Should obese kids be taken away from their parents?

[pfamilygal]

I'm just curious, is this a problem for a lot of kids? While helping me grocery shop the other day my son asked for broccoli and then said, "most of my friends hate broccoli, isn't that weird?" It didn't even occur to him that he might be the weird one. ;)

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

 

 

Do you often see people like this? Or do you think this is the exception?

 

A separate question out of curiosity, would you know if a child ate lots of junk and did little exercise if they were not overweight? Are these questions that you regularly ask? The doctors are always asking my kids what they eat because they are really small, I just don't know if that's a normal line of questioning if a kid is at the 50th percentile.

 

Unfortunately, yes. We see many, many kids drinking soda out of baby bottles. 45 lb 1 yr olds. Ridiculous, really. I do not understand letting your 10 yr old weigh 280. Or acting surprised when they get on the scale. Do you not see them? Or buy them clothes? ARGH! It makes me angry and sad at the same time. I'm an ER nurse and probably at least once a shift I see a morbidly obese child. Tuesday it was a 97 lb 6 yr old. His mom says, "He's just husky." No, he's not. He's unhealthy. He gets out of breath walking because he weighs 25 lbs more than my 10 yr old.

 

At the pediatrician this morning my girls were asked what their favorite veggies and fruits were. They are in the 30th and 50th percentiles for weight.

 

My other pet peeve? Coming in because your child has "nausea and vomiting" and letting them eat Cheetos and Coke in the waiting room. Have you ever heard of Gatorade? Good grief.

Edited July 14, 2011 by pfamilygal

[melmichigan]

I think there needs to be some intervention and in some cases it might be better for a child to be removed but then you have a precident that I'm not very comfortable with.

 

I know of a disabled boy in my neighborhood, I even took care of him at one point in the past. The mother has the view that because he is wheelchair bound that she might as well give him whatever he wants to eat and however much he wants to eat. As a result he cannot be fit for shoes, cannot be offered therapies by the school because by the time he is fit for a pair of braces to support him he has "outgrown" them. He can no longer support his own weight sitting up after about an hour. He is now requiring O2 and has apnea from the excess weight. He is becoming more and more dependant to where he can barely wheel his own chair. He now requires around the clock care, much of which is provided at cost by the state. What is one to do in a case like this? Many agencies have tried to improve the situation to no avail. Is it parental choice in this situation to put the child in grave danger and risk of death? At what point should a society say it's enough and step in? When does this become abuse?

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I posted on another forum. Generally, no. However, in extreme circumstances where school-age children are double, triple or more their healthy weights? Maybe if in-home services do not prove fruitful (and assuming that medical reasons have been ruled out). It is severe neglect (and sometimes abuse) to allow a child to get to or remain at an extremely unhealthy weight. Again, we're not talking about "a little overweight," but instead those at risk of serious health issues that can lead to death, even in childhood!

 

But this is really a non-issue. CPS already gets involved in many of these cases (because they are neglect and/or abuse). Services are offered to the family to help them turn things around. The children *are* taken when the child is in continued danger. It doesn't happen often, but it SHOULDN'T.

 

I just hope no one is dumb about it. Seriously, when my daughter was young, I saw a Maury show (or something) that had a mom of a 30 pound one year old being "helped" so her kid didn't end up like the 120 pound 3 yr old also on the show. Well, *I* had a 32 pound 12month old who was 47 pounds at 24months old. Go figure that she was also a tall, healthy 47 pounder at FIVE. By 14, she was 5'5" and a size 4-8 (depending on brand). I think judging babies would be a dangerous situation. Kids change SO much at one, two, three years old.

 

And of course, I hope they aren't going to start freaking out about other kids just off the chart. But 300 pounds at 8 is more than just sad. The parent needs to be seeking all the help they can get and following through to help that child before he DIES. Will is be time consuming and possibly cost some money she doesn't really have? Maybe. But how is she going to feel calling 911 when her 8year old (or 10 or 13 or 18 year old) is having a heart attack or stroke from something she could have prevented or fixed with help?

 

ETA: And we *do* take extremely underweight children from their parents if it is obvious the parent is the problem or unwilling to find a solution. My three and four yr olds were starved (strangely, not their sister). The family kept getting services (in the home, kinship, fostercare). They have chosen not to stop starving their kids despite WIC and foodstamps. In care, the boys have gotten their weights raised only to be returned to their parents and starved some more. This time, after three months, I've gotten them to the 5th and 12th percentiles with the help of dieticians, psychologists, doctors, and WIC (for pediasure). They are not "naturally" so small they almost died when they got sick. They were starved to that point. Thankfully, though their parents refused medical care for their son, they did go to the hospital in the first place so someone knew this child was going to die if someone didn't step in. It would have been further neglect for them to have been left with their parents.

 

When children are to the point they could die tomorrow because of what their parents have done, YES, CPS needs to step in.

 

:iagree:

[MyBlueLobsters]

As a foster parent, I certainly don't want to be 'in charge' of getting these kids' weight under control! Imagine the microscope that would put foster families under (more than we already are)! If they go to school during the day, they can get their hands on food. No foster family can control that. In fact, they'd probably be depressed from being removed from their families and eat MORE when out of the foster home. JMO.

