E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSCuyahoga County Officials took an eight-year-old boy, weighing over 200 pounds from his mother, and now a court will begin the process of deciding what's best for the child next month. Bioethethicist and msnbc.com contributor Arthur Caplan discusses.
An 8-year-old Ohio boy weighing 200 pounds was taken from his family last month and put into foster care by officials who said his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight. That was the wrong call, says Arthur Caplan, an msnbc.com contributor and professor of bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
"I think it's a bad policy," Caplan told Tamron Hall, host of MSNBC's NewsNation. "Moving kids out of the home is wrenching for them, they're going to live with strangers. You're creating emotional turmoil."
Caplan, an msnbc.com contributor, says the solution is working with the entire family to change behavior. "The problem with an overweight child doesn't end with the child and moving him out of the house because he's going to come back to the house. You're going to have to figure out ways to change bad habits with the whole family."
Caplan noted that the child may also be indulging outside of his mother's watch. "This parent, unless you're going to monitor the kid 365-days a year, 24 hours a day, who knows where [he] may be getting the food. [The parent] may be making the effort to get the kid to be less obese."
Not only is it bad for the child to be taken from his home, it's bad for the foster care system as well, he said.
"It can't be the right answer to turn to foster care. There are too many overweight kids. You'd overwhelm the foster care system if this became the policy."
Caplan also fears that children from low-income parent homes with limited access to healthy foods will be targeted.
"Does anyone really think a 200-pound kid in a rich family household out in the burbs is going to be put into foster care? Because I don't. I think it's going to fall mainly on the single moms, on the poor since they don't have the resources to resist this. Plus, we have no reason to think this will work. There's no study that shows taking kids out of the home and putting them somewhere else is going to make him skinnier."
What do you think? Tell us on Facebook.
Related stories:
Leave a Comment:
I'm 45 and will never come close to 200#. This child absolutely should have been pulled out of that home. He's lucky if he doesn't already have permanent back/leg problems.
I agree. Being low income and a single mother is no excuse for poor choices when it comes to your children. There are ALWAYS options to helping your children with weight. We are NOT talking about a genetic issue or medical condition that was making the child overweight. We are talking about lazy, selfish parenting. Listening to your child whine because they can have chips is certainly better than listening to the sound of an oxygen tank at their bedside. Jeez. This mother needs to nut up, accept responsibility and make some changes for the best interest of her child. making excuses only proves that she's unfit.
"Nut up"? Really?? What an absolutely horrible phrase. What has become of the English language? The language of Shakespeare? the language of Emily Bronte? Disgusting. No need to be so crass to make your point. I may not agree with your view, but I am truly offended by your word choice. As one who appreciates the potential of our language, I shudder to think you and those like you are the future of it.
You may all now commence ridiculing me, as I fully expect it.
They should be asking, "Why are these kids so overweight?". They could have medical problems like a slow metabolism or just like the article says be from low income single moms who can't afford to feed their children healthy. In the later case they should provide assiistance for the familes and get the kids on track to a healthier lifestyle. In the former provide information and/or assistance for medical help. If the parents are just overstuffing the kids like a turkey at Thanksgiving then maybe the kids should be taken away and put into foster care. But my parents never overstuffed me and at one point in my life I was over 300 pounds then I realized I needed to stop what I was doing and do something else. Since that time I have lost about 100 pounds. I have been overweight most of my life and have dealt with it and it is not my parent's fault it is mine because of sneaking food late at night and overeating at meals.
saddened-1829725: Thank you for contributing nothing to the topic. Get over yourself.
No! This kid most certainly should NOT have been removed from his home & forced to live with strangers. I'm pretty sure strangers will not have his best interests at heart. All that does is create stress for all involved. I weighed about 200 pounds when I was 10, & I turned out fine. I am not overweight now. These "child protection" agencies should butt out unless there is IMMEDIATE danger to the child's life. More kids die in "protective custody" than most people would believe. The emotional stress of being separated from his family might cause more harm than being obese. If he was being beaten, sure, take him out, but for being obese? That's just stupid. Maybe they should help Mom out, instead of labeling her abusive. Put her in a class on nutrition, but don't steal her child. I hope she gets him back before it's too late.
A child who is morbidly obese should be pulled from the home and place in the foster care system, as long as these three conditions are met:
1. The child is placed in a foster home in which the caregivers understand and practice good nutrition habits and appropriate levels of activities that are conducive to good health. In that manner, the child gets used to the concept of food and exercise as tools that can be used for good health.
2. While the child is in foster care, s/he gets a complete physical, including being tested for the problems associated with obesity and for any of the possible, but rare, medical conditions that can be causing this extreme obesity. The necessary management protocols, if they exist, should be set up at this time.
3. Again, while the child is in foster care, all of the family members receive education about food, nutrition and exercise, including how to cook using whole foods in ways that benefit everyone in the family.
When all of these conditions have been fulfilled, the child is to be returned to their home.
No one cares that some of you were fat kid - this is not about you but about a child morbidly obese that was a victim of the worse kind of child abuse - a disengaged mother more concerned about herself then putting discipline and restraint into her childs life. The truly shocking aspect of all of this is - simply that this is the first case in Ohio and that child welfare services waited this long to take action. Child obesity is child abuse - parents should be in jail for failing to care for their children
It takes a lot of food to make an 8-year-old balloon to 200 pounds. The child must be wider than he is tall. I've known people with glandular problems. The only ones that were close to that bad were also eating to comfort themselves so they actually had two problems one of which was controllable. More than likely someone is enabling the child to eat more than is necessary. As a person that has had problems with weight even before adulthood I know from experience that adults do enable children to overeat. They tell you stuff like, "No, Dear. You're not fat. You're big boned" or "It's probably just a gland problem. It will go away after you grow up." They coach you in all manner of excuses to use when others express concern at your weight. They teach you how to avoid exercise and get out of P.E. They sneak you sweet treats because they're concerned that your parents might be depriving you of them. A parent that is truly concerned about their child's weight has to have the will and ability to fight back against enablers. I don't blame the authorities for being concerned about this child. At least someone is showing concern.
