I just read an article about a mother who may go to jail for over feeding her children. They have been obese since they were about 1 or 2 years old. The article stated that this was abuse since they will probably be plagued with health problems their entire life. The children are in their teens now and are still overweight. Also, she never took them to the doctor for regular health check ups even though she had really good insurance.
2007-09-18 06:12:38 · 37 answers · asked by Samantha 5 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
Yes - being obese is a health risk. Not healthy. She neglected them by not taking them to the dr and by letting them eat whatever they wanted to.
2007-09-18 08:11:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is. As a mother you are responsible for your child's health and taking them to see the doctor is a must!! Seems like she knew what she was doing was wrong...and she was probably afraid the doctor would accuse her of over-feeding.
If she would have brought these kids in when she should have, the doctors could have kept an eye on them to make sure that they wouldn't become obese teens.
She has caused her children to have a difficult life ahead.
2007-09-18 06:23:24 · answer #2 · answered by amandajoan75 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No I don't. But I just read an article about a mother who left her 11 year old daughter home alone to go out to night clubs getting drunk and sleeping with any man who would have her , do you think this is child abuse? And like you said the kids are in their teens now, they feed theirselves.
2007-09-20 07:31:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, it's abuse, although whether it was to intentionally to harm the child is another matter. What were her reasons for fattening them up and why not let them see a doctor? She may have some sort of psychological problem where she didn't want her kids to be healthy, you never know.
I couldn't judge completely without reading it myself, but still, abuse can take all forms and it is damaging the kids.
2007-09-18 06:38:30 · answer #4 · answered by she_noir 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can see how it would be viewed as child abuse.The problem is the woman is only doing as she was taught.Now for not getting your children check ups that is not good.My opinion is it is more like child neglect and not being concerned about future problems.She needs to be educated about nutrition and about how health check ups will benefit the children.Then there should be a follow up on how the children are doing.
2007-09-18 06:23:49 · answer #5 · answered by sharen d 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that it somewhat a form of child abuse. But i don't think that should send her to jail for that. The doctor thing though is wrong. That I can see as being the abuse but the over eating thing is not just the mother but the children's choice too.
2007-09-18 06:20:54 · answer #6 · answered by That Person 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am constantly surprised at the large number of adults who have no idea how to eat nutritiously for themselves, or how to care for their own bodies, so it would stand to reason they would have no idea how to care for a child properly. With the proliferation of information on healthcare and nutrition, it may seem impossible, but this is not necessarily accessible to the illiterate, the profoundly poor, or those who have limited intelligence to understand. This mother definitely needs intensive education in nutrition and fundamental health care. I wonder why, in all these years, no one (family members, school nurses or teachers, other gatekeepers) apparently never took the mother aside to instruct her. Still, the children's bodies have sustained damage that will follow them throughout their lives. It stands to reason that she must be held accountable for the disservice that she has done her children.
2007-09-18 07:52:33 · answer #7 · answered by reap100 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As an ex- Child Care working this is what I would say. Overfeeding your child is not abuse or neglect. The fact that they were not take to the Doc's for check up's is neglectfull but nothing that is worth taking the children away.
2007-09-18 06:20:28 · answer #8 · answered by Mrs. Ransom 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She overfed her kids, or did she just not teach them healthy eating habits?? You never know.
Personally, I think it is our responsibility to teach our kids proper eating habits and look out for their overall health. That aside, I am sick of the government telling people how to raise their kids. You can't spank in CA, and some states if you are caught smoking a cigarette around your kid you can be fined. When does it stop? I don't know who is to say what is right or what is wrong. Wife swap had a family on their show last night that ate RAW food...including meat (they ate raw chicken, that was AGED). I find this disgusting and not healthy. But should the government step in?? A doctor should!
2007-09-18 06:21:47 · answer #9 · answered by justme 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, I wouldn't call it abuse. The part about not taking them for health checkups would be considered neglect, but if she was overfeeding them she certainly wasn't neglecting to feed them.
If they're going to start putting parents in jail for this sort of thing then in approximately 1.7 years all our children will be orphaned, as we'll all be in jail for every mistake we have made. How ridiculous!
2007-09-18 06:20:33 · answer #10 · answered by ♥♥Mum to Superkids Baby on board♥♥ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