[Mrs Mungo]

At the pediatrician this morning my girls were asked what their favorite veggies and fruits were. They are in the 30th and 50th percentiles for weight.

 

Thanks, I was really wondering whether this happened for "normal sized" kids.

[WeeBeaks]

Thanks, I was really wondering whether this happened for "normal sized" kids.

 

Mine are also asked what their diet consists of, and mine are totally average to slightly on the low side, varying between about the 15th percentile to about the 50th in weight depending on kid. They are all asked extensively what they eat daily, in a friendly way, along with whether they wear their helmet when biking, their seatbelt in the car and so forth.

[RahRah]

I'm just curious, is this a problem for a lot of kids? While helping me grocery shop the other day my son asked for broccoli and then said, "most of my friends hate broccoli, isn't that weird?" It didn't even occur to him that he might be the weird one. ;)

 

 

 

Gosh, I so wish it were the norm!

 

DS simply doesn't get that he's the weird one compared to other kids - I'm fine with that! - and love hearing your son is also loving his broccoli too!

[YLVD]

Uh, no

 

My DD is not obese but has always been heavy, despite our healthy lifestyle.

 

She was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance at age 12. She's 15 now.

 

She works very hard, works out, lowers carbs, in order just to NOT get obese. I work very hard with her on this.

 

Her doctor says that she will likely always be a bit heavy, but that we can prevent obesity.

 

It is ludicrous to think that someone could see my DD as heavy and think that she should be taken away!

[happyhomemaker25]

Mine are also asked what their diet consists of, and mine are totally average to slightly on the low side, varying between about the 15th percentile to about the 50th in weight depending on kid. They are all asked extensively what they eat daily, in a friendly way, along with whether they wear their helmet when biking, their seatbelt in the car and so forth.

 

 

LOL, my kids would always say something like McDonalds or pizza for what they eat. Even though we rarely have those the times we do stick in their head and that's what they say. Of course they are all skinny so that means healthy, right?? :glare:

They are pretty healthy because we do spend a lot of time focused on nutrition around here, but I do go by my holitistic pediatricians 80/20 rule. We eat great 80 percent of the time so that when we do the ocassional drive through I don't feel too guilty.

[YLVD]

Okay, so...

 

1. The government subsidizes the corn industry which leads to HFCS being pit into every.single.processed food in the country.

 

2. The government does not regulate advertising of junk food to minors so they get a constant barrage of encouragement to eat sugary, fat-filled junk.

 

3. The government schools serve lunches mostly devoid of any nutritional value, burgers, fried chicken fingers and the like, and does not restrict (or actually encourages, as a way to increase school funding) vending machines selling junk and sugar water on school property. This food is what most kids get for 1-2 meals of their entire childhoods.

 

4. This has been going on for long enough that the current crop of adults grew up this way and many have no idea how to cook a healthy meal, and also are "used" to eating this way and view it as normal.

 

5. Government planners over the past 50 years have designed an infrastructure that is so car-based that no one can walk or bike to anything because of either distance, or danger to one's life on roads with no accommodations for anything but cars, or both, meaning exercise is now a planned (and usually paid for) activity instead of something that happens naturally over the course of a day because you need to get somewhere (remember when kids walked or biked to school?)

 

6. So now we have a childhood obesity epidemic and the answer is that the government should take people's kids away, because they're going to do a better job. QED.

 

:banghead:

 

You summed this up very well!

[YLVD]

I disagree since even though I consider obesity a disease (and am currently truly suffering from the same). I believe most cases result from overeating and lack of exercise. I do believe that metabolic problems such as insulin resistance do develop after becoming obese which makes it very hard to lose weight. I also believe that some people are more genetically prone to obesity but I also believe that does not make it inevitable that a person will be obese in most cases. Plus, I have seen cases where the parents have not force fed the child but have indulged the child with all quantities and all kinds of junk food which to me is abuse:( Both my dh and I are obese and are suffering as a result. We are trying to turn that around. DS is prone to the same but we offer healthy choices and encourage exercise. My ds would eat tons if I let him. What I do is offer fruit and veggies when he wants more than one serving of a meal. Of course, no food is forbidden but we don't have desert everyday or keep junk food in the house often. There are things a parent can do without making the kid obsessed with food at the same time:)

 

While I agree with your methods of serving food, giving healthy options, the part about insulin resistance is untrue.

 

My DD, insulin resistant, sees a pediatric endocrinologist, in addition to her regular doctor of course. They stressed that it is actually the other way around. The obesity is caused by insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

[YLVD]

It seems like weight is such an emotional trigger for people. I'm very curious to see what the responses, including my own, would look like if this was something else causing these kinds of health problems in such young people.

 

For me, it's an emotional trigger as my DD has conditions that make it incredibly hard to lose or even maintain weight. We were told that it's about twice as hard for her to lose as it is for me and I'm 35 with a sluggy metabolism!

 

That is not license to do nothing. She works her tail off with exercise and diet.

 

Of course it is going to be emotional for some of us with our own medical issues or children with them. I would do anything to take the condition away from my DD. Anything.