How is taking a child from every thing he knows and throwing him in a home where he knows no one going to help him? If he didn't have an eating disorder before he certianly will after! The state should be putting their resources toward sending the Mother and Child to nutrition classes and maybe a membership to the Y.
@Eugene Saxe
Look at your own remark before complaining that someone elses has no value.
We'll see what happens with the Foster Care System. If the child continues to gain or not lose there...what do we do? Put the child in Prison for criminal over eating? I'm not sure what the solution here is, I don't have the personal insight into this family and this child that many of you must have, based on your absolutism. Something needs to be done to help this child. I'm just not sure that foster care is the solution. Check back in 6 months to see where this child is. I guess then we will know if Foster Care was better for his physical health. We won't know about his mental health for a long time.
The child needs to be put through testing to rule out any predisposing medical factors that could cause a weight gain. Until this is determined, the child should not be kept from his parents and family. His diet also needs to be evaluated to see if this is where the problem lies. If it is, it needs to be determined if it is a financial problem or a problem with the parenting itself. Either can be fixed and should be. This child needs help, that is a given, but the proper help, not a knee jerk reaction by CPS to remove the child until every aspect is examined.
The solution to this dilemma is simple. Establish scientific guidelines that clearly define dangerous obesity levels for all minors considering height, age and bone structure. Pass legislation that requires authorities to seize any child from any family that exceeds the established levels. In fairness to skinny kids, there must be minimum levels of weight as well to protect their health.
I believe that millions of us would rightfully protest at state capitals and D.C. to prohibit or repeal such a law. Yet many of us seem fine with local authorities making that critical decision all on their own. Could it be because this case involved a single mother in financial need? If so, you're guilty of passing judgement on someone you know nothing about. You're also hypocrites.
Whats next, take kids away from their parents if they get poor grades? Poor parenting is NOT abuse, if so, half of you people would lose their kids.
"You're creating emotional turmoil." You don't think that him being an obese child will cause emotional problems? I was raised in a poor household by my mother and I was raised to eat right and have a reasonable amount of physical activity. Many parents aren't fit to raise children and in those cases I agree that their children should not remain in their custody.
What needs to be taken away is the authority of all these un-elected officials that are taking away the freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights. We will soon pass Russia and China heading in the opposite direction, toward a group of people telling the rest of us what to do just like the political parties in those countries once did. Weight loss cannot be legislated any more than morals or ethics. There are too many people thinking they can force their behaviour and beliefs on everyone else. Furthermore, other groups of policy makers have done away with P.E. in schools, which makes the decision to take this child away look even more nonsensical.
If you go to a grocery store, you will see that the kinds of foods that are the cheapest are the ones that are the worst for you - ie: have too much sugar, high glucose corn syrup, excessive carbs. Unfortunately, poor families are not able to afford the low carb foods which often cost nearly double the price of the bad foods. You also cannot guarantee that the parents are the source of the weight gain - he could be sneaking candy or even stealing other kids' lunches. I know one kid who was put on a diet, and he went to the neighbors saying he was hungry and got food! Another person I know on a medical diet would sneak out of bed and go get that very item she wasn't allowed to have. By the time the parents discovered what she was doing, it was too late. Don't be so quick to blame the parents for the child's weight. Maybe what they should do is to offer the family placement in an eating disorder program where the child is hospitalized to lose more of the weight while the family is educated and worked with - because if he loses the weight and then goes back without change, it will come back. It may be that the family will need an increase in food stamps or additional money in AFDC or something. Will the government help with that, or is their only solution to traumatize the child?
Overcoming an eating disorder, or food addiction, is a terribly difficult thing. As a non-vomiting bulimic I feel very sorry for "Dimples".
The article does not specify whether the child was a latch-key. In other words, if the mother was at work much of the time and was not able to monitor the situation. If she had stuck locks on all the cabinets and the fridge, the kid would have complained that he was starving, and he would have been taken away! Taking him out of the house isn't the solution. Finding out why he has this compulsion to overeat is the issue. He could very easily have a genetic issue that has messed with his hunger cues, making him think he's hungry all the time, or he could have a glandular issue, or any number of things. We don't know the whole story, therefore we cannot judge.
Comment # 2 deleted, derail.
Shakespeare was warned frequently by his contemporaries that his language was too bold and unfit for public discourse-- just goes to show you how far he has come.
As an English graduate myself, I have no problem with slang, cursing and other colloquialisms. On the contrary, I find them to be fascinating.
To the subject at hand-- I don't feel that foster care is an appropriate course of action for this boy and his mother. Emotional distress is likely to exacerbate the situation rather than mending it. Perhaps a court-mandated "Fat Camp" session? (For both mother and son) After all, we mandate substance abuse classes for drug offenders, A.A. for DUI and public intoxication cases and anger management for cases of aggression (assault, etc). Or what if they make this kid a minor celebrity and get him a slot on "The Biggest Loser"? Now that's an audience draw for their umpteenth season.
I am very concerned about them saying she "didn't do enough." For all any of us know, that could mean that she put forth a Herculean effort to try to get his weight down and still failed, so they decided to snatch her child.
I agree with those who actually thought about this and realize that this and other articles about this sad case didn't give any of us enough information to make a judgement either for or against the mother. Not only do we not know her or this child, we also don't know if he has any medical conditions or what his life is like at all. In my experience with social services they are either for or against you immediately and like most of the people who leave comments here they rarely need evidence to have a strong opinion one way or another. In my experience with kids, I know that a kid that age can and will get up in the night and raid the fridge or cabinets. For all we know the kid isn't just fat he's tall for his age and can overpower his mother. There are no facts other than this article says the kid is fat, and that social services said his mother didn't do enough.
saddened, do you mean that you never curse? I'm an English major and I try to pick my words carefully, but at the same time I have been known to curse-not a blue streak, just a word here or there out of anger or for effect.
Sadly in this case the mom is a substitute teacher and she did have him enrolled in the local healthy kids program , some one didn't think the mom was doing enough . The first foster family had to hire extra help to keep up with all of the child's appointments the his mother had made .
