taking kids

[serpicostraight]

Ohio puts 200-pound third-grader in foster care - Yahoo! News is this even legal? theres alot of obese kids these days. is this the start of a new trend?

 

[badmac183]

There has to be something wrong with the mother. How could anyone think it was alright for a 8 year old to weigh more then the average grown man?

 

[Lex Concord]

There has to be something wrong with the mother. How could anyone think it was alright for a 8 year old to weigh more then the average grown man?

Did the story get edited? I didn't see anywhere that it said she thought it was okay, it just cited her "inability" to reduce the child's weight. No methods, or lack thereof, no time frame, no stated "acceptable" weight according to the state.

I think the story is VERY thin on details to support a conclusion that there is a problem with the mother.

But, after all, the kids belong to the state, and not to us, right?

 

[RockofStrength]

Need more information to comment intelligently. Obviously the government shouldn't be taking a kid away merely because his parents let him get fat but 5 paragraphs of info is a little sparse.

 

[bingley]

This link was posted in another thread. It is a news article that gives more details:

County places obese Cleveland Heights child in foster care

It sounds like a case of "over-enthusiastic" DCS workers playing God. The child has a medical problem. It's unclear whether the obesity is a result, but it seems related somehow. It seems the mother has been seeking treatment for the child. If the state can make the mother responsible for making her kid lose weight, then she can make a lot of money running a weight loss program.

Take a look at this. Even worse.

OP-Ed against IN FSSA secrecy. Death of Indochinese 6 yo

 

[Benny]

Damn, I'm a big dude and I didn't weigh 200 lbs until the end of my freshman year of high school when I started lifting weights (I was probably ~6'2-6'3 at the time)...My son turns 7 on Tuesday and weighs right around 50 lbs; I wouldn't consider him "small" either.

What sort of "medical problem(s)" could cause an 8 year old to weigh 200 lbs with no chance of him being able to lose weight? Even if that child is unable to get off of the couch due to a medical condition, wouldn't one still be able to exercise portion control when feeding him?

I despise most government interference, but 8 years old and 200 lbs is ****ing ridiculous.

 

[bingley]

What sort of "medical problem(s)" could cause an 8 year old to weigh 200 lbs with no chance of him being able to lose weight?

The article says the child has sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause weight gain and stimulate appetite. It's a vicious cycle, because weight gain makes sleep apnea worse. I'm not sure whether this is what's going on with the kid, however.

 

[GlockFox]

The article says the child has sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause weight gain and stimulate appetite. It's a vicious cycle, because weight gain makes sleep apnea worse. I'm not sure whether this is what's going on with the kid, however.

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I am 6'1, 175 pounds, eat (on average) 3,500 calories a day, and exercise (on average) 3 times a week. Is sleep apnea contributing to my obesity?

Sleep apnea does not make you obese. But that's just the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's take on it.

Say the child was smoking 1-2 packs a day and the parents have been warned for a year, is that reasonable grounds to pull the child away from his family, friends, school, etc.

I'm not saying that anyone is right but stop blaming things that aren't the problem. Fat people = overeating and idleness.

My rudeness is to none of you it is toward this issue. It just really grinds my gears.

 

[rambone]

Say the child was smoking 1-2 packs a day and the parents have been warned for a year, is that reasonable grounds to pull the child away from his family, friends, school, etc.

No. Not at all.

 

[88GT]

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I am 6'1, 175 pounds, eat (on average) 3,500 calories a day, and exercise (on average) 3 times a week. Is sleep apnea contributing to my obesity?

Sleep apnea does not make you obese. But that's just the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's take on it.

Say the child was smoking 1-2 packs a day and the parents have been warned for a year, is that reasonable grounds to pull the child away from his family, friends, school, etc.

I'm not saying that anyone is right but stop blaming things that aren't the problem. Fat people = overeating and idleness.

My rudeness is to none of you it is toward this issue. It just really grinds my gears.

I went to school with a guy whose obesity was caused fully by a medical condition. He died shortly after graduation because of the problem, so in effect he was unable to lose weight due to it. I don't know the details, but for some the amount of calories taken in can only be cut so far. If the body can't burn them for whatever reason, no amount of right behaviors will change that. And an inability to lose weight is closely associated with low thyroid function. It is possible for some one to eat properly and exercise regularly and still not be able to lose weight. This is probably the root cause of the yo-yo dieting among women. Only drastic calorie cutting and extreme exercise is sufficient to burn enough fat to lose weight, but as soon as the individual goes back to reasonable eating, the pounds come back on. Metabolism is a function of far more than calories in, calories out.

And you're not even remotely obese. Unless you meant to type 275 lbs.

 

[IndySSD]

Say the child was smoking 1-2 packs a day and the parents have been warned for a year, is that reasonable grounds to pull the child away from his family, friends, school, etc.

Are you saying it should be illegal to be fat until you turn 18?

That stores selling unhealthy items (food) should be required to card everyone who looks under 30 to make sure they aren't illegally getting fat?