[YLVD]

Unfortunately, yes. We see many, many kids drinking soda out of baby bottles. 45 lb 1 yr olds. Ridiculous, really. I do not understand letting your 10 yr old weigh 280. Or acting surprised when they get on the scale. Do you not see them? Or buy them clothes? ARGH! It makes me angry and sad at the same time. I'm an ER nurse and probably at least once a shift I see a morbidly obese child. Tuesday it was a 97 lb 6 yr old. His mom says, "He's just husky." No, he's not. He's unhealthy. He gets out of breath walking because he weighs 25 lbs more than my 10 yr old.

 

At the pediatrician this morning my girls were asked what their favorite veggies and fruits were. They are in the 30th and 50th percentiles for weight.

 

My other pet peeve? Coming in because your child has "nausea and vomiting" and letting them eat Cheetos and Coke in the waiting room. Have you ever heard of Gatorade? Good grief.

 

While Cheetos are a terrible idea, so is Gatorade for making a child feel better while nauseous and vomiting.

 

Coke syrup is one of the best things for a nauseous stomach. That is the only thing that keeps me from vomiting when I'm sick to my stomach.

[Sputterduck]

For me, it's an emotional trigger as my DD has conditions that make it incredibly hard to lose or even maintain weight. We were told that it's about twice as hard for her to lose as it is for me and I'm 35 with a sluggy metabolism!

 

That is not license to do nothing. She works her tail off with exercise and diet.

 

Of course it is going to be emotional for some of us with our own medical issues or children with them. I would do anything to take the condition away from my DD. Anything.

 

I just saw in your sig that your daughter has PCOS. You're lucky she was diagnosed so young! I have found that slowly eliminating sugars and then white carbs helps a ton, though I'm sure you've already been told that. Tell your daughter not to despair. I have 3 family members with it, including myself, and we are all doing okay. Two of us even managed to have a child without help (and the other doesn't want kids so her lack of a child doesn't count). And we have all found our grove in working with our bodies, but it took time.

[hsingscrapper]

Being on limited time, let me confess that I haven't read all of the replies to the original post. I also have to say that my comments apply to reasonably healthy children and not those with medical conditions that affect weight or appetite control. (I think there was an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where the kid had a condition that made it impossible to feel full and would overeat.)

 

That being said, I have really bad feelings about big brother stepping into our lives anymore than is absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, the majority of school lunch and breakfasts are nothing more than sugar & carb fests.

 

"Hmm. Let's give kids sugar for breakfast and then want to medicate them because we can't control them," sums up my parental experience with our local district. Where's Jamie Oliver when you need him?

 

Sorry. I get so worked up about these things. My bil and his wife are obese and, IMHO, setting a bad example for their three kids. The oldest is evidence of that, I think. I worry about them.

[Joanne]

While I agree with your methods of serving food, giving healthy options, the part about insulin resistance is untrue.

 

My DD, insulin resistant, sees a pediatric endocrinologist, in addition to her regular doctor of course. They stressed that it is actually the other way around. The obesity is caused by insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

 

:iagree:

 

This is why I couldn't lose weight on the seemingly healthy Weight Watchers.

 

Originally Posted by priscilla

I disagree since even though I consider obesity a disease (and am currently truly suffering from the same). I believe most cases result from overeating and lack of exercise. I do believe that metabolic problems such as insulin resistance do develop after becoming obese which makes it very hard to lose weight. I

 

About the bold, I believed the same for a very long time. After copious amounts of reading and research, I have to disagree.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Yeah, the lack of exercise thing is way wrong. My kids and I are hyper. We participated in a sport which included about 20 hours per week of exercise. We took daily walks during that time (and before and after). My kids have always played outside and didn't get into screens until they were teens. For that matter, my most hyper little is at the 73rd percentile for weight though she is short (but that is still normal range). She jumps around nuts all the time and is very athletic.

 

I have no doubt that many people sit around eating bon-bons then wondering why they gained weight; but I've seen WAY too many people who are extremely active naturally as well as with sports to believe "lack of exercise" is always the culprit.

[lionfamily1999]

Unfortunately, yes. We see many, many kids drinking soda out of baby bottles. 45 lb 1 yr olds. Ridiculous, really. I do not understand letting your 10 yr old weigh 280. Or acting surprised when they get on the scale. Do you not see them? Or buy them clothes? ARGH! It makes me angry and sad at the same time. I'm an ER nurse and probably at least once a shift I see a morbidly obese child. Tuesday it was a 97 lb 6 yr old. His mom says, "He's just husky." No, he's not. He's unhealthy. He gets out of breath walking because he weighs 25 lbs more than my 10 yr old.

 

At the pediatrician this morning my girls were asked what their favorite veggies and fruits were. They are in the 30th and 50th percentiles for weight.

 

My other pet peeve? Coming in because your child has "nausea and vomiting" and letting them eat Cheetos and Coke in the waiting room. Have you ever heard of Gatorade? Good grief.

When I was little I can remember thinking, "I will never tell my children they can't have a Happy Meal. We'll eat at McDonald's whenever we want. I'll never make my children play outside. We'll watch tv for however long we want..."