No way he should have been pulled from the home. When is society going to just let people raise their kids without interferring? Where is the line drawn? Should my son have been removed from my home, because he was too skinny when he was on the aweful ADHD medicine that (as it turned out) he never even needed??? Who the hell is the state to come in and decide something like that?
We need to stop policing each other....it's like living under a microscope....enough already!
The only person who would take on this sort of additude is one who feels guilty for decisions they have made. Let society raise their kids? Just Friday a child was murdered by his mother and her boyfriend. On his fourth birthday, no less. CPS had been investigating the mother. Should they have just stayed out of it and let her raise her son without interfering? Perhaps all they did was prolong his death. Maybe you're right. Just let people raise their kids and turn a blind eye to abuse and neglect. Seems like a great plan to me.
Oh yeah, I can see where your comparison - murder vs overweight kid? Yeah, that makes sense....
The state has made more of a mess than they've cleaned up. What have they done emotionally to this kid yanking him from his home - how does that make sense?
It is a shame that this kid is overweight - but he's not the only one. Shouldn't then, all fat kids be pulled from their homes? Or wait, let's pull the skinny kid out of his home - obviously he's not being fed! That's what someone could have easily said about my son as I noted in my original post - someone who didn't know about my son's condition (which as it turns out he's autistic - not ADHD).
Do we know all the circumstances? No, we don't...so then, who are we to judge?
And trust me when I tell you that I feel not one ounce of guilt about how I raise my kids. I fought for over 2 years to have my son properly diagnosed, so save your judgment and while you're at it - kiss my a$$
An overweight kid who dies because of health-related issues due to easily avoided obesity WAS murdered, in my opinion, JMO. So yes, I would say you COULD compare the two. Just my little opinion, though.
It's a sad case. I would like to know why the mother, with the help of CPS for over a year, was unable to have her child lose any weight or get any healthier. That's a question I'd like to see answered.
Most fat kids, in my experience, have fat parents. Their parents buy junk food and sugary cereals, and chef boyardee, and don't encourage their kids to be active at all. This does not apply to everyone in every situation. This applies to many fat people that I know personally in my life, including in my family.
The kids are allowed to eat anything and everything they want, and it's generally junk.
And while yes, "healthy" food can be more expensive, I assure you (after a trip to the grocery store tonight) that junk food is equally as expensive as fruit and veggies.
It's rarely ideal to remove a child from a home. However, I can understand the need for action here. It doesn't sound to me like the mother was doing her part.
As a single mother who works TWO jobs to make ends meet, I pay attention to my child, I encourage activity daily - no matter how tired I am, I don't buy a ton of junk food (though yes, it's been known to happen) and I encourage healthy eating. I know how hard it is as a single parent who is scraping by. But I assure you, it sure as heck CAN be done if you truly care about your child and his or her health.
"I would like to know why the mother, with the help of CPS for over a year, was unable to have her child lose any weight or get any healthier."
I bet they probably prescribed the usual "consume less calories than you expend" approach which never works for long term weight loss and can actually slow your metabolism and cause weight gain.
They should have prescribed:
1)Ditch all processed foods & refined carbs (sugar, bread, pasta, rice, cereals) including so-called heart-healthy whole grains.
2) Also ditch all starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn, peas).
3) Limit dairy.
4) eat lots of eggs, meat (preferably NOT lean) and leafy green vegetables.
Just shop primarily in the perimeter aisles of your grocery store and cook your own food
using the guidelines I posted and obesity problem solved.
Unfortunately, CPS being a govt. agency, they would never prescribe this because it goes against the extremely flawed USDA dietary recommendations which will cause weight gain in most people.
The nightly commercials showing starving children in other countries have got us so paranoid we can't help ourselves! Someone send chicken wings ASAP! If you think that "Weebles" is a poor body image to attain, know this! We DON'T fall down.
Melanie-1631910: It's attitude like yours "An overweight kid who dies because of health-related issues due to easily avoided obesity WAS murdered" is WHY we are discussing this now. Yes, that child is obese, but unless he has a disorder that prevents it, he can lose weight. That he hasn't in a year is not indicitive that his parents are abusive, it's indicitive that his PHYSICIANS have failed to help this child. Either he has a problem that prevents him from losing (a physical problem or a psychological one where he is addicted to the food), or he's just not trying. If he's sneaking food, his parents can't be blamed. What is it? We blame the parents for NOT forcing him to exercise and stop eating, and if they DO force him to exercise and stop excessive eating, they are abusing him too. Trust me, as an overweight kid, I know that he's having other problems - kids bullying him, and he's probably using food for comfort. I have had it with nosy, judgemental people who think anyone who is one ounce over a prescribed weight is going to die and cost THEM money. This child's problems are much larger than being obese, and removing him from his home is NOT going to help. Oh wait, maybe it will. He will become so distraught that he may decide to kill himself.
statreno-3777717: First, you are presuming that a doctor has prescribed anything. I went to a doctor to get information about exercise. (You are constantly told that before you start an exercise regimine to get a doctor's approval.) I was told that to lose weight, just cut your carbs. Nutritionist? No, insurance won't cover it unless you are a diabetic. Assistance for exercise program? No. Insurance doesn't cover any of it - including an EKG to make sure you aren't going to drop dead. That kid needs a heck of a lot more than just being told to eat fewer carbs, and walk. Also, it's a single lower income family - they don't have the money to purchase low carb foods, and if they are on food stamps, they need to make the most of what little they have - and higher carb, higher sugar foods are the cheapest. Y'all want to pay for the extra food cost? Bet the food stamp program didn't want to either.
How tall is this kid? What kind of build does he have? One of my best friends weighed around 200 pounds when we were 8. We played Little League baseball and other teams always wanted to see his birth certificate. As an adult he's 6' 6" and about 265 pounds, and he's a mixed martial arts instructor. The article doesn't contain enough information to help us form a valid opinion. I agree the kid is way overweight, but taking him away from his home will most likely make it worse.
