Should parents with obese children be accused of neglect!?

Question

I partially heard some doctor on the news saying that parents of obese kids should be accused of this...I find this outrageous..the worlds gone mad!!

Touchy touchy!!...i didn't say i agreed that it's ok to let your kids eat junk...the point i was making was the 'Neglect' issue...

Answer 1

I feel that parents of obese children need help with support and education rather than being accussed of neglect, I do feel parents are to blame in younger children who are obese but with the right support for the parents before things get too out of hand these children can grow up healthy, I'm not sure I would go as far to say it is neglect

Answer 2

Accusing a parent of neglect is quite an extreme approach to this countries obesity problem. However, I do think that more times than not, parents do contribute to the health of their children. While genetics, chemically overwhelmed food, and the personal diet choices the child may make, the household is primarily where the child learns eating habits. If the parents thinking is shaped by perhaps cultural background or society, then it will reflect in the way they choose the feed their child also. However, if the child has no severe physiological deformities that are causing him/her to eat compulsively or retain/store large amounts of food and they are EXTREMELY overweight--to the point that it is a threat to their being--then yes, the parent should have to face some sort of consequence. It does not neccessarily have mean being charged with neglect. Maybe they should be required to attend nutirtion classes or be forced to place the child in an environment where they will recieve help and lose weight so that it is no longer a threat.

Answer 3

I think that it is disgraceful that parents let their children put on so much weight. I would accuse a parent of neglect if they did not feed their child because the child would at worse, slowly run out of energy and die from exhaustion or wouldn't develop into a healthy adult.
So, they should also be accused of neglect when a child's organs can't deal with the excess weight, and eventually die of heart failure, or ends up with diabetes or bingo wings when they do lose the weight.

The reason why I feel this way is that the outcome is similar, and they are both results of the parents not doing their responsibility of bringing their children up on a healthy diet and exercise.

My parents always encouraged me to do sports as a child, I remember swimming, playing field sports, taking my dog for long walks, karate, netball, hockey, and aerobics, I only ever remember seeing two obese kids at school, the majority of my friends were really sporty competitive too.

I only see a few kids playing on sports fields now, I don't see many dogs walkers under 25 anymore, and P.E lessons I've heard only takes place once a week in schools.

What I do see are loads of obese kids, skinny cider swigging kids, red eyed cannabis smoking kids, or pregnant kids hanging around in parks chatting each other up.

Admittedly, I also see lots of healthy looking kids about, who seem well educated, well manored, and confident. Its not until you meet these parents that you realise where these children get there drive for education, good manors and confidence....... I wonder what the parents of the groups in the above paragraph are like.....

Answer 4

Interesting question. Is it purely a parenting issue or does it become a moral issue?

A bit of both I'd say.

Obesity is not only about bad diet. Obesity is about society's trends in whatever culture obesity is an issue.

Yes, some cultures promote a faster lifestyle and fast food becomes the staple of many a family. This is down to the people doing the providing of food stuffs. And that is, by default, the parents.

If parents are not able to hold out against society's trend toward processed food then it is their responsibility, surely?

It is not that of the children if they are permitted and/or fed foods high in additives and low in nutritional elements!

Consequently the tendency for some younger family members to eat unhealthily is down to their parents.

The other, far more important (IMHO) cause of obesity is the lack of exercise. This goes for us all (in the West)- we are all far less mobile than we once were. We drive cars, and if not cars- then bikes and buses/trains etc. We use microwaves, we use sit on mowers, we do not walk, we sit in front of the TV and the computer more. Children do not spend non-school time on the streets or in the parks playing- they are on X Boxes and Playstations.

Playing virtual games without burning more than a couple of calories engaging their pixellated alter-ego in exercise they, themselves, are unlikely to ever take.

:-)

Sign of the times.

And yes- we, as adults/parents do have a duty to guide in the right direction.

Am I outraged?

No.

I had an obese daughter when she was coming up to being a teen DESPITE her excellent diet and is now a lithe and well proportioned teen. What is different?

Nothing really but she is told to limit her sitting down time with the computer!

I watch what she eats still. I ensure that she has nibbles which will not make her fat. Nuts, fruit and other "healthy" snacks to eat between meals. And salads, veg and chicken etc the rest of the time!

If I can take credit for a GOOD diet I would also have to take responsibility for a bad one, were that the case.

:-)

By the same token- parents must accept responsibility for anything their minor (child) does.

Until such a time that the child leaves home and, hopefully, thanks you for the life lessons learned (and possibly rejected but hopefully taken) and decides for themselves.