 

Now, I know that we are supposed to grown-up and realize that McD's is not good for every meal and hours of television are not healthy, but doesn't it seem like a lot of these parents are just living out their childhood dreams?

 

McDonald's was not portrayed to me (growing up) as unhealthy. It was a resteraunt, it was for special occassions (like getting vaccinated :lol:). Just like television was something I could watch as a treat (until my parents found out that if they put tvs in our bedrooms they never really had to deal with us). Both of those treats increased as I grew older (less likely to beg to go in and play, and I had my own tv, so I didn't interfere with their tv watching). So, when I got out of my parents' house I took my freedom (all tv all the time with all the fast food I want to buy) and ran with it. Now, I know better. We avoid fast food. We cut off our tv. But, the repercussions are still there, I mean... I do love my internet and dh has a real problem walking out of a convenience store without a candy bar.

 

My grandmother says that when she was raising my mother they only went out to eat in celebration. She remembers when people would 'dress' to go to any resteraunt (ie no drive through, no sweat pants). When she did have a tv it was only on in the evening to watch a particular show.

 

So, my mom grew up enjoying going out to eat only for celebrations (equating it with happiness, right?) and watching television only when it was something her mother wanted to watch. She grew up thinking eating out meant a celebration (good times) and tv viewing was the perk of an adult. In turn, when we came along, we got to go out for 'special' ocs, no need to celebrate, just need a reason ;) And we got to watch tv, whatever we wanted, for an hour or so a day. When it became possible to let us watch endless tv in our rooms, our parents gave it to us, because they love us and wanted us to have what they didn't have.

 

Maybe that's what this is (gads, this turned into a monologue eh?). These are parents giving their children what they didn't have. They've bought their kids keys to the golden arches (sure sweet heart, you can eat chicken nuggets till you puke) and their own remote.

[lionfamily1999]

Yes. Put the people and the dogs in prison. Fat People Puppy Prison.

That sounds like it could be fun... Fat People Puppy Prison. That's where fat people go when they reach 500lbs.

[twoforjoy]

Unfortunately, yes. We see many, many kids drinking soda out of baby bottles. 45 lb 1 yr olds. Ridiculous, really.

 

Is it less ridiculous when a thin baby is drinking soda out of a baby bottle?

 

I completely agree that feeding a baby soda is absurd. But, I've seen many parents doing that when I've sat in the waiting room of my kids' ped, and none of the little ones drinking it have been very large. In fact, a lot of the time, I'll see parents giving little ones soda and Cheetos, and their LOs are a lot thinner than my DD, who I feed a reasonably healthy diet (we're not a no-junk family, so she has the occasional cookie or ice cream sandwich, but I certainly wouldn't feed her soda, and mostly she eats whole grains, lean meats, fruits, and veggies). Soda doesn't become good for a child just because the child is thin.

 

So I think we need to separate out habits/health from weight a lot more than we do. Giving a baby soda is a bad idea whether that baby is fat or thin. And, a parent who is feeding their child a healthy diet and encouraging an active lifestyle is doing a good job, whether their kids are smaller or larger.

 

 

As a foster parent, I certainly don't want to be 'in charge' of getting these kids' weight under control! Imagine the microscope that would put foster families under (more than we already are)! If they go to school during the day, they can get their hands on food. No foster family can control that. In fact, they'd probably be depressed from being removed from their families and eat MORE when out of the foster home. JMO.

 

That's a really good point. That's a huge burden on foster families. Plus, as a foster parent, that would put a person in a really difficult position. How do you deny food to a hungry child in that situation, without them feeling like you are cruel or rejecting? Who determines what diet the child should be on? How would they make sure that the diet was being followed? If the child failed to lose weight with the foster family, what then? And, what age are we talking about? I think it's unrealistic (and probably psychologically unhealthy) for a teenager to have his or her diet completely controlled by adults; at some point they will and should begin to take responsibility.

[WishboneDawn]

That sounds like it could be fun... Fat People Puppy Prison. That's where fat people go when they reach 500lbs.

 

And it's full of puppys?

 

I've got some weight to gain...

[regentrude]

I do not disagree with any of the statements below, but I think people of free will can NOT blame a "government" for their eating choices.

 

Okay, so...

 

1. The government subsidizes the corn industry which leads to HFCS being pit into every.single.processed food in the country.

 

 

Nobody has to choose to eat processed food.

 

2. The government does not regulate advertising of junk food to minors so they get a constant barrage of encouragement to eat sugary, fat-filled junk.

 

It is the parent's responsibility to regulate to what degree minors are exposed to advertisement. One can choose not to watch TV.

 

3. The government schools serve lunches mostly devoid of any nutritional value, burgers, fried chicken fingers and the like, and does not restrict (or actually encourages, as a way to increase school funding) vending machines selling junk and sugar water on school property. This food is what most kids get for 1-2 meals of their entire childhoods.

 

Agreed, school food is carp - but you do not HAVE to participate. And if one chooses to, school lunch are 5 meals per week during teh school year only - the majority of meals is consumed at home.

