Do you believe that parents who allow their kids to become obese should be charged with abuse?

Question

Childhood obesity is on the rise. With ties to diabetes, heart problems (like atherosclerosis) and simply ridicule, the kids, who are still learning proper eating habits are not necessarily the ones to blame here. Because parents are responsible for teaching their kids basic skills like a proper diet, do you think they should be charged if they fail, causing unnecessary harm to their child?

If not, why not?

Answer

Um before we start leveling charges at people, can we first address the fact that clean 'healthy' food isn't always available or cost effective across the board? 
Can we make sure that proper food education and resources are available across the board for adults and children alike? 
Can we address the fact that fat is genetic in a lot of cases, and if we start punching people for genetics that makes us little better than other horrible proponents of Eugenics? 
Can we address the fact that fat does not automatically equal unhealthy?
Can we also address the blatant ableism in this obsession for criminalizing unhealthiness?

Answer

We don't charge people who don't teach their kids how to floss, or who let their kids watch TV instead of read. Why is being fat the worst thing in the world?

Answer

Let's follow that logic for a second. This would mean charging a single mom with child abuse because she just worked a 12 hour shift and is too tired to come home and cook a healthy meal so she feeds what's quick and cheap. So she should be in jail next to a mom who beat her kids? How about we invest in programs that educate and even help parents feed their kids healthier meals?

Answer

Parents get prosecuted for starving their children, which results in many health problems and a more immediate death. Over feeding your children processed garbage also results in health problems and death, death may not be immediate however some of the Health problems developed can result in longterm life threatening illnesses, emotional instability, self esteem issues, food addictions, depression, poor body image, all which can effect a child's quality of life and following them into adulthood.

Answer

Not "abuse" per say but I believe feeding your kids nothing but unhealthy foods is bad parenting. It's not in the child's best interest.

Answer

As a teacher who sees so many more serious issues that are ignored by Child Services and other agencies, I can't imagine spending the man hours or energy to follow through with this.

Answer

Maybe CPS should take your child because they are a bully since that causes harm to other children. Or maybe if they aren't vaccinated since that causes harm to them and other children.

Answer

CPS should deal with the current issues being ignored instead of picking at things like that. Please don't report that. It's unnecessary and wastes their time. 
Children in abusive homes should have places to be removed and taken to. That should be a priority. They should not be left in scary situations because of no homes being available. Legalities should be changed that if nobody in the child's current province or state are able to care out of home for them, that the child be placed in another province or state. That would be safer than leaving them in the home until another home becomes available. I know countless situations of children not having food at all, eating only breakfast because at school the breakfast club program provides them with a small mini bag of Cheerios or a yogurt or dried fruit strip. 
All across Canada child welfare is aware of situations of sexual, physical (inc not being fed) and verbal abuse. It is difficult to deal with seeing children not own a pair of shoes or a coat in the winter. I have ran programs in efforts to provide coats and proper footwear and clothing to children who's homes do not provide. Children who wakeup in clothes that haven't been washed in weeks that have torn, who's parents yell and shove them outside to walk to school in -20 without coats and in flip-flops, children who are raping children out of the blue in their elementary schools, who don't have lunch or dinner, who are ignored time and again by child welfare. This should not be hidden by communities. This is how it is in wealthy cities in Canada with children in the poor neighborhoods. People go on living their lives ignoring the children just blocks away who don't know what it means to come home to hugs. Who don't know what it's like to eat dinner with their parents. Who don't know what it's like to have mom and dad home at night because she's a prostitute and he's a pimp. Whos parents come home volatile after a long night drinking. Please consider those

Answer

Nope. You would have to prove that the child was obese Bc of the parents. 
My sister was put on a stricter diet (pretty much jus less sugar and smaller portions Bc she's a kid and didn't need an actual 'diet') and she still snuck candy or junk food. Or she would eat it at friends houses so she never really lost the weight. While yes there are some obvious 'you don't have anything but Mountain Dew and white bread in your house no wonder your kids are obese' cases where it's OBVIOUSLY the parents fault but for the most part you would have to dig into each families lives, dig into medical history. Someone would have to finally agree on what's obese Bc you'll get the moms whose children and medically obese fighting it and saying that her kids are simply beings Shamed for their size. There's just so much that would have to be down, and so many ways for it to chase unneeded problems.

Answer

I feel like it depends on a variety of factors. For example, sometimes it truly is genetic and can be harder to sustain a healthy weight. But they should definitely enforce healthy eating and an active lifestyle. It should help for the most part.

Do you believe that parents who allow their kids to become obese should be charged with abuse?

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