Should parents lose custody of overly fatty kids?

[ichy]

Some of the healthiest foods available are dirt cheap. Lentils, beans, brown rice, etc. This excuse that healthy food is expensive is a load of crap. Face it, most people who're seriously overweight are getting their food from carry-out places, fried chicken joins & fast food restaurants.

 

[SlitheryDee]

How about we look at it like this? This is a problem you can't do anything about directly. You can educate, and attempt to set a good example, but you can't intervene. You can't introduce the prospect of the government taking children away for obesity.

A likely response is "Well, we already take children away from parents who are abusive in other ways, this is abuse that is arguably just as bad as those others".

First of all, no it's not. Letting your child get fat will never be as bad as directly abusing them emotionally or physically. The child is simply being allowed to engage in an activity that they find pleasurable, but has some consequences. They're not being raped, beaten, or likely even emotionally assaulted by the parent directly. Any emotional problems will usually come as a result of the cruelty of their peers. There is some element of negligence here, but its not bad enough to ever warrant taking the child away.

This sort of justifies the use of the slippery slope argument as well. We got on this slope a long time ago, and if something like this passes we will have slid just a bit further down it. It's happening right before our eyes, and just as our gut has always told us, each step is easier to take. The only way to stop is stubborn refusal to go farther down this path. Accept that this is a problem you can not solve through direct intervention because direct intervention is wrong. Also, using something we already do as justification for going even further is the worst thing you can possibly do to argue your case.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

yea but that is not necessarily true.

chicken is cheap as shit and is probably the healthiest meat you can buy.

veggies are also cheap.

it is more of prepared food vs non-prepared food, where prepared food is more expensive than non-prepared food. and as i sated before, fat people are typically lazy as shit, so they want prepared food instead of having to prepare it themselves.

hot pockets are more expensive than like a pound+ of raw boneless skinless chicken breasts.

but lean pockets are more expensive than hot pockets.

people are just uneducated about foods in general, which is sad, because health should be extremely important to ones life.

lean pockets arent even "healthy" at all when compared to a properly prepared meal. they are just "healthier" than normal hot pockets.

I don't necessarily agree veggies and meat are cheap. They are probably the only thing in the store that you can't really use coupons for though you can get some "big buys" with the meat. Veggies, with prob the exception of local corn(tough to consider a veggie) when its in season are rarely on sale and per pound are far more than the processed items.

I agree frozen Prepared foods can be more expensive if you aren't a smart shopper. However you can deal hunt. I've seen those toaster pizzas for like $10/10 sometimes.

 

[nageov3t]

Some of the healthiest foods available are dirt cheap. Lentils, beans, brown rice, etc. This excuse that healthy food is expensive is a load of crap. Face it, most people who're seriously overweight are getting their food from carry-out places, fried chicken joins & fast food restaurants.

healthy food that tastes good and provides comparable calories tends to be more expensive and have a shorter shelf life (eg: lean meats, fresh fruit/veggies.

I tend to eat pretty healthy myself -- I didn't go from weighing 450 to 150 by eating big macs -- but I can empathize with a parent who's working 2 jobs and living paycheck to paycheck for wanting to grab a $2 meal from McDonalds versus coming home after a 12 hour shift and making poached salmon with a side of asparagus.

 

[slayer202]

You have to have a license to fish, hunt, drive, etc. but you do not have to have one to have and raise children. It is presumed that everyone is born with the intelligence to raise children--even obese ones.

We should have licenses to have children. You have to pass a mental exam and you need to be able to afford it, among other criteria

 

[ichy]

healthy food that tastes good and provides comparable calories tends to be more expensive and have a shorter shelf life (eg: lean meats, fresh fruit/veggies.

I tend to eat pretty healthy myself -- I didn't go from weighing 450 to 150 by eating big macs -- but I can empathize with a parent who's working 2 jobs and living paycheck to paycheck for wanting to grab a $2 meal from McDonalds versus coming home after a 12 hour shift and making poached salmon with a side of asparagus.

So make something you can cook in large amounts and then store. Lentil soup is healthy, dirt cheap, and you can make huge amounts in advance. Chili isn't exactly diet food, but if you put in a large portion of beans it's not awful for you and can also be made in large quantities. The list goes on and on, and yes, it does require some effort and self-discipline. It's hardly the impossibility that some people make it out to be though.