 

4. This has been going on for long enough that the current crop of adults grew up this way and many have no idea how to cook a healthy meal, and also are "used" to eating this way and view it as normal.

 

Again, it is the parent who should teach the kids how to cook. Not taking the time for proper meals is, for almost everybody, a CHOICE.

 

5. Government planners over the past 50 years have designed an infrastructure that is so car-based that no one can walk or bike to anything because of either distance, or danger to one's life on roads with no accommodations for anything but cars, or both, meaning exercise is now a planned (and usually paid for) activity instead of something that happens naturally over the course of a day because you need to get somewhere (remember when kids walked or biked to school?)

 

Agreed. The infrastructure is a problem - but blaming an abstract government makes no sense. It is the PEOPLE who want to drive everywhere, want to live in houses with big yards so that distances are long, demand a car centered infrastructure. Even in towns WITH sidewalks, parents do not walk their kids to school, do not bike to work etc.

 

6. So now we have a childhood obesity epidemic and the answer is that the government should take people's kids away, because they're going to do a better job. QED.

 

That, of course, is ridiculous - I completely agree.

But I do not agree that it is the government who should be in charge of my eating habits - it is still a matter of personal responsibility.

[lionfamily1999]

And it's full of puppys?

 

I've got some weight to gain...

I'll try to control myself so we can still fit you in :lol:

[sewingmama]

A separate question out of curiosity, would you know if a child ate lots of junk and did little exercise if they were not overweight?

 

Usually they don't look "robust". They can be pale, underactive, tired. They might not have a usual childs "curiosity" or "brightness". They might get more sicknesses then the average child without medical issues or take longer to recover. They might have digestive issues such as constipation from not enough fibre. They might also have behavioural problems if they are sensitive to sugar or food additives.

[Mrs Mungo]

Agreed, school food is carp - but you do not HAVE to participate. And if one chooses to, school lunch are 5 meals per week during teh school year only - the majority of meals is consumed at home.

 

Well, you can take your lunch, you aren't required to eat the school lunch at all (with the exception of that one charter school we discussed a while back).

 

BUT a lot of students are on the free/reduced lunch program. I'm sure that can be a big relief to low income families. Kids with dual working parents often eat breakfast at the school and *some* even eat dinner in an after-school program.

[twoforjoy]

Well, you can take your lunch, you aren't required to eat the school lunch at all (with the exception of that one charter school we discussed a while back).

 

BUT a lot of students are on the free/reduced lunch program. I'm sure that can be a big relief to low income families. Kids with dual working parents often eat breakfast at the school and *some* even eat dinner in an after-school program.

 

Not to mention, as crappy as school lunches often are, they are still a lot healthier than what some of these kids--of all sizes--are eating at home.

 

My DS's best friend is fed horribly by his mother. (She seems to have some cognitive impairments, as does the grandmother who lives with them, so it's not something I really hold her responsible for, it's just a very sad situation.) He's average size, his sister is thin, but they eat the most awful diet. Basically, it's soda and chips when they're home. School lunches are, in their case, the healthiest food they're getting, and I'm glad it's there for them.

[bbmom]

I think this is a slippery slope-what a large percentage of the population with severely obese children need is education and access to healthy food that is affordable. With the food desert situation that exists in many parts of poverty-stricken America, many parents have never even had the exposure to healthy foods, let alone the means to purchase them or the knowledge of how to prepare them, etc. If a child is reported as "at-risk" due to obesity, the first step should be education for the family and figuring out a way to provide the family with the means to change the situation their child is in-if that can be provided and after a period of time the situation doesn't change, or the family is unwilling to participate in the program, that is the point at which to look at whether being removed from the home would serve the best interests of the child.

[Lovemyblessings]

Not unless there is proof that the parents are maliciously causing it.

 

:iagree:

[Momof3littles]

I don't think I've seen it mentioned, but in many urban areas it is tough to access fruits, vegetables, and other perishable items. Some parents rely upon public transit. If you have multiple children and don't have access to a car, it isn't that easy to get to a full-fledged grocery store. The accessible food in some areas tends to be fast foods, packaged/processed foods, etc. It isn't necessarily all that easy to access the perishable stuff even if someone wanted to.

 

It really is such a complex issue.

 

I'm another believer that the IR comes first. I say that as a normal-weight woman w/ PCOS and IR. When I was diagnosed I weighed 114 lbs and was 5'2".

[pfamilygal]

While Cheetos are a terrible idea, so is Gatorade for making a child feel better while nauseous and vomiting.

 

Coke syrup is one of the best things for a nauseous stomach. That is the only thing that keeps me from vomiting when I'm sick to my stomach.

 

Small amounts of flat Coke or Nauseatrol are fine. Guzzling a Slurpee or a Big Gulp is not and makes me doubt whether the child is actually ill.

 

And small sips of Gatorade or Pedialyte are great - they help replenish electrolytes.

[pfamilygal]

Is it less ridiculous when a thin baby is drinking soda out of a baby bottle?

