True story from the UK today about a family who may be torn apart because the CHILDREN ARE TOO FAT. Read more here about the family that claimed their six children will be taken from them and placed in care unless the parents can bring the children’s weight under control within three months.
The family was told to send the kids to dance and football lessons to shed pounds…or there was risk of losing the children to social services. I really can’t believe this hasn’t happened yet in the United States since our culture is so obsessed with being THIN.
Sweet Jesus, what is the world coming to? Has anyone in that area ever heard of THYROID problems or metabolic problems that make it hard to lose weight? Don’t get me started on that one.
By the way, whenever I post anything about weight or body issues, I always get the nasty emails about how I am a "fat cow" or I am "bitter and fat". Nothing could be farther from the truth as I am a size 6 but I’ve had issues with thyroid stuff and it’s caused problems with me and people in my family. Just wanted to get that out of the way, to cut down on the "fat cow" comments.
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Yeah right everybody, kids don’t need to be thin, it isn’t their fault, it’s genetics, it’s thyroid. Anyone who is a fatarse is one out of choice. If your kids are porkers, it’s the crisps and cakes, period. PERIOD. Stop feeding them until they weigh less than a lorry.
As a father of two (all of us are skinny, and no that’s NOT a blessing either, especially growing up and getting kicked around all the time) I have another question here. Whether or not this case is right or wrong about taking the kids, what about intervening in other ways that might be more far reaching. I don’t know the UK from a hole in the ground, but in the US, the ability for children to eat healthy foods is a challenge to say the least. Fast food everywhere, stores filled with processed foods and junk, and school lunches that leave a lot to be desired (that is if they ever make it past the vending machines!)
Before I get flamed about it, I am in no way denying that personal (and parental) resposibility is the first step. No one forces us to eat anything, and it’s our job as parents to guide our kids in learning and following through with healthy eating habbits, but… Damn it, it would be nice if it didn’t seem like the deck was stacked against us.
My boy is obese. He is huge. He eats healthily and runs around all the time and is still huge. At the supermarket I get stares and comments about what I am buying. Little do they know the healthy shit is his and the ‘treats’ are for his sisters as he is allergic to most ingredients in junk food. It breaks my heart. He has enough to deal with with all his ‘disabilities’ without the presumption that he is a ‘fat little porker’
(sorry bad day, this hit a nerve)
I am so glad that my favourite White Trash Gal has a clue
I have 4 grandchildren with the same mother. Two are perfect according to the gov stats. One is a 7 year old girl who is over weight. And one is under weight. Is this the mothers fault and should the government step in. Or is this just how these children are built. I do not think all fat people are fat from over eating or from the types of food they eat. The over weight child and I walk at least a mile 5 days a week. She jumps on the trampoline and runs around way more than the other three children. I personally think this is an outrageous invasion into peoples lives. Why don’t the govs just take children when they are born and be done with it then they can raise all the little robots.
Wow, I can’t follow up Backpacking Dad but I will say: when it comes to discussing your weight on a blog, you can’t win. When write about wanting to shed a few pounds, I am “beautiful” and I “shouldn’t hate my curves” and I am “letting the media dictate my self-esteem.”
But when I post a picture or write about how I’m having a cute day, I “have a huge ego” am “not that pretty” and a “fat cow.”
Backpacking Dad: WELL SAID. You stated your opinion with truth, reason and in a way that did not involve calling anyone a “fat bitter cow”. Forget backpacking and blogging dude, go into POLITICS. The country needs you. Seriously, thanks for your excellent comment.
So, lay it all out.
IF the kids are overweight, approaching obesity at a very young age, AND this is not a result of thyroid problems:
THEN either the government DOES or DOES NOT have an obligation to those kids and to the taxpayers that will have to foot the health care bills for preventable future illnesses.
IF the government DOES have such an obligation, then it must weigh this against the parents’ rights to be left to raise their children as they see fit. Sometimes this might mean leaving parents to raise diabetic children.
IF the government DOES NOT have such an obligation then it might likewise not have an obligation to step in when children are being mistreated in more direct ways.
Which way do you go?
I’m in the “stay off my lawn” group; but I’m also hyper-critical of people I think of as bad parents. A bit selfishly, or righteously, I think the government really should step in in the case of bad parents, but leave me the hell alone (because I’m so awesome and flawless).
What will I do when someone even more righteous and hyper-critical than I am points at me on that day when I’m not on my “A” game and I’m feeding my kids kettle corn for breakfast and giving them cigars to keep them quiet for an hour?
I don’t know. But maybe just like some parents beat their children, some parents are abusive when it comes to food, and they SHOULD have their kids removed from their care.
90 days is not a short period of time; it’s long enough to demonstrate a commitment to a program of weight management and to also see some results; but it also requires that the parents hit the ground running. That kind of motivation can’t be bad, can it?
I am with you, Mamma Loves, that childhood is tougher on kids that are fat. I am just surprised the parents were only given 90 days and I am also shocked that the USA hasn’t had this kind of thing happen YET. With our obsession over weight, this makes you wonder WHEN it will happen.
Hi Mike! THANKS for your excellent “fat, bitter, cow” comment. It makes my day.
They were given 3 months to correct their children’s weight issue? Good God, I know parents who struggled along side with their overweight children for YEARS!
The object shouldn’t be to get them thin, but to work on getting them HEALTHY. Give me a freakin’ break!
I’m also a size 6, and can tell you that 6 and healthy feels a LOT better than 2 and unhealthy/miserable!
Thyroid conditions aside, it does break my heart when I see kids struggling to keep up with other kids their age and I wonder why their parents would put them in that position. Kids don’t need to be thin, but they should be healthy.
Thanks for letting us know, you fat, bitter cow!
I am guessing that as they are in England which is quite civilised, they would be aware of thyroid problems. I am thinking that if all six children are fat little porkers that it may be more than just a hormonal imbalance.
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