 

[nageov3t]

in theory, a parenting license makes sense.

but what happens when two teenagers get knocked up? government-forced abortion?

 

[slayer202]

in theory, a parenting license makes sense.

but what happens when two teenagers get knocked up? government-forced abortion?

Tough situations like that, which I don't have answers for off the top of my head, are probably easier to deal with than all the assholes who have children these days

 

[lord_emperor]

In the case of extreme obesity, yes, the parents have failed and should not continue fattening the child.

 

[waggy]

In the case of extreme obesity, yes, the parents have failed and should not continue fattening the child.

the more i think on it the more i agree.

if you have 1-2 yr old thats 100 lbs there is a issue. that kid is not going to live long like that.

 

[Theb]

I saw this kid at Target the other day that was so fat it was effecting his speech. It sounded like he had cotton in his mouth when he talked. It looked like walking was pretty uncomfortable. He looked about 7 or 8. He'll probably need a Rascal in a few years. I wonder what kind of accommodations schools are going to make for that. As bad as he looked it's hard to imagine him making it past 30. His mom was buying him a Pepsi. I can't say for sure, but I think I'd rather be sexually abused as a kid if it meant I'd still be able to run and play and climb trees.

It's hard to understand how kids can even get that fat. Growing and developing takes a lot of energy plus they run around like hummingbirds. During growth-spurts it's hard to get enough food into my daughter. Sometimes I just hand her the peanutbutter and a spoon. "There's nothing else to put peanutbutter on. You ate all the apples, you ate all the bread... wait, why are you looking at my fingers like that?"

 

[Macamus Prime]

That thar gubnament needs ta stay outta r liaves. We knows what we doin.

Beuford. HEY BEUFORD! Go on and git yer pa a tray o cheese danish. Throw some of them thar bacon peices on it. And a few cheese burgers,... go on! Get!

 

[foghorn67]

I think the nannies and their government goon squad should fuck off.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[nageov3t]

It's hard to understand how kids can even get that fat.

Sometimes I just hand her the peanutbutter and a spoon.

:hmm:

I was a big kid. my parents were pretty much food nazis... everything in our house was diet, low-fat, etc.

I got into more trouble the time my dad found an empty coke bottle in my backpack than the time I came home drunk.

but I hated exercise and it became a kind of forbidden fruit thing where, when I had some extra money (from my allowance or after I started working), I'd binge on junk food.

 

[waggy]

I saw this kid at Target the other day that was so fat it was effecting his speech. It sounded like he had cotton in his mouth when he talked. It looked like walking was pretty uncomfortable. He looked about 7 or 8. He'll probably need a Rascal in a few years. I wonder what kind of accommodations schools are going to make for that. As bad as he looked it's hard to imagine him making it past 30. His mom was buying him a Pepsi. I can't say for sure, but I think I'd rather be sexually abused as a kid if it meant I'd still be able to run and play and climb trees.

It's hard to understand how kids can even get that fat. Growing and developing takes a lot of energy plus they run around like hummingbirds. During growth-spurts it's hard to get enough food into my daughter. Sometimes I just hand her the peanutbutter and a spoon. "There's nothing else to put peanutbutter on. You ate all the apples, you ate all the bread... wait, why are you looking at my fingers like that?"

i will tell you how. to many parents start giving very small (8months -2yr olds) soda and far to much fast food.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRLkcmkSUG4

this is fucking why. a 1 yr old should not fucking waigh 100 lbs.

 

[DrPizza]

For most people (including myself) exercise never becomes fun - but you do get used to it. I think that something along the lines of what you're saying here is necessary to force people to get used to the uncomfortableness of exercise.

This is the real issue - daily exercise is entirely pointless when we're still getting absolutely atrocious diets pushed down on us from all sorts of media.

You can't possibly be serious. So, all the people:

• rollerblading
• skateboarding
• biking
• hiking
• playing basketball
• playing catch
• playing chase (at least at schools where they haven't disallowed it - which goes back to the whole getting rid of phys ed thing.)
• kayaking
• canoeing

aren't doing so because it's fun??
(edit: forgot to finish the sentence)


well hell, if I continue, you'll get uncomfortable exercise with the finger on your mouse. This list could obviously go on for a long time; pages. And I highly doubt that the people engaging in such activities are doing so because it's not fun.