 

I completely agree that feeding a baby soda is absurd. But, I've seen many parents doing that when I've sat in the waiting room of my kids' ped, and none of the little ones drinking it have been very large. In fact, a lot of the time, I'll see parents giving little ones soda and Cheetos, and their LOs are a lot thinner than my DD, who I feed a reasonably healthy diet (we're not a no-junk family, so she has the occasional cookie or ice cream sandwich, but I certainly wouldn't feed her soda, and mostly she eats whole grains, lean meats, fruits, and veggies). Soda doesn't become good for a child just because the child is thin.

 

So I think we need to separate out habits/health from weight a lot more than we do. Giving a baby soda is a bad idea whether that baby is fat or thin. And, a parent who is feeding their child a healthy diet and encouraging an active lifestyle is doing a good job, whether their kids are smaller or larger.

 

 

Oh, I agree. I don't tend to see it as often in "normal" sized babies though. Mostly in toddlers who are very overweight. (Why does your 2 1/2 yr old need a bottle anyway?) And many of them have frightening amounts of tooth decay from going to bed with bottles full of soda or juice.

 

Our kids have soda occassionally. But it's a treat, not an everyday thing. And they have watered down juice. But mostly milk and water.

[Joanne]

ime a 2hr daily workout including warmup/cool down works best -but that workout has to be in the aerobic zone, not just a stroll.

 

:001_huh:

[Mommy22alyns]

NO way.

[YLVD]

I just saw in your sig that your daughter has PCOS. You're lucky she was diagnosed so young! I have found that slowly eliminating sugars and then white carbs helps a ton, though I'm sure you've already been told that. Tell your daughter not to despair. I have 3 family members with it, including myself, and we are all doing okay. Two of us even managed to have a child without help (and the other doesn't want kids so her lack of a child doesn't count). And we have all found our grove in working with our bodies, but it took time.

 

Thank you for this!

 

I love hearing that stuff. I feel really lucky that we got her diagnosed so early. I know something was off and she has a great doctor!

 

She has always loved carbs but luckily we already ate brown carbs, rice, etc. We pretty much don't buy bread, except for the occasional protein bread as it's just too tempting to keep in the house. She gets to the gym regularly too.

 

I'm glad that you are doing well with it. :001_smile:

[YLVD]

I do not disagree with any of the statements below, but I think people of free will can NOT blame a "government" for their eating choices.

 

 

 

Nobody has to choose to eat processed food.

 

It is the parent's responsibility to regulate to what degree minors are exposed to advertisement. One can choose not to watch TV.

 

Agreed, school food is carp - but you do not HAVE to participate. And if one chooses to, school lunch are 5 meals per week during teh school year only - the majority of meals is consumed at home.

 

Again, it is the parent who should teach the kids how to cook. Not taking the time for proper meals is, for almost everybody, a CHOICE.

 

Agreed. The infrastructure is a problem - but blaming an abstract government makes no sense. It is the PEOPLE who want to drive everywhere, want to live in houses with big yards so that distances are long, demand a car centered infrastructure. Even in towns WITH sidewalks, parents do not walk their kids to school, do not bike to work etc.

 

That, of course, is ridiculous - I completely agree.

But I do not agree that it is the government who should be in charge of my eating habits - it is still a matter of personal responsibility.

 

Food in the US is FILLED with HCFS. I have to search long and hard not to find it. All of that unnecessary corn is really helping to make us obese. It's far more damaging than sugar IMO. Not everyone has the ability to buy the foods without it as they are more expensive. The government DOES have a stake in this. There is individual responsiblilty, of course.

 

I agree about living in places with sidewalks, walking opportunities. We have made that choice and are quite broke because of it. I can see why others do not.

[WishboneDawn]

I don't think I've seen it mentioned, but in many urban areas it is tough to access fruits, vegetables, and other perishable items. Some parents rely upon public transit. If you have multiple children and don't have access to a car, it isn't that easy to get to a full-fledged grocery store. The accessible food in some areas tends to be fast foods, packaged/processed foods, etc. It isn't necessarily all that easy to access the perishable stuff even if someone wanted to.

It really is such a complex issue.

I'm another believer that the IR comes first. I say that as a normal-weight woman w/ PCOS and IR. When I was diagnosed I weighed 114 lbs and was 5'2".

 

Yes, and it's not always the same causes. So much is dependent on (as you pointed out) the environment.

[YLVD]

Small amounts of flat Coke or Nauseatrol are fine. Guzzling a Slurpee or a Big Gulp is not and makes me doubt whether the child is actually ill.

 

And small sips of Gatorade or Pedialyte are great - they help replenish electrolytes.

 

I've been told by two different doctors that coke syrup, especially in fountain drink form, is the very best thing.

 

Gatorade is fine later, after vomiting, etc. During, it isn't going to do anything to help.

[YLVD]

Oh, I agree. I don't tend to see it as often in "normal" sized babies though. Mostly in toddlers who are very overweight. (Why does your 2 1/2 yr old need a bottle anyway?) And many of them have frightening amounts of tooth decay from going to bed with bottles full of soda or juice.

 

Our kids have soda occassionally. But it's a treat, not an everyday thing. And they have watered down juice. But mostly milk and water.

 

Then there is my DD that hates soda, drinks no juice and only water, and is still heavy. But, she has the endocrine stuff that makes it all out of whack.

