and say "no, that's enough". I'm not saying be calorie commando on the kids, but making sure they have a balanced meal, isn't that the parent's responsibility? I'm speaking mostly on younger kids. Just wanted see what other people thought on this touchy subject. Thanks

I ment to say "is the parents to blame?" question, not a statement. Sorry.

Answer 1

In a word, yes. Parents are the ones buying the groceries. It's our responsibility to provide nutritious food for our children. It's our responsibility to make sure they get enough exercise and are not sitting in front of the tv/video games all day.

Answer 2

It depends on the age of the child and what they are feeding the child. This is of course excluding any medical problem, and I mean actually obese, not your kid is a little chunky because some kids go through chunky phases.

If the child is under 2, and is being fed reasonable foods (ie not pop, and take out everyday, not tonnes of sweets) I would say it isn't the parents fault that is just the way the child is. Under the age of one weight is largely not controllable, although formula feeding can cause problems in this regard because parents push babies to finish bottles.

Otherwise between the ages of 2-8, and maybe 10 it is totally the parent's fault. They bring the food into the house and prepare it. They have total control control. As the child gets older than this they obviously slowly take on more responsibility. They get allowances and whatnot so they can get there own food, and at a certain point you do have to let kids have some control. But still I think that if healthy eating is established early on kids are less likely to be obese as teens.

Answer 3

From personal experience, I think that it really depends on the circumstances of the family. My son is 6 years old and he is a little bit on the heavy side. It could be genetics, both his father and uncle are heavy (though the uncle just lost a lot of weight, so it is seemingly manageable). I am a single mother and I also have 10 month old twins, so my 6 year old's grandmother on his father's side takes care of him a lot, often feeding him meals that are usually pretty balance and healthy, and always giving him lots of treats. We have talked about limiting sweets, but she still does it anyway. I preach healthy eating at home, I take him to the park to play all the time when he is home, and I have him enrolled in some active programs at the Y in town. On the other hand, sometimes I need him to be self-entertained because of the twins, and that often means letting him play video games more than I would like sometimes.

I don't like seeing him being heavy and I want to reverse it now while I still have some control over his life, but I can only do just so much when I have no choice but to rely on his grandmother for help.

Answer 4

The parents are the ones cooking the meals they should be monitoring what their kids eat. That being said too, they should also be encouraging their children to be going outside and playing every day and NOT sitting in front of the computer or TV. Even a game of tag running around outside is exercise. So in reality Yes it is the parents fault if the child is overweight... UNLESS it is a glad thing or something else that has been diagnosed by the doctor.

The big thing tho is to get the tv turned off (and computer) and to just get them outside for fresh air. Parents can participate in this too - they can play tag or run around with their kids as well. it could be a 'before supper thing, or an after supper thing. Also encourages parents to spend time with their kids if both work... (the supper dishes can wait until after the out door time then everybody comes in and all pitches in with the tidy up)

Answer 5

My youngest lived with me thru High School. She had started to put on weight a year before that. Like her mother she is well endowed and I did not get concerned. I did not have lots of the typical snack stuff in the house. She kept gaining though. Turned out she was just eating a lot of what was available. When I started working out of the house it all came to light. She would skip breakfast, even though I had been making it before I left the house. I am not sure about lunch but I was either making one or giving her enough to buy the school hot lunch. I found out she was buying candy.

Her older sister has no problem.

It's a toss up. 2 kids raised by the same parents mostly under the same roof. One has a weight problem the other does not. As time progressed and she gained a lot more. Her sister told me she just plain eats way too much.

Pointing fingers without facts will bite you on the backside every time.

Food type and quantity, exercise, genetics, snacking they all come into play.

Answer 6

I do feel that parents are responsible if their children are overweight. Luckily, since I was young, I was taught about making healthy choices with food. We never had soda or a lot of junk food growing up. Now being almost 30, I don't even drink a lot of soda or junk food. I am a fruit and veggie junkie but that is better than the crap that is out today. Parents need to stop buying easy to prepare food and start making homemade meals. It is important when they go shopping to just buy things outside of the aisles also.
Where I live you can't even blame school lunches anymore b/c they have removed fried foods and instead serve fruit and veggies as side dishes.

Answer 7

Depends on the age. High School and College the kids are old enough to make their own decisions, and although their parents may have not taught them well, its their own faults. Now for children.. if they are overweight then yes I do blame the parents. Kids only eat what they are given or allowed to eat. Its the parents responsibility to teach the children how to eat. Its all apart of parenting. Its just like spoiled kids being brats, the parents spoiled them and let them get away with things, therefore its the parents fault

Answer 8

Yes I think it is the parents fault if their children are overweight. It is the parents responsibility to make sure that the kids are getting the proper exercise and nutrition inside of the home. This means that they have to worry less when they are in school or going with their friends for fast food.

Answer 9

in most cases i think it is the parents responsibility if the chidren are overweight. although i do know that overeating is not the only cause of obesity.

this is a tough one.

another thing i have noticed is that if the entire family is overweight, generally this could be blamed on the eating/cooking habits of the family.

if only one person is overweight then perhaps there is another issue to be considered.

i hate seeing those talk shows where the kids are 300 pounds at 4 and the parents say they only want pizza and big macs... hello don't give it to them!!!!!

Answer 10

I think it is usually the parent's responsibility, although I have a friend with 3 thin kids and one pudgy one. They eat healthy foods, exercise reasonably, and she is really frustrated that her one son is struggling. He is adopted and has a totally different set of genes, apparently. However, one of my pet peeves is when I see a fat little kid. I think it's disgusting and irresponsible of the parents to let a child get that way. I myself am not exactly skinny, but I think if an adult decides to be fat that's one thing, but letting a child become fat is another. I've seen mothers that force their kids to finish their food and they end up fat, or homes where there is junk food all over the place and the kids just stuff themselves with it while they lay around watching tv or playing video games. I think that's disgusting!