Answer 5

In extreme cases, yes, I do think parents should be charged with neglect. Example: Your 6 yr. old weighs 120 lbs. The doctor tells you that you need to help her lose the weight. 6 months later, the daughter has gained some, and still spends the entire day playing video games and eating chips. She does not play outside, and you buy her fast food almost daily.
Sadly, a lot of parents are like this. My mother is one of them.
I have a brother who is 17, and weighs over 400 lbs! I do believe that cases like this should be considered child neglect.
If a parent loves their child, they will make efforts to help them live a healthier lifestyle. They will put a few more veggies on the table, limit tv time, and stop buying the junk food.
I agree wholeheartedly with this doctor. Allowing a child to decide what is best for them, instead of being the parent, is neglect in any case.

Answer 6

I also think this is outrageous. Feeding you children junk food is unhealthy and it does lead to health problems. However, I think their are worse things a parent can do. I think the focus should be more on those children that are physically,sexually or emotionally abused. The Child protective services is already overworked.
No carb diets are very unhealthy for children and teenagers being that they need the carbohydrates for energy that is needed for brain development... Should the parents that have no carbs in their home be charged with neglect? Many children of vegetarian parents do not get any protein in their diet. That can lead to all sorts of health problems and complications. Do we charge those parents with neglect? If we begin to charge parents with obese children with neglect, when does it stop? Should I be charged with neglect because I did not agree with my sons pediatrician and refused to put my son on ADHD medication? Some would say that is unhealthy also....

Answer 7

Initially, I, too, thought this was absurb. However, after seeing my husband's 8 year old niece about 2 weeks ago, my opinion quickly changed.

Based on observation, this little (figuratively speaking) seven year old girl weighed about 130 pounds! We were at her older sister's graduation ceremony and the whole time that we were there she was constantly popping candy into her mouth.

After the ceremony, everyone wanted to take pictures, but she was bugging her mom and dad about going someplace to eat. To appease this child,they hurriedly took pictures and left (I'm quite sure it was to go to a restaurant).

I told my husband that that was freaking ridiculous. If she continues to gain weight at that rate, by the time she reaches the age of 10, she'll be weighting 300 pounds! I tried bringing the subject up her mother and got a cursing out that I won't soon forget.

Nonetheless, I strongly feel that parents are responsible to a certain extent. EVERYTHING that a child learns start at home. Whether it's smoking, hating certain types of people, consuming alcohol, cleanliness, laziness, and even eating.

I know that it's hard for a parent to encourage healthy eating habits if they don't eat healthy themselves. But changes have to be made. If skinny child of yesteryear is fat today, can you imagine what an obese child of today will in the years to come? Can you imagine all of the sadness, the jokes, the rejection, the health problems and even job denials that an obese child faces in the years to come?.

When children are out of our sights, we usually can't control their actions. But I do believe that healthy eating habits should start at home. Whether it's replacing sugar with Splenda, diet sodas for regular sodas, or whatever. It all starts at home.

The world has changed drastically from what it was 20, or even 30, years ago. Changes that have slowed the average child's activity level by far. Since the world has changed, styles of parenting has to change to.

I hope that my opinion has not offended you, or any other reader, in anyway. I just know that children like my husband's niece (my niece too), face a dark tomorrow unlesss their weight problems are brought under control now. If parents don't want their child(ren) to face the darkness of tomorrow; they should begin by helping them manage their weights today.

Oh, tlhe answer to your question is: Unless the obesity is due to a medication, or illness (rare), I would say YES

Answer 8

I think it's probably more of a case of ignorance than neglect. Some people just don't know what the right things to eat are. Some people think that a heavier child will be better able to survive an illness. Some people didn't have enough food when they were children and they equate food with comfort and happiness...so they feed their children too much to try to give them what they didn't have when they were children. Some people can't afford healthy food.

Answer 9

Actually I think they are guilty of abuse which is even more serious and in my opinion justified. If you are feeding your child phenomenal amounts of absolute cra p that is causing severe health problems then that is abuse.

Here are some quotes from the doctors

"I've seen a 10-year-old who could only walk a few yards with a walking stick. Her diet of chips and high fat food could firmly be laid at the parents' door. I believe they were killing her slowly"

"One 12-year-old boy came into hospital to be put on a diet. His family were caught smuggling in 1lb bars of chocolate for him"

"We're very lily-livered about this as a society. I have seen an obese child taken away from parents return to a normal body weight in a few months"

Sounds pretty clear cut to me. Not outrageous at all.

Answer 10

Parents should introduce proper diets (along with bedtimes and exercise which are related) from when they are little and *stick* to it (no junk food and no matter that "everyone else eats/has/is allowed to...." etc.).
Unless there is a *genuine* food allergy (not a fad) the children should eat what is put before them or go hungry.
Obese children (other than for glandular reasons) are the product of lazy parenting and it is not neglect - it is abuse.
Best wishes,
Joan.