[Joanne]

Oh, I agree. I don't tend to see it as often in "normal" sized babies though. Mostly in toddlers who are very overweight. (Why does your 2 1/2 yr old need a bottle anyway?) And many of them have frightening amounts of tooth decay from going to bed with bottles full of soda or juice.

 

.

 

Is it possible that you (or any human, really), are more likely to *notice* the fat kid with the soda than you are a thin/average kid with soda? There is a term in research for this phenomena.

[twoforjoy]

Is it possible that you (or any human, really), are more likely to *notice* the fat kid with the soda than you are a thin/average kid with soda? There is a term in research for this phenomena.

 

Right. Confirmation bias plays such a large role in this.

 

Media coverage of the "obesity epidemic" has exploded in the last ten years. Ask most people, and they'll insist there are more fat kids today than ten years ago. But, actually, rates of childhood obesity have been level since about 2000.

 

We're a lot more likely to notice the junk food in the grocery store cart of the fat parent (or parent with a fat kid) than we are to notice the junk food in the grocery store cart of the thin parent of a thin kid. People will zero in on the one 500-pound woman sitting in McDonald's and fail to notice the many average-weight people eating there.

 

We see what we expect to see, so much of the time.

[Cheryl in NM]

I do not disagree with any of the statements below, but I think people of free will can NOT blame a "government" for their eating choices.

 

 

 

Nobody has to choose to eat processed food.

 

It is the parent's responsibility to regulate to what degree minors are exposed to advertisement. One can choose not to watch TV.

 

Agreed, school food is carp - but you do not HAVE to participate. And if one chooses to, school lunch are 5 meals per week during teh school year only - the majority of meals is consumed at home.

 

Again, it is the parent who should teach the kids how to cook. Not taking the time for proper meals is, for almost everybody, a CHOICE.

 

Agreed. The infrastructure is a problem - but blaming an abstract government makes no sense. It is the PEOPLE who want to drive everywhere, want to live in houses with big yards so that distances are long, demand a car centered infrastructure. Even in towns WITH sidewalks, parents do not walk their kids to school, do not bike to work etc.

 

That, of course, is ridiculous - I completely agree.

But I do not agree that it is the government who should be in charge of my eating habits - it is still a matter of personal responsibility.

 

:iagree: wholeheartedly! Our grandparents and great-grandparents would not sit back with their hand in a bag of chips and soda in their other hand and blame the government for being overweight. I know there are health conditions that exacerbates the issue. But truth be told, those are rare.

 

To the original question:

I don't think obese children should be removed from the home. But since the government is willing to spend money on this I think they should use that money to educate the family on how to eat and live healthy live styles.

[Mommy22alyns]

Okay, so...

 

1. The government subsidizes the corn industry which leads to HFCS being pit into every.single.processed food in the country.

 

2. The government does not regulate advertising of junk food to minors so they get a constant barrage of encouragement to eat sugary, fat-filled junk.

 

3. The government schools serve lunches mostly devoid of any nutritional value, burgers, fried chicken fingers and the like, and does not restrict (or actually encourages, as a way to increase school funding) vending machines selling junk and sugar water on school property. This food is what most kids get for 1-2 meals of their entire childhoods.

 

4. This has been going on for long enough that the current crop of adults grew up this way and many have no idea how to cook a healthy meal, and also are "used" to eating this way and view it as normal.

 

5. Government planners over the past 50 years have designed an infrastructure that is so car-based that no one can walk or bike to anything because of either distance, or danger to one's life on roads with no accommodations for anything but cars, or both, meaning exercise is now a planned (and usually paid for) activity instead of something that happens naturally over the course of a day because you need to get somewhere (remember when kids walked or biked to school?)

 

6. So now we have a childhood obesity epidemic and the answer is that the government should take people's kids away, because they're going to do a better job. QED.

 

:banghead:

 

SO well said!

[Cheryl in NM]

Right. Confirmation bias plays such a large role in this.

 

Media coverage of the "obesity epidemic" has exploded in the last ten years. Ask most people, and they'll insist there are more fat kids today than ten years ago. But, actually, rates of childhood obesity have been level since about 2000.

 

We're a lot more likely to notice the junk food in the grocery store cart of the fat parent (or parent with a fat kid) than we are to notice the junk food in the grocery store cart of the thin parent of a thin kid. People will zero in on the one 500-pound woman sitting in McDonald's and fail to notice the many average-weight people eating there.

 

We see what we expect to see, so much of the time.

 

It's because if I am overweight I feel guilty for the junk food in my cart and project that as judgement to the other overweight people with junk food in their cart. If I am overweight I feel envious of the thin person with junk food in their cart. Why can't I eat that and stay thin?!

[pdalley]

On the other hand, there are many people who beleive they and their children are active because they aren't sitting or because when they do sit they wiggle, when in fact close examination reveals the activity level never moves into the aerobic zone for any sustained period of time.