'
Hello, ridiculous, overweight, because you are poor? MORE LIKE LAZY. if you are poor and single, buying fruits, vegetables, rice and cooking healthy foods, this will not set you back more than Fast Food. Underveloped poor countries do not have the obesity problems of the U.S. China does not have the obesity % that we have.
Good for you Eugene...and yes 200lbs is extremely overweight, and incredibly unhealthy, however, the article said it best when they said there are surely other ways to help this family, and most importantly this child...not sure we have the full story here, but this is really sad...shame on the parents, but shame on the system too!
It's not about helping the family, it's about saving this kid's life. By the time they figure out the problem, he could be dead. Add the fact the family let him get up to 200# in the first place w/o doing anything. No, the kid comes first; if the family gets butthurt about it, too bad.
Saxe,
Now I can see why you took issue with saddened, a person of far greater refinement that you could ever hope to be--"butthurt?" And how do you know what effort the mother has made to control the kid's eating. That she has thus far failed doesn't mean she didn't try. You're an illogical and vulgar worm.
And I don't care a fig if you believe my comment added nothing to this blog.
Michael L. Marowitz: I could use a thesaurus too, but I don't need to substitute flowery language for common sense and intelligence.
How do I know what efforts mom's made? The kid's EIGHT years old and weighs TWO HUNDRED POUNDS. If she's tried and failed, is that better than not trying? Really? If a brain surgeon keeps fscking up brain surgeries, do you just let him keep doing it "because they're trying"?
Now do feel free to take your snobby bullsh!t and insert it quite forcibly into your rectal canal.
Michael L. Marowitz and Eugene Saxe, you are both suspended for a day for violating rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
Uh, leave the kid and his family alone. It's nobody's business, especially the government. I guess we're going to just sit back and let this stuff happen over and over and not say anything. Just remember all of you who are saying this is a good idea, one of these days something you do is going to pi$$ off some government official and then they are gonna come after you.
It should be the government's business if the family is receiving welfare and Medicaid.
Spoken like a true bureaucrat.
I'm overweight as an adult, and I was overweight as a kid. My mom took me to nutritionists, let me play softball, I was relatively active, I went swimming pretty often, bicycled around town, had Barbie adventures in the back yard, etc. But I've always been fat. I'm sure it's because of the fruit juice and weekly McDonalds trips (not everyday though by any means) and generally being allowed to eat bad food often.
Of course, the doctors sent us to nutritionists. But all they'd ever say is "eat your veggies and exercise!" and never, ever, did anything more substantial than that. That was the extent of their "help" (which I'm sure probably cost a few hundred dollars).
Now I'm having trouble eating better because I'm so set in my over-eating ways (not that I'm not trying to lose weight) and my job is very inactive.
But ultimately it wasn't just my parents that made me fat. Sure, they could have been better at feeding me and cut out a few fatty "should have been treats" meals and the occasional "I think we should get cake!" (we didn't have desert terribly often). But part of it was me (despite seeing a nutritionist I still never really asked for the healthy stuff, and STILL overate because I still didn't know how much I should eat), and another part of it was school. PE programs existed, as did recess (thankfully), but that's canceled out by pizza dripping with grease and salads that had bugs in them.
Unless they were going to take the child away from EVERYTHING contributing to his obesity (which would include himself and school... so good luck with that), there's no reason to take him away from his parents.
Also: Kid's probably going to seek out more fatty and sweet foods as a response to the stress of being removed from his family. Do they even consider the effects of stress on weight gain!?
First they need to look at all of the factors that may contribute to this- Is he tall for his age? If so, then he probably should weigh the same percentage higher than average as his height. What sort of build did both parents have growing up, and now? What sort of lunches does his school provide, and do they still have PE and recess, or have those been a victim of budget cuts and NCLB? Has he been tested for possible medical causes? While I'm sure things could be healthier at home, he should not be removed from it if a halfway decent effort is made at having balanced meals.
I have the opposite problem with my 5 year old. I have to work to keep his weight up to the low end of the chart. He loves fruits and veggies, and hates to eat non-processed meat. At Thanksgiving dinner, he ate all of his green beans, and little to no turkey, potatoes, or bread. At least he got a few calories in when he ate some pumpkin pie after running up and down a steep hill several times. This past summer, he was able to wear the same size as his 18 month old (average sized for his age) little brother. When he was younger, the doctor had me give him pediasure at least once a day to keep his weight up. Now we can at least keep him to his percentile by making sure he gets things like ice cream, cake, pudding, peanut butter, and other high-calorie things (that are not just sugar). He has a very high metabolism, and being small runs on both sides of the family.
So should I lose my child simply because he's not the pre-approved size? Get the family more help, maybe an after school physical activity each day, nutrition classes for both mom and kid, and testing for possible medical reasons.
missouri,
The difference here is that you are taking your child to the doctor and trying to keep your son's weight in the healthy range.
This mother failed to follow the plan set by her child's doctors and CPS professionals. It seems it didn't really matter to her at all.
The original article:
Sounds like the mother was making an effort, and and even the foster system can't keep up with their own requirements.
There have been stories about this boy for the past two years in the local news.
Now, after the fact, the mother swears she was trying.
Shortness of breath isn't a symptom that magically happens one day and causes you to go to the ER. It is something that her child was having problems with for years, and the kid was so fat that he went into a breathing crisis.
The kid lost some weight when CPS had said they were taking the kid away about a year ago.
But, obviously, the threat of removal was not enough for this mother to actually do anything to get results.
Mom is fat. Dad is fat. Neither of them know how to eat healthy. Even with Cushing's, a thyroid, or pituitary problem, it is completely possible and desirable to maintain a healthy weight.
A medical disorder or genetics may be the cause of weight gain, but it does not mean that you cannot lose weight.
This mom is simply sad that she called CPS's bluff, and they were not bluffing. She will say anything now.
She's whined the whole last nearly 2 years about how hard she has tried, while the news has pictures of a fully stocked pantry full of Doritos and Hostess cakes.
If this kid is so fat that he is having trouble breathing, this has become an emergency. The mom is killing this kid.