 

[Andy22]

Would anyone have a problem taking a child away from their parents if the parent was withholding food and the child had become emaciated? This is just the other extreme. I think CPS SHOULD get involved in EXTREME cases but not necessarily by just taking the child away. Set up a case where both the parent and child can be educated. Give the parents a chance to correct this on their own. The CPS worker should check in at regular intervals to see if any progress has been made.

 

[nageov3t]

You can't possibly be serious. So, all the people:

• rollerblading
• skateboarding
• biking
• hiking
• playing basketball
• playing catch
• playing chase (at least at schools where they haven't disallowed it - which goes back to the whole getting rid of phys ed thing.)
• kayaking
• canoeing

well hell, if I continue, you'll get uncomfortable exercise with the finger on your mouse. This list could obviously go on for a long time; pages. And I highly doubt that the people engaging in such activities are doing so because it's not fun.

different people find different things fun.

I'd sooner sit at home reading a book than do pretty much anything involving the outdoors, but I suck it up and trudge along my daily run every day anyways.

 

[ichy]

Would anyone have a problem taking a child away from their parents if the parent was withholding food and the child had become emaciated? This is just the other extreme. I think CPS SHOULD get involved in EXTREME cases but not necessarily by just taking the child away. Set up a case where both the parent and child can be educated. Give the parents a chance to correct this on their own. The CPS worker should check in at regular intervals to see if any progress has been made.

I pretty much agree. If a kid is so fat that they'll be dead by the time they're 30 then yes, CPS should get involved. For less extreme situations though there's not that much you can do to fix bad parenting.

 

[waggy]

You can't possibly be serious. So, all the people:

• rollerblading
• skateboarding
• biking
• hiking
• playing basketball
• playing catch
• playing chase (at least at schools where they haven't disallowed it - which goes back to the whole getting rid of phys ed thing.)
• kayaking
• canoeing

well hell, if I continue, you'll get uncomfortable exercise with the finger on your mouse. This list could obviously go on for a long time; pages. And I highly doubt that the people engaging in such activities are doing so because it's not fun.

exactly.

also you need to find a sport that the child enjoys. try them all and do them WITH the children.

it ticks me off that schools are canceling phys ed. it helps kids mentally and physically. If i didn't have ways to blow off energy i didn't do well in school .

 

[xanis]

exactly.

also you need to find a sport that the child enjoys. try them all and do them WITH the children.

it ticks me off that schools are canceling phys ed. it helps kids mentally and physically. If i didn't have ways to blow off energy i didn't do well in school .

I was never one for strenuous exercise in my younger days, but I definitely enjoyed Phys Ed. You can't beat spending 50 minutes of a school day playing street hockey, football, or volleyball.

 

[DrPizza]

different people find different things fun.

I'd sooner sit at home reading a book than do pretty much anything involving the outdoors, but I suck it up and trudge along my daily run every day anyways.

Sadly, in the case of most of the obsese people it's:

• play Xbox
• play playstation
• watch TV

Putting televisions and these games into children's bedrooms is a huge contributing factor to childhood obesity. I'd bet there's a very strong correlation between the percentage of bedrooms with televisions and the percentage of children who are overweight.

 

[nageov3t]

I was never one for strenuous exercise in my younger days, but I definitely enjoyed Phys Ed. You can't beat spending 50 minutes of a school day playing street hockey, football, or volleyball.

I would literally rather get a root canal 😛

 

[ShawnD1]

That being said, I don't agree with removing custody, but education for the whole family is very important. My sister was made more aware of the foods that she is keeping in her house that my niece shouldn't be eating. Even though the food wasn't bought for her, just having it in the house increases the possibility that the child will eat it. It's important for the whole family to participate, which meant they all needed to curb their eating habits.

Can you give 1 valid example of food you shouldn't keep in your house?

My parents were some of the first baby boomers, born less than a year after the war ended. When they were kids, their parents would save bacon grease in a jar and use it as cooking oil. If you thought margarine and butter were bad, try cooking everything in bacon fat. Mysteriously, both of my parents were skinny (normal) looking children and the have lots of photos showing it.

 

[Ryland]

parents of fat kids are typically fat themselves.

Good point. Neither my wife nor I are overweight (or even close to it). It does sound like the parents just dont care what their children eat which is similar to not caring what they do which is neglect...