Would you then prosecute anyone who straw purchases twinkies?



You see where I'm going with this?

 

[The Bubba Effect]

Kids are not communal property. The community should not get to decide.
(I also do not think the community should be compelled to pay for the housing, medical, education, feeding, etc of kids).

I know this sounds cruel, but the market needs to fix this.

 

[Waveraider]

I for one am sick of walking into a Pizza Hut at lunch and watching fat parents shove more food than I eat at lunch into a fat three year olds mouth sitting in a high chair. Also parents that give a kid that can't even reach the top of the counter a 44 oz cherry soda, because it's the same price as a 12 oz. These kids have a miserable live of heart disease and diabetes to look forward to, and the parents will say the kid inherited these conditions... Yea, from irresponsible parents.

Anyone else noticed how fat some of these little kids are these days? OK, off the soapbox.

 

[Benny]

I for one am sick of walking into a Pizza Hut at lunch and watching fat parents shove more food than I eat at lunch into a fat three year olds mouth sitting in a high chair. Also parents that give a kid that can't even reach the top of the counter a 44 oz cherry soda, because it's the same price as a 12 oz. These kids have a miserable live of heart disease and diabetes to look forward to, and the parents will say the kid inherited these conditions... Yea, from irresponsible parents.

Anyone else noticed how fat some of these little kids are these days? OK, off the soapbox.

That isn't the point of this thread, but everything you just mentioned makes me sick as well. Giving a kid (porker or not) that much soft-drink at that age is ridiculous. My son is 6 and gets a 6 ounce Sprite maybe once every two weeks (usually in a kid's meal from the fast food restaurant with the coolest toys). Other than that he drinks 100% juice, milk or water.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Ohio puts 200-pound third-grader in foster care - Yahoo! News is this even legal? theres alot of obese kids these days. is this the start of a new trend?

Welcome to the new world. Please sit quietly until the re-education police arrive.

 

[jeremy]

Have we got any more info yet?!

 

[gungirl65]

I for one am sick of walking into a Pizza Hut at lunch and watching fat parents shove more food than I eat at lunch into a fat three year olds mouth sitting in a high chair. Also parents that give a kid that can't even reach the top of the counter a 44 oz cherry soda, because it's the same price as a 12 oz. These kids have a miserable live of heart disease and diabetes to look forward to, and the parents will say the kid inherited these conditions... Yea, from irresponsible parents.

Anyone else noticed how fat some of these little kids are these days? OK, off the soapbox.

You are exactly right. No 8 year old or any child should ever weigh 218#’s. Everyone is mad at DCS for stepping in but where is the disgust towards the parents? An 8 year old only knows what tastes good, not what is good for him. That is his parent’s job. I can see the medical neglect in this case. This child was treated for breathing problems that’s what started all of this in the beginning. The kid is having breathing problems because he is obese. As a parent this would have scared me into action, not into making excuses

As both parents are obese his weight issues are more likely the result of poor food choices & not genetics. The parents have had a year to work on his weight & now he is gaining it back rapidly. Chances are it’s because the novelty of a diet has worn off & the family has returned to their old eating habits. This theory could be further supported if the parent’s weights have also increased. Although in all fairness it has been suggested that other kids are sneaking him food.

I have known too many obese people who try to cry genetics while they consume more calories in a meal than I do all day. We are responsible for the food choices we make for ourselves and our children. If a parent can’t break the food addiction to save their child’s health then I think it is acceptable to try to get the child help outside the family structure. Although I do believe he should be able to see his family more often & they should be more involved in his treatment.

 

[TMU317]

I don't know the details, but for some the amount of calories taken in can only be cut so far. If the body can't burn them for whatever reason, no amount of right behaviors will change that. And an inability to lose weight is closely associated with low thyroid function. It is possible for some one to eat properly and exercise regularly and still not be able to lose weight. This is probably the root cause of the yo-yo dieting among women. Only drastic calorie cutting and extreme exercise is sufficient to burn enough fat to lose weight, but as soon as the individual goes back to reasonable eating, the pounds come back on. Metabolism is a function of far more than calories in, calories out.

As complex as metabolism may be, I find it hard to believe that an 8 year old child can weigh roughly 200 pounds due to anything other than over eating. An extra 20 pounds, maybe. Not an extra 120. Your body does not just magically create fat cells.

 

[jsharmon7]

The story is thin on facts, so this is just a broad opinion. If the child was underfed, I could understand the state taking over. The child isn't in immediate danger from being overfed though. The kid could decide in a couple of years to exercise and lose the weight if he's so inclined. They should leave this one alone.

 

[Kase]

I don't agree on the child being taken away from the mother.

But...... a 200 lb 8 year old is ****ing rediculous. Unless there is a MAJOR disease in play, there is no excuse for this. I would say the child needs to go with his father, grandparents or something else, because the mother is apparently not fit for the job.

Part of a parents responsibility is keeping your child fit. She's obviously failed at that job.