Few people had sympathy for the mom 20 months ago when she was first on the news. Fewer have sympathy for her now.
She was working and going to school at the same time. You wanna tell me how she's supposed to monitor every morsel that goes into the kid's mouth while trying to improve life for her family? If she had locked up the kitchen so the kid couldn't get into it, then he'd just get food from his friends, and when he complained against the locks, they would call that abusive as well! I would say this is a case of the kid openly rebelling against the efforts she was making. And if he really was active in school programs, there has GOT to be something more here. He must have some kind of physical problem, as has been mentioned earlier.
She has a child, and taking care of her child should be a priority.
If you don't have time to take care of a child, then don't have one. Otherwise, you are simply irresponsible, and it is still your own fault for not having the time to raise your child correctly.
If the kid is rebelling against her, then it is still her problem to make the child behave and listen to her. If she cannot control an 8 year old, then perhaps CPS custody is the right choice.
Presumably, this 8 year old has been under the care of someone responsible (if he's been sitting at home alone, that's a whole other issue).
You don't need to watch the kid 24/7. The kid is 8 years old. He probably isn't running with a gang. He's not going shopping on his own. I doubt his friends have a food cartel set up catering to obese children.
This isn't a case of the kid eating some other kid's twinkie at lunch every day. The kid has to be consuming massive calories to get that obese.
Most people's majority of calories are eaten in the home. Unless this kid is on the breakfast, lunch, and latchkey meal plans, then he is getting overfed at home. Since the school meals are relatively consistent in calories, even if he was eating 3 times a day at school, he still would have to be overfed at home as well.
Yes if you have a child you should embrace the facist police state we now live in. You should always be prepared for someone to legally kidnap your child. It doesn't matter how you want to raise your child, it has to be up to the very snuff that our own foster care system itself cannot even attain. You can do drugs, and even beat your child every other day with legal protection- but if your kid is fat then the "system" can just come and take them.
120 or so extra pounds on an eight year old = how many Happy Meals?
There is something seriously wrong with this equation besides the parents making "bad" decisions or not having "access" to healthy foods.
I completely agree, NJ Mom. This goes way beyond not having access to healthy foods. That shouldn't even be an argument in this case at all - as someone said previously, it takes large quantities of food to grow that large by eight years old. This is sheer ignorance or, more likely, a refusal to comply. Sad.
I don't know if placing the kid in foster care is the answer. We all know the foster care system in this country is tragic, at best. But, for the life of me, I can't think of another solution. Clearly education and resources for the parent is not working.
I would add that at times like these it is parenting in this country that is tragic, at best!
Interesting and sad... I'm a 1st year Nursing Student (retired and trying something new) and my first semester in a Long Term Acute Care hospital, just south of NURSING HOME.... has really been an eye opener. Room after room of people that shouldn't be there... if they LOST WEIGHT.... QUIT SMOKING.... took their insulin..... took their blood pressure meds... and tried to live healthy.......... Many of these fat, diabetic patients are getting relatives to smuggle in garbage..... one patient, a double amputee due to diabetes, on medicaid, in her 40s weighed almost twice my weight (without legs) and was eating 3 or 4 bags of Chips Ahoys between meals....
Someone needs to intervene with this poor kid... before it's too late.... I don't like it any more than the next, taking someone's kid is never good... but rather that than the feds paying for the kid's funeral.....
Did Dr. Caplan fail to read the original MSNBC article where it mentions that CPS worked with the mother for over a year before making this decision?
It's not like they willy-nilly pulled the child from the home.
The mother had nutritional counseling and was on welfare/food stamps. She was given the knowledge and the resources to make a difference, but she apparently chose not to.
Yes, I do understand that his articles are supposed to be editorial, rather than simply news reports.
I often do agree with his positions, and if not, I do see from where he draws his opinions.
However, this is the first time where it seemed blatantly obvious that Dr. Caplan had not bothered to read even the short, basic article about the situation before commenting.
It is, however, good to know that he is willing to engage in conversation outside of the boards, even if he is still unmovable from his opinions.
If a child that age is 200 pounds, it's going to take more than a year to do anything. What I want to know is was their food stamps adjusted to allow them money to purchase healthier foods? If they can't afford to buy the healthy food to start with, they can't feed it to him, now can they?
I don't think that anyone expected the kid to be magically within normal weight in a year's time.
I think people expected progress.
However, over the year, the kid actually GAINED weight under his mother's care. Even his mother admits this - the kid lost a couple of pounds at first, then ended up gaining it all back plus some.
My sister has four children and receives nearly 800 dollars a month in food stamp benefits. I have never spent even half that in a month with three children and we still manage to buy fresh fruits and vegetables every week. I buy whichever ones are on sale because we like them all. The amount of money some people on food stamps receive is ridiculous. My sister gets that amount because her paycheck is so low she can barely pay her bills even with housing assistance so they are apparently trying to make up for it by letting them eat themselves to death.
If one agrees that it is correct that children who are malnorished can be removed from a home, this seems to be the same principle. Sad really.
Technically, it is the same principle as obesity is actually a form of malnourishment.
These are the same people who bitch and moan if a dog or cat is kicked, they want the offenders punished. But, I guess it should be no 1s business because it is a child being abused? Grow the hell up. Thank God for intervention.
This seems a little over the top--especially since the mom is on welfare/food stamps. It's doubtful she could purchase decent food with that little bit of help--so we just take her kid away. How insane--there surely should have been more tried than just some talking by a nutritionist. Figures--give poor people no help and then smack them when they are down.
But its not about access to healthy food. This is a problem with quantity of food. I do not condone fast food or unhealthy products BUT, realistically, you could eat unhealthy foods in reasonable portions and still not blow up to 200 pounds. Sure, you wouldn't be healthy, but you wouldn't be 200 pounds.
This kid is eating is eating WAY TOO MUCH food. That's the only way to get that big unless there is some kind of underlying medical disorder which is actually a relatively rare occurrence.