 

Even bike riding..we have a neighbor who wanted to play with our kids when they were younger. She wanted to ride bikes. Well, to her that turned out to mean pedal for 25 feet downhill or level, then coast or stop and chat. She never broke a sweat but she was out there all day moving around and had the reputation as an 'active child' right up to when she joined the track team and found out her activity level wasn't high enough to complete the practice. To mine as kids, bike meant pedal like maniacs as long as possible, uphill and down...they were in their aerobic zone and getting a sustained workout. They segeued right into cross country and swim team without missing a beat because they were truly active. They gave up baseball and soccer because in rec league you don't get to move anywhere near as much as in CC or swim.

 

ime a 2hr daily workout including warmup/cool down works best -but that workout has to be in the aerobic zone, not just a stroll.

 

2 hours? Really?

 

My oldest uses a workout bike and rides about 14 miles a week on it and yes - at an aerobic zone rate - his workers makes sure he gets physical exercise of this type five days a week beyond what we do as a family. He's still on the heavy side. He takes a medication that makes him prone to weight gain and we are large framed tall people. He doesn't eat junk constantly and doesn't sit around much either.

 

Youngest eats the same as he does and isn't nearly as physically active and is skinny as a rail. Middle walks golf courses twice a week. He's sorta in the middle - not skinny but not fat at all.

 

There are so many factors involved and no, kids do not need to be taken from their parents because of being overweight.

[Testimony]

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/should-parents-lose-custody-of-super-obese-kids-2510149/

 

When I read this article yesterday, this is my opinion:

 

The doctor from Harvard is an idiot. Don't care what he is saying, he sounds like a buffoon. He says, "in the best interest of the child." I read about the poor single mom who was working two jobs and so she could only take her son to McDonald's and was penalized for it. I was so overcome with tears by this report. A mom struggling to make ends meet and instead of the government helping her a little they are taking the child away.

 

They snatch your child when they are too thin and now if they are too heavy. It seems as if this country is no longer run by the people, but the bureaucrats.

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[WishboneDawn]

When I read this article yesterday, this is my opinion:

 

The doctor from Harvard is an idiot. Don't care what he is saying, he sounds like a buffoon. He says, "in the best interest of the child." I read about the poor single mom who was working two jobs and so she could only take her son to McDonald's and was penalized for it. I was so overcome with tears by this report. A mom struggling to make ends meet and instead of the government helping her a little they are taking the child away.

 

They snatch your child when they are too thin and now if they are too heavy. It seems as if this country is no longer run by the people, but the bureaucrats.

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

 

It seem spoverty is often the cause of some these issues. Maybe they should simply cut to the chase and start taking away the children of poor people.:glare:

[Pamela H in Texas]

Even bike riding

 

Yeah, my daughter can't do things like running (we found this out after years of a high contact sport <sigh>). Bike riding was one of the things she was interested in when we were trying to find alternative exercises. I tried to explain to her how that would be much more involved than how she had done most of her bike riding previously when it was simply a mode of transportation (such as over to friend's to play basketball or whatever). I biked as a teen. It is very easy to let it not be exercise.

 

BTW, when I said, "daily walk," it depended on many things, but much of it was really moving. Fast walking, couch potato to 5K, chasing after littles, etc.

[twoforjoy]

But since the government is willing to spend money on this I think they should use that money to educate the family on how to eat and live healthy live styles.

 

FWIW, the government has not suggested a program of removing children from their homes for being obese, although it has happened in some isolated cases. This was the AMA publishing an editorial in one of their journals suggesting it.

[Teachin'Mine]

When I read this article yesterday, this is my opinion:

 

The doctor from Harvard is an idiot. Don't care what he is saying, he sounds like a buffoon. He says, "in the best interest of the child." I read about the poor single mom who was working two jobs and so she could only take her son to McDonald's and was penalized for it. I was so overcome with tears by this report. A mom struggling to make ends meet and instead of the government helping her a little they are taking the child away.

 

They snatch your child when they are too thin and now if they are too heavy. It seems as if this country is no longer run by the people, but the bureaucrats.

 

Blessings,

Karen

www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

 

I remember reading years ago about a study done regarding the children in England during WWII. Children in the areas being bombed were taken from their mothers and sent to live with relatives or strangers in the countryside away from the bombing. Some children remained in London and other areas which were hard hit. They found that the children who stayed with their mothers were much better off after the war. They suffered much less than the children who had been separated from their mothers. Apparently we haven't learned anything from this study.

 

It's different if it was found that a parent refused any help and refused to try to do something to help their children, but ignorance is no reason to think that they'd be better off in foster care. Some foster care homes are awesome and loving, and then there's others. Imagine if the money that would be given to the foster family was given to the mother instead so she could provide healthier meals for her child.

[indigomama]

My cousin is morbidly obese and so are her children. She is not in any way an unfit mother. I would say they aren't the healthiest eaters but they don't eat total *carp* either. She does tend to overfeed them, but they aren't force fed.

 

My cousins issues are largely genetic, our family going back at least three generations have several morbidly obese people in it. Also, my cousin is intelligent enough to know how she should feed her family. I couldn't imagine her losing her boys over their weight.

 

And as previous people posted, I know plenty of thin people with thin kids who feed their family way worse than my cousin. This issue can't be judged simply by their weight.