Obese Children.

[ummmm]

Child abuse or not? (on TV at the mo)

[Mosaic]

As a child one of my friends was enormously overweight and it was clearly a monster mother issue. At the age of eleven mum insisted on dressing her as you would a toddler - holding her pants out to step into etc. As she started wanting to lose weight as a teen her mum actively disrupted her attempts. So I'd say this kind of power-play is child abuse. Not seen the programme though.

[pixie373]

I don't think anyone has used the words greedy or lazy. It may be that others might burn it off faster, but it still comes down to working out what your own body and lifestyle needs.

[China Doll]

I think you have to look at individual situations but given that some obese children have the nutritional intake of a starving child, then yes, I would consider that abuse (neglect if I had to categorise); you wouldn't stand by and let a child starve so why is this any different.

Re: thd individual situations, some parents are just feckless but once it's pointed out to them and they're given a plan then therd's a big improvement: most plans are not for kids to diet but rather to maintain a weight until ghe age that the weight and height is appropriate. However some families do not engage, they enable the child and look for medical causes where none exist: I think these children should ag the very least be on a child in need plan if not a child protection plan. I'm talking 11 year olds weighing 15 stone anc adolescents weighing somewhere in the 20s.

One thing that should be noted; when a child gets very big then depending on family dynamics, they can become very intimidating to parents who are trying to put measures in place to help them. I would argue a child protection plan is needed here too in order to help the family manage as on top of the food issue, ylu zlso have an isdue wherd the family dynamics are very twisted tobsay the least and help would be needed to untangle that as well.

[ummmm]

My sister didn't become obese until her 20s. My mum's thin my dad was 'beer belly' fat.

Actually.....My mum has a better figure than me and I'm not overweight! :-(

[joeluke]

Not child abuse just lazy parenting

Too many parents are happy to feed their youngsters junk food as opposed to regular fruit/vegetables as it's the easy (lazy) option when they're struggling to get them to eat fruit/veg

We live in a McDonalds/chicken nuggets/pizza generation

Too many toddlers you see around town have a 'Greggs dummy' in their mouths..........one of their sausage rolls!

[RATTER15]

I havent read all the answers here but generally I would say "yes" child abuse, lazy parenting and not feeding your children correctly to the point where they become fat and and at risk of serious health issues is abuse!

I think we need to be seriously looking at parents that have no, or little idea of how to feed their children and help them down the right track but where it is due to lazyness then they should be prosecuted. Obese children suffer horrendously at school and then through health issues!

[tamborine]

Too many bacon butties, doorstop sarnies, pies & chips when an apple will suffice

[cassa333]

Other than the out of the ordinary reasons...

Obesety is a vicious cycle. You eat a bit too much and put a bit of weight on, so you become a bit slower. You still eat a bit too much and put a bit more weight on so move around even less by which tiime your weight starts to go up rapidly and the cycle is set.

Obese people BECOME sedentary and 'lazy' not because they are intrinsicly lazy but because weight has made them that way.

Is it child abuse? For me I think it is. Abuse isn't just a smack or neglect, abuse comes in many forms.

It is absolute *** when fat parents say it is genetic. Look at us were are super fat so our children are going to be super fat. Err no your child is super fat because YOU HAVE enable and allowed them to become super fat.

[ummmm]

It's not hard to not buy ***.

Joe...when I went to town with the kids I always got them a MaccyDs. About once a month. Junk food should be a treat, not a habit.

[RATTER15]

Exactly, too lazy to look after your kids to the point where their health is neglected and they are suffering due to that neglect is total abuse, no other word for it I'm afraid.

Parents have a duty of care toward their children! this surely includes what food they eat.