Little bit of help? Seriously????? My sister gets $600/mo in food stamps for her and three little kids, the youngest of which is 2. I don't spend that much for the 4 of us in my house, and my kids are older and my husband has a hearty appetite (we are both distance runners). I promise that the collective appetite in my house is much greater and I know for a fact she has plenty of food stamps to buy lots and lots of crap. I know because I talk to her all the time and she tells me all about it.
I think I remember you Liz. Aren't you the lady constantly picking up your telephone and complaining of hearing strange voices? If you're spending less than $600.dollars a month to feed two healthy adults and two healthy children, those strange voices aren't coming from the telephone. They're coming from your starving family. Walk away from the phone very slowly with your hands in the air. Put that "chicken" back in the neighbor's yard where you found him. That's a scrawny stray Tomcat seeking the same relief that you have denied yourself for years. I repeat, walk away from the telephone with your hands high in the air.
If this woman was given the resources and failed to use them, then removal of the child for health and safety reasons is justified. It should also bring a potential child neglect or child abuse charge against the parent. Does it make it easy? No, it does not. The child will not understand fully that being allowed to eat at a whim is the reason. All this child will likely validate in his head is that People I don't know took me from my mom and they are saying she is a bad person.
I come from a family that deals with diabetes, cushings disease, and of course obesity due to those two factors. I honestly feel that this child is in need of medical attention. He is in need of further testing. I will also say this. We do not know the living situation of this single parent. You don' t know if she lives in a place that is so unsafe that the child lives inside with only tv and video games for stimulation. Please don't come back with she should move. Remember that to move takes money and not everyone has it. To eat healthy takes money and sometimes in order to make sure the food stamps last a whole month you can't afford to buy all the healthy foods. If you look at the prices at the local food markets or even the local walmart fresh produce, canned veggies, frozen veggies all have gone up in price. Low fat foods are pricey at best. the box meal options that most parents wind up having to resort to (ie. hamburger helper, homebakes etc.) all are high in carbs, salt, and preservatives to keep them shelf stable. Even Diet soda has stabilizers in it.
I'm a disabled veteran and due to my limitations I can't work a job where I am on my feet but I'm still trying. That mother may have been trying too but its doubtful now that she will ever be seen as having made effort. The Media and this forum with its comments will likely follow her the rest of her life. . She needs just as much support as that child does. This is a now win no matter which way you look at it. And one last thing. Don't sit there and be so pious to think that You will never be in the situation. The job and income that you have now could be wiped out very quickly and you could find yourself having to make due with what you can get.
Thank you for your service, Neylan.
My son is overweight by a lot. I keep my kitchen free of junk food, no chips, candy, cookies, cake etc. Absolutely nothing is junk in my cupboards. I do buy him snacks like carrot sticks, grapes, apples etc. But he would always find something that he will just eat until it's gone. He ate a whole pound of lunch meat while I took a nap one weekend last month. He is 10 and he knows that he should absolutely not do that, we've discussed it, talked to his doctor about it. When I'm not looking or my husband is not looking he goes into that kitchen and eats whatever he can find. If I'm taking a shower, napping, doing chores or whatever he will be sneaky and find something to eat. And it's not like we don't have regular meals.
At what point do we say that the child does know and does have some control over what he puts into his mouth? I can not be with my son every moment of the day. I can not tether him to my side. I can not lock my kitchen up. Just because I buy the food and can control it that way does not mean my son won't take advantage of me running to the mail box and eat 2 or 3 sandwiches.
While it is sad and it breaks my heart that my son is having this issue, I am at my wit's end and so is my husband. We don't know what to do or how to help him and get through to him that he needs to make healthy choices, especially at school (you know how much junk they get at school? they really do, candy, cupcakes - especially at birthday celebrations).
We have signed him up for sports at school for each season this year. And we decided to get him a puppy for christmas, because the puppy will want to play outside all the time so my son will have to go out with him. I've had to completely change the way I shop for food. I can't just go and buy a week worth of food anymore, I buy food every day. That way there isn't much in the kitchen except what I'm making for dinner that night and apples. And I make healthy foods, baked chicken and salad, spaghetti squash and fresh tomato sauce. Salad, salad, salad! Fresh salmon (ewww) etc.
So for me, I can relate to this poor woman. Maybe her son is the same way as mine, just sneaks in and eats when she isn't looking. We don't know the whole story. The poor kid should not have been taken away. It'll probably make him eat more because of the stress. There is an issue that he has, the reason he is eating so much. Boredom? fear that there isn't going to be enough food? Stress? Comfort?
My son tells me he is bored, so he eats. sigh...
From what you shared with us, it seems that what your son needs is a psychological evaluation. There is something more going on here if your child is sneaking food when you are in the shower and gorging when you're grabbing the mail.
Yeah he is bored. He thinks that every time he is bored he needs to eat. Like I said, we've talked to the doctor and to him, signed him up for sports, give him tons of things to do, books, bike, etc...but he just snacks.
I don't know what else to do. I do wonder if it's because of his older brother, they fight all the time about the silliest things. So that could be an emotional factor that he just isn't talking about or is even aware of. :(
Ono,
Have you tried taking him to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting?
The meetings are generally free, and most welcome family members and other support people.
Even if your son is unwilling to go, it may be helpful for you to go to talk about ways of coping.
Perhaps he should be seeing a child psychologist to find out why he is so bored? I'm sorry for your troubles, but this sounds like a psychiatric problem that sports and games probably won't help.
Invest in some locks for your cupboards and fridge.
Here's a thought!Before you start taking the kid to a psychologist,you said you've talk to the doctor.that's great,however did anybody stop to think to have the kid's Thyroid Tested?
Because if you didn't you maybe holding back the answer to his problem.Thyroid is the cause of a lot of problems.Psychologists are all well and good but how about trying to get to the root of the problem by a thyroid test first?
One other thing Cassivella there mentioned wait watchers, good idea if it isn't the thyroid thing.They also have fat camps.Although I hate that wording of them, you ,might want to try looking into something like that.
I wish this kid the best of luck he's going to need it.
