Obese Children Maybe Taken From Home

[plain 12]

I'm surprised so many of you aren't horrified by the prospect of the government meddling even more in the private lives of its citizens. Like Mrs. flipflops stated, This would overwhelm and crush the foster care system. And we all know the foster care system has enough problems without new ones being added in.

How is this much different from the lawmaker that wanted to ban obese people from eating in restaurants?

[Pix 4]

They wanted to take my oldest cause he was underweight. They didn't bother with family history or nothing. So, the doctor ran tests to check his levels (guess to see if he was malnourished?) and found he was "pefect" then the doctor sat down and got a family history from me. For the first time since my scrawny bean pole was born. I am the anomaly in my family of tall lanky skinny people. My hubbies family is the same way, tall skinny, the lot of them. (Talk about feeling out of place at family reunions!!) The doc told the CPS worker (she was with us for the whole thing) that she was being stupid (his words too) and that if she followed through in this he would back me up in a civil suit. Yeah, I still have my scrawny bean pole of a son, and another one just like him.

Wish the skinny gene hadn't skipped me .... *sigh*

[HarleyGirl 1]

I'm surprised so many of you aren't horrified by the prospect of the government meddling even more in the private lives of its citizens. Like Mrs. flipflops stated, This would overwhelm and crush the foster care system. And we all know the foster care system has enough problems without new ones being added in.

How is this much different from the lawmaker that wanted to ban obese people from eating in restaurants?

If the people were starving the children.......would you support intervention?

Different side of the same coin, IMO.....

I agree that the foster care system has enough problems, but ignoring another one isn't the answer........fix the system, don't ignore the problems.

[LiveLoveLaugh 0]

I have a hugh issue with anyone coming in and trying to take any child away from the parents for an issue of weight that does not warrent it!! I have a child that is 10 (girl) who is 25 pounds over weight. She was placed on a medication that increases this gain. We all know with the way we have become in this world we have factors that help our children become fatter..... Medications, mass production of food, portion sizes, chemicals, and long and behold video games..... No wonder our children are so lazy and large.... I was a child of the seventies and we had no video games, mass production of so called snack packs and other foods our children see today. We played outside and were very active. We ate three square meals and a snack....... I think they better focus more on companies with bullshit in there products. The FDA/USDA should create better restrictions for our FAT nation and the safety of our children. We may not feed these things to them, talk till we're blue about how we need to avoid them in our life.....But they will go and eat them at a friends house, school or some other place. I think they have so much junk in some products it becomes addictive. Sitmulates our taste, alters our emotions and other chemical balance.... Maybe I'm wrong but it sure seems that way with certain things I've eaten and my children. What are your feelings on this?????

Edited March 25, 2008 by LiveLoveLaugh

[LiveLoveLaugh 0]

Oh and I wanted to also say.... I know I'm a very large fat person.... I know why I'm big..... I ate way with to many fatty, carb filled foods with out regard to portion sizes. I agree some have no Idea how to feed and keep a good balance on there children. I don't just put our obese problems on companies and the issues stated below.... We all have a choice and we need to educate a new vast population of parents... We all have distorted ideas of what a healthy eating plan is outside being educated to the newest plan out there. I mean look at how the food Piramid has now been changed in the past few years!! Alarming!!

[gweniper 0]

my question is why label the 21 month as overweight at 26 lbs? my daughter has always been at 50 percentile for her weight at check ups. she was under 20 lbs at one year, but was in the 95th percentile for her height. she had bad tonsils and continually had strep. by 17 months we were told 2 years or 25 lbs that was the magic number. we had to get pediasure to help her gain weight. IT took a while but by the time she was 19 months we barely had her at the 25 and got the ok for surgery. (very necessary as she was on antibiotics continually to get rid of the strep.) that was in 2004 she is now 5. she is in the 85th percentile for her height (45 inches) and 50th for her weight (41 lbs) making a combined of 20th percentile which we have been told is perfect, tall and slender. (but try finding clothes, it is hard pants always fall off)

so how is 26lbs at 21 months overweight?? makes no since to me. yet I can see concern for that child because the cycle the others are in 224lbs by 12 that is alarming. my thought was man she weighs more than I do at this point and that is not good.

[Boo Boo Kitty 3]

Ok, FYI. Dundee is near me (if this is Dundee Michigan)

Anyways here in Jackson we had a 7 year old boy taken from his mom. He was pushing about 200. She was charged with child abuse and convicted.

She wouldn't stop feeding him fast food 6+ times a day.

I agree child abuse it is...

[mamato3 1]

Reading over this thread has nearly brought tears to my eyes. I guess I could be viewed as an "abusive or neglectful" mother by some of the posters here. Let me just tell you that I am VERY concerned about my daughter. I have taken her to the Dr. numerous times. In fact, we go in tomorrow to have her weight checked. My baby girl, Anna is 9 months old and 26 lbs. Her weight AND height percentiles are off the charts. I am much more concerned at this point then her Dr. is. She is pretty sure that Anna will start to trend down with her weight now that she is becoming more active. The Dr. ordered blood work to be done at my request to check her thyroid, blood sugar, etc. I took her to the lab to have the blood drawn 3 times and they poked her 7 times all unsuccessfully. It was horrible! Her diet consists of formula (dr. says I can not stop giving her this yet) no more then 20 ounces per day, vegetables, fruits, yogurt and meat. No Cereal at all. No juice at all. It breaks my heart and worries me like you could not even imagine. The LAST thing in this world that I want is for my child to start out in this life overweight. I would never want her to go through the struggles that I have with my weight. She will never be taught to eat junk, fast food or too large of portions. Not in this house. Anyways, I think I am just ranting now because the thought of anyone stepping in and threatening to take my children from me is just.... well it's just unthinkable. They are my life! They are the whole reason I even had lapband surgery to start with. I feel that maybe some education is needed in the homes of obese children. Threatening to take someones children is just wrong in this case, at least in my opinion..... :thumbup:

