I dunno if I'd call it child abuse, but I see what you mean. You're right about the parents' responsibility but they can't always control what their child eats, like at school. I know they can take packed lunches in but the parents might not always have the time to make them, and what about if they go over to a friends house for tea?
I do think it's best for parents to bring their kids up on good things like fruit and veg. I hate fruit myself, but I really wish I did like it because it's good for you and you can just pick it up and eat it, it's convenient. I also wish I liked water. The only thing I will drink is fizzy pop lol. I'm not overweight or anything but it's important to start kids off on the good stuff as early as possible.

I would call it neglect rather than abuse i mean come on it is just as quick to cook chicken and veg as it is to cook burger and chips everything in moderation neglect of a childs diet can lead to all sorts of problems both physically and emotionaly how long does it take to make a healthy packed lunch for school 15 minutes thats all and if a mother/father cannot spare 15 minutes either the night before or on the morning of schoolto make that child an healthy lunch then what else are those parents neglecting in that childs needs?

I agree that letting a child become obese is neglect...
like you said it takes just as long to grill a chick breast and some veggies as it does to cook a hammy and French fries....
I think what a child likes reflects a lot on what the parents like.
If a parent likes something they will fix that and feed it to the child rather than fixing something they don't like and feeding it to the child...
So if the parent has healthy eating habbits so will the child and vice-versa..

** the other day i was at the mall with my friend and her little cousin...he was 2yrs. old and weighed 54lbs. and that is so not healthy..that poor child is being set up for humiliation all through school because instead of handing him a carrot, they'll hand him a cookie or an ice cream bar **

What's the difference between neglect and abuse?

Passive versus aggressive?

I think it's abusive and neglectful (I think they are one and the same) to allow your child to balloon up.

depends on if its a health issue that makes him/her that way or if you just let him/her sit around eating grease and stuff...

the difference between neglect and abuse (in my opinion)
is abuse you are doing it (whether physically or mentally) to harm the child.. well knowing what you are doing..
neglect you dont have the best intrests of the child... not doing it so much on purpose... but more like "oh a lil wont hurt" or "i dont need to do that right now"
Neglect is a form of abuse but i see them differently in certain ways
i really wouldn't classify letting your child become obese a form of abuse..but rather a form of neglect..

My priest, who is a wonderful woman and has a PhD in food science (she's into food justice issues) said a really interesting thing to me once. She said that neglect is the hardest kind of abuse to recover from because it is often not recognized as abuse and hard to pinpoint. Kids that suffer neglect will have a harder time putting their finger on what exactly was done to them because it's an absence of action rather than a particular action (like hitting for example). With food, as with other kinds of neglect, the parents may not know what they are doing is wrong. It is often a result of a lack of education on the part of the parent. Often, they probably think this is a way of showing love because maybe that's how they were shown love. In my case, I don't consider my mom as having been abusive but I have always had weight issues. It runs in my family, so at least a part of it must be genetic, but there are learned behaviours no doubt about it. I have had to unlearn a lot of habits I was taught from an early age and learn healthier ones. I know my mom never meant to hurt me in any way but she was a struggling single mom with weight issues of her own and not enough knowledge about nutrition. I think if your kid is obviously, morbidly obese, though, obviously you should seek medical help and make the changes necessary. I think education is the most important thing and the will to change your own habits and help your child develop healthy ones from the start are the next steps.

Yeah, I definitely think it's neglect.

wow that's really sad! That's what my 6 year old weighs I know growing up i was given whatever i wanted to eat. I was never over weight. But being over weight runs in our family. I didn't start eating right until i was like 12, or 13. IT was so easy to run to taco bell, or Mc donalds to eat. But i'm choosing a different route for my child. I don't want her to have to grow up like i did. I don't keep ice cream, cookies, or soda in the house. If we do get soda or those junk foods it's when we go out to dinner as a family, or she stays with my family over night. I don't see any thing wrong with "treats" But you have to have moderation!

I am sure this comes as a great shock to all of you, but yes I think it is neglectful, harmful, and shameful. I think it has the potential to do as much lasting harm to a person as physical abuse. Not just the social affects of being overweight, but the long-lasting physical effects. Heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, liver disease, kidney failure....all unpleasant side effects of a lifetime of unhealthy eating and lack of exercise.

yeah Holly it was sad..
this lil boy could not fit in a stroller...
they had to get those big strollers from the mall for him
b/c they couldn't find one that he could fit in..
he looked so miserable..
and at 2 he can't really help it...he doesn't really choose what he eats..

That just breaks my heart! There is only one thing i hate about my fiance is that he lets our daughter eat crap. When we go to the store chyanne will ask for a candy bar. I say NO. He comes home the other day with 4 candy bars, and gives her two. I said no no no! But i don't knwo how to get him to understand. He thinks since she is only 6 that one candy bar won't hurt her. I just feel there is no need for it. I'm lost, and don't know what to do.

yeah that's gotta be a hard situation..
grr...

i've had weight issues my whole life, b/c when i was little i drank nothing but pop... and that also caused bladder issues and severe dehydration.
my mom is a huge sweet eater so i was also fed alot of sweets when i was little... and since i still live with my parents junk food is right at hand and it's hard to break my habbits...

and Holly idk what to tell you...
cause after he gives it to her you can't really take it away without a fight..
i say tell him that you dont want her to gain too much weight because
it can cause her trouble throughout school and life... i guess?

yeah we end up fighting about it all the time. But it hasn't happend since the last time lol. I'm trying. I know what you say about being in a house with a lot of sweets. I was raised the same way. I'm just trying to do better than what i had growing up.

yeah, i'm not even a big sweet eater..
but man, i love them potato chips.. *lol*
idk my bf is also a HUGE sweet eater..
we always have a candy dish full of M&Ms, Ande's Mints, and caramels..
and theres always pop and atleast 2 bags of potato chips..

atleast he hasn't done it again..
goodjob

mmmmmmm andes mints and M&Ms
and potato chips

ya know i havent aten lunch yet martha
thanks...thanks alot.....



lol j/k

My sister (who I might add is overweight) gives my son sweets when we visit her. it drives me nuts. I told her that I don't like it and don't want him to have any but by that point he's already got them. I had to flat out tell her that if she does it again, I won't bring him over anymore.

did she stop after you told her that? ...

she's stopped plying him with them. She still gives him the occasional cookie. I guess one cookie is an aunt's privilege.