I meant Over Eaters Anonymous,however Weight Watchers not Wait Watchers is a good idea also.
Ono, I read about a condition, a few years ago, that actually messes up a person's hunger cues and makes them physically feel hunger even when they are full. They eat themselves sick. I don't recall if it is related to the thyroid or what, but that may be what is affecting your son. They did a news story about it showing two kids that would just eat and eat and eat, and never have the cue that they are full. A regular doctor cannot help your kid. You need to get a referral to an endocrinologist, someone who specializes in glandular and hormonal conditions. He may also be suffering from depression or some other condition that contributes to his "boredom". Hope you find a solution soon, there is nothing more heartbreaking than having a kid that suffers, in ANY way!
<i>I can not be with my son every moment of the day. I can not tether him to my side. I can not lock my kitchen up.</i>
Yes. Yes. No.
Why the heck can't you lock up your kitchen? Are you physically incapable of going to a hardware store and installing locks? Or is it just that dealing with your child's problems in a way that will inconvience you is too much work?
You can't reason with him. You can't control his food intake without constant supervision. Well, locking up the food is the obvious solution. Until he is old enough and willing to eat responsibly, the food is off limits. Being controlled by a 'sneaky' child is just a cop out on your part to not be a responsible parent.
It's not a permanent solution, but if that's what it takes to get your child through the difficult transition to healthy eating, then frankly, that's what it takes. You are his parent. Go BE his parent instead of 'sighing' and throwing your hands up in the air because you don't want to be bothered.
There also seems to be a different "kitchen culture" than I grew up with, and I am only in my 30s.
When I was growing up, the kitchen was full of food - usually even some soda, chips, and sweets - but I wasn't allowed to help myself to anything without asking. This lasted until I was 15, with a job, and buying my own groceries.
My mother put three home-cooked meals on the table, and we were usually allowed an evening snack (my father worked at nights, so dinner was usually very early).
I don't ever remember going hungry. And I don't ever remember feeling the need to steal food from the kitchen.
So, I do understand that with Prader-Willi syndrome locking the kitchen is a necessity since the people have an irresistible compulsion to eat.
However, for cases that aren't so extreme, why doesn't simply telling the kids to stop taking stuff from the kitchen work?
Is it that people are no longer feeding their children, but rather making them fend for themselves at age 8?
Or is it simply that people are unwilling to exert control over their children?
OMG - sorry - duplicate - I got bubblegummed
OMG - sorry - another duplicate - I got bubblegummed again!
200 LBS @ 8 YRS old? That's amazing. He's probably got a cheeseburger shaped pillow!
Okay all you who posted comments that support this action should have your own children removed from your loving homes and placed in foster care. REALLY PEOPLE GROW UP!! Do you honestly think that removing a child from their place of comfort and security, their parents attention is the proper. You are not thinking, you read what was printed and post a comment without considering the significance of the issue. What is the significance, the cause and effect of the problem. Think, if the government can come into a persons home and remove the child or children for something like this, then you have given them free reign to come into our homes and disrupt that home for any reason that they view as inapropriate. The underlying problem is Americas choices, on diet and exercise. Look around at all the many food choices that we have, Big-Macs, Extra Large order of Fries, Sodas, Fried food stuff this and that, and the list goes on. Yet, where is the awareness of these food choices, where is the education in making better food choices. Did the they, the entity who up rooted this child, first imply and implement an educational program to both parent and child to bring a healhier lifestyle in play? Did they offer other available resources to help change the behavior? What did you do to interfere with the issue? Our society is to blame for its own problems. We interfere with other people and their problems but we overlook our own, or we cover them up, yet very rarely does society look into the heart of the problem and make serious effort in attacking the problem. They generally, most always go for the immediate solution, which generally, most always involves making the wrong choice, which is based on one persons opinion or view, that holds NO JUSTIFICATION at all, they assume that this is the appropriate action needed and with out remorse they interfere, in the most unapprorpriate means and who suffers, the victims. Later, when they all find out that their great plan and idea has no weight and find that it actually done more harm then good, they play it off as a mistake and those effected are just forgotten. Okay, here is my opinion, on the topic, without weighing the significance of the issue. Let's remove the parents rights to parent their children and lets pur that in the hands of our government. Let's put the burden of raising our children on the shoulders of complete strangers, who without a doubt, cannot love a child better then that childs own parent. For we, by we I mean our government, can love that child and raise that child, far better then the childs natural parents. And to answer Malevolent One's post, really, you honestly believe that our society has the responsiblity to interfere with and every family and stop all abuse and injustice to children, then I suppose you are the creator of all life, and if thats true why dont you stop the madness, YOU BUFFOON, stop with your opinion, have children of your own, and see what it would feel like to have your beloved government step in and take them. Feel that pain, that hurt and that feeling of wrothlessness, that emptiness that fills your whole body when you lose a child. You have no idea, so dont speak of what you dont know. Dont comment on things you can begin to know anything about. Yet, I also feel that maybe we should all send our children to you to raise and see if your expertise can make a better generation to look forward to, I seriously doubt it.
You basically are saying you think we should not try to stop all abuse and injustice to children? Seriously? I think it is always worth every bit of intervention to prevent any and all child abuse. It is our responsibility as humans, without question, to do everything EXCEPT look the other way!
And yes, I have seen firsthand the pain of both the death of a child AND the removal of a child from CPS - in the same family. And it was absolutely justified, even though it was positively painful for the family and the child to go through. Sometimes removal is the best way, until the parents are able to be parents. If at all.
papy,
CPS worked with this mother for over a year. They offered her nutritional education, food stamps, and other resources.
The boy/mother did not make any progress during that year, and in fact continued to gain weight.
The boy's situation is killing him, and the mother is either too blind or too willfully ignorant to try to prevent this.
Papy - please don't start in with blaming the food - seriously? You claim there is "no awareness about food choices"? Come on - everyone knows that fast food, chips, candy, and soda is bad for you and will cause you to become overweight....everyone already knows that...pick another arguement please.