[blahblahblah 4]

But...we need to take into account the size of the child as well. At 12 years old I was 6ft tall. So 224 would not be as obese as it would at say a more average sized child...so, while I think it reprehensible to feed your children into obesity, it is also a matter of the size of the child.

Additionally, I don't know whether either end of the spectrum (obesity or malnutrition/thinness) demands removal of the child from the home without some other abuse-like determing factor. Can you truly consider it neglect if there is not neglect in other aspects of the child's life? Without co-abuses, I firmly feel rehabilitation and close monitoring would be much more beneficial than saddling a child with the knowledge that they were taken away from their parents because of their fatness. Way to throw another reason to eat on the child!!!

Rain

[heartfire 4]

momto3,

Please don't panic in regards to your little girl. My DD's godmother has a little boy who at 8 months old weighed more than my DD at 16 months old. He's slowed down on his weight increase and is getting taller. He's now 14 months old and my DD is 22 months old, I think he's still about the same as weight as she is. He weighed less than his sister and my DD at birth. Her DD and my DD were within an ounce of each other's birthweight. Her DD was sent to a nutritionist at 18 months old b/c she was so underweight. She ate fine, she just was more active than her intake. Kids are so different in the way they grow at this age that it's just impossible to be comparing what kids are doing in relation to other kids.

BTW I weighed my DD this AM after Breakfast and she is almost 28lbs.

[MacMadame 81]

Until we have a better idea of both the causes of obseity and how to cure it, I don't want the government coming in and telling some family that all they have to do is sign their kids up for some sports and their weight will come off and they won't do that, they'll lose their kids.

How many of us were told "just start going to gym and your weight will come off"? I bet most of us. And how well did that work? I'm guessing not too well or we wouldn't be getting banded.

Obesity is a complex issue and some social worker with no expertise in the matter is going to break up a family unit over her (or his) own preconceived notions about how to deal with weight. Frankly, I'm horrified.

[plain 12]

Everybody has their own opinion here, and is entitled to it. But.....I don't get how some equate overfeeding to child abuse, or worse, compare overfeeding to underfeeding.

What if a parent, for cultural reasons, wants their child to have a "chubby little face"? How many of our grandmothers implored us to "eat" or "clean your plate"? Did the grandmothers commit acts of abuse because we are (or were) overweight?

Booboo Kitty, 200 lbs at age 7 seems pretty heavy, even to the point of being unhealthy. But to charge the mom..... How did they decide at what BMI a crime is being committed? Will we use the standard BMI charts? Would they criminally charge the parents of a sick child if the parents refused treatment?

Rhetorical questions, sure. But this is a very slippery slope to navigate.

[HarleyGirl 1]

It is a slippery slope....and that's why I would certainly advocate EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION.....if the parents fail to comply with that, then take it to the next level.

No, it's not abuse as we classically define it.....but it certainly could be quanitified as neglect.....if parents don't send their kids to school, it is educational neglect....if parents fail to nourish their children in a reasonable manner, it is neglect.

Many of us become parents with little or no background and nothing really to draw from....the story of the mom feeding the baby eagle brand condensed milk comes to mind.....that was, quite simply, an EDUCATION issue.

I certainly don't see foster care or criminal charges as a first line, only a very last resort.....but if there is an intervention at early stages, with compliance, just think how many people WON'T be looking at WLS as adults.

[Daisalana 33]

Plain- A few months ago it was in the news about a VERY LARGE man who adopts his son's kids (when he has them) for some reason. On the latest adoption, he was being denied.. not because the kids he has are overweight.. but simply because HE was overweight. They were afraid he wouldn't be a good role model.

This, is outrageous. This, the goverment has no right to judge. I can think of plenty of people with kids, who are not good role models, and it has nothing to do with their eating habits.

So, this is where I say the government is crossing boundaries (much like, I agree they should not have banned trans fat). But in this article, the children are being abused if the parents aren't helping them maintain weight.. well, that's the argument. I'm still in the air on it, but the first scenerio I am 100% opposed.

[Jennie1976 1]

If the people were starving the children.......would you support intervention?

Different side of the same coin, IMO.....

I agree that the foster care system has enough problems, but ignoring another one isn't the answer........fix the system, don't ignore the problems.

To me, being underweight is NOT the same as being overweight. An underweight child is in danger of dying in the somewhat immediate future. An overweight child, while is not healthy, is not necessarily in danger of dying (yes, I know that there are VERY rare exceptions). So to me, the underweight child MIGHT require intervention...even though the idea of the government taking someone's child sickens me (but I have personally seen cases where it was necessary). However, the overweight child, to me, is not in mortal peril and, therefore, should stay with the family. We can then only hope that he or she begins to make good choices as they grow older.