As for you harping on people to 'have their own children', it seems to me that most people posting here DO have children, and are raising them quite well. I don't know your situation, but I do know that no agency comes in and removes children from parents who are taking proper care of them.
This mother was given over a year to make things right. She was given many resources - but she did nothing except continue to over-feed her child. His situation is killing him, and she doesn't seem to be doing anything to stop it. Parents who are not willing to make their children's health and well-being a priority, do not deserve to parent those children.
Right on JenAllen.
There should be plenty of awareness about food choices - especially given the fact that CPS has already counseled this family for a year. But, more importantly, what food choices does an 8 year old have to make? He should be eating what his parent gives him to eat and if he doesn't like it than he goes hungry. When he is hungry enough, he will eat.
The significance here is where do we stop with this. I mean, where is the end. Do we pull all children from their homes, even those who have limited resources. Does the government provide those resources? Does society pay for those resources? Where is the line in the sand that prevents any further incroachment of parental rights? If this mother was given the means and she still refused to make the appropriate choices, where and when do we decide which families to seperate? Do we also target the wealthiest of families, who also have the same issue with obesity? Think of the outcomes of these actions. What does this do to the children, bening uprooted? What type of burden does it put upon a foster child sysetm? Is there sufficient resources available to support such a policy? Can these families rebound and grew stronger more loving and caring families, without the obvious signs of psychological implications from such actions? We have to ask the appropriate questions and seek the best answers to those questions. If this mother was given all available resources and still made the wrong choices, then maybe the appropriate action was taken, yet, if very little effort was made to actually change that behavior then how can our government agencies step in and remove a child from their home and their parents. Also, we have to look at the food choices, our schools, our habits as individuals, the availability of many different choices out there? What decisions did child make in his own choices? It obviousely isnt just the parents decision here, the child has a certain level of responsiblity. I believe if our society is going to bite the bullet and interferre with our parental rights to raise our own children, then I believe that society owes it to us to at least do the homework and research and come up with the best possible solution to the problem, and look at all contributors to the problem and address it on that level, not just the easiest target. Go after them all, the food distributors, the vendors, the corporations, the grocery chains, etc,etc,etc and make them all accoutable. Why, because we are all responsible not just a few.
As an active foster parent I see lots of kids who are subjected to child abuse and/or neglect. Knowing the effects of removing a child from their home and family, I would never condone removal of a child simply because of obesity. There are many ways to provide help for this family that are more effective.
Thank you, Dean. A voice of reason. Absolutely, removing a child is very traumatic, & should be done only as a last resort. This was certainly no reason to take this kid out of his home, & he will almost surely eat his way through the ensuing emotional storm he'll face. CPS dropped the ball on this one in a big way!
Reason this; If you have a morbidly obese child, you are already at the last resort. We're not just talking overweight, or lingering baby fat; this child is MORBIDLY OBESE. If you want to say leaving the kid in the home and providing help to the family in home is better, than you might as well say it is also better in the cases of physical child abuse or if the parents were starving their kids. After all, they just need a little in home counseling and access to resources, right? This child IS absolutely a victim of abuse and/or neglect, make no mistake about that.
While I hope the young boy receives the proper education about eating habits, I hope that this doesn't affect him mentally. Stress, uncertainty about himself, feelings of doing something wrong and definitely being taken from your home and forced to live with strangers might backfire.
As an emotional eater, I can relate. I do eat healthy, but whenever I get stressed or emotionally upset, I tend to grab the bag of chips or the package of cookies from the shelf at the store. However, I don't do it all the time.. usually once a month ;) ... that being said ... I really hope that the family will learn proper eating habits for everyone in the household. Being on a fixed income, they can still eat healthy. Don't buy the junk food ... go for the fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks. And limit portion sizes. Don't grab the soda (if you need to, get diet) but drink water. You can still prepare low cost meals that are filling and satisfying without gouging your budget.
Just another step in the government's and those with authority's plan to control people.
Luscious,
Stop drinking that Tea Party kool-aid; it rots your brain.
So since depression can fuel weight gain, lets remove a child from the home and traumatize them beyond repair? Is any parent serious about thinking that this is a good idea? Hint - You are NOT traumatizing the parent NEARLY the amount you are going to further damage a child with low self esteem who likely gets bullied, so what do they do? They eat more. Dont remove the children from the house, move a nutritionist and physical trainer IN, paid for by the state if you are going to intervene so drastically.
Kids for the most part at the mercy of their parents. Parents are SUPPOSED to love these children enough to save them from harm, most especially the harm they can cause themselves. Cancel the TV, throw out the xboxes, PS3's and make that child go out with you to move. I used to scarf down a huge water bill just so my children would get out in the sun. I went out with them and played. Its not hard, we all used to do it! So many children do not play anymore. They spend the first nine months of their life struggling to become mobile and then get a controller in their hand or a television and sit on their butts there or at a desk for the rest of their lives. Bad thing is, at forty, I think most of us could outplay them, and that is SAD.
I was allowed one can of soda a day, and it was a treat. Same with junk food. Junk food is cheap? So is canned green beans, lettuce, potatoes, lunch meat and milk. Truth is, so many parents stop at McDonalds because "they dont want to hear them cry all the way home...". And thats where it starts. That is a parents weakness, not the child's.
I dont want these children to lose toes and feet from diabetes issues -this is true, but removing a child from a home? How is that going to help? Boost their self esteem? "Im so fat they took me from my home" ?!?! They can come up with a much better idea than that! Poor boy, this is so sad for him in every way.
Traumatize them beyond repair you say...that has ALREADY been done...200LB 8 year old will have been teased, and tormented beyond comprehension already. This child is being fed to death!!! Period, there is no argument here!!! I don't care if it was the Ethiopian kid that Angelina Jolie adopted if they are 200 lb at 8 years old they need to be removed and treated, given to someone with the child's best interest in mind.
never mind!
The mother is already overstressed, the article clearly states she was working AND going to school, I highly doubt she was able to monitor every inch of his diet. Instead of the state taking the kid away, they should provide a proper environment for him to be in when she isn't ABLE to watch him, but let him stay in the home.