If your child is fat,

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

and I know I'm going to offend someone with this statement (I apologize if I do.), then you are a failure as a parent. Again, I realize that statement is harsh, but it is partially true.

One in four American children is obese. Not chubby with a bit of a tummy and a round face. Obese. For example:

Say there are 80-100 million kids in America. I'm sure some of you can do the math, but for those who can't, that is 20-25 million fat kids in this country. That number is ridiculously high and it isn't decreasing.

Where does the blame lie? Well, as you can tell by the title of the thread and opening statement, I say the parents are to blame. Parents should be monitoring what their child eats and making sure they're active, encouraging them to get involved with sports or something along those lines. If parents established good habits in their children when it comes to eating right and being active, not only would we have a healthier generation, we'd have a happier one.

(FUCK! Brazil just scored a goal.)

Edit: I did forget to mention medical conditions. Those are the exception.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I completely agree with you. While not a parent in the biological sense, I'm responsible for a 7 year old. And she'll tell you how much she hates me sometimes because I won't let her simply have a microwave meal. I hate the things. Every night she has a home cooked meal, which rarely involves the likes of chips or frozen pizzas. I don't understand parents who do this to their child. Not only will they feel ill and live for a shorter time, they are likely to be self-concious about their body image, and therefore emotionally unhappy.

Parents who don't encourage activities, or allow their child to stay inside on a computer all day are also at fault. While I disagree with parents who force children into a million activities every night, I think a child should definitely be given some physical exercise by their parents - this doesn't have to be structured. A play in the park after school, a trip to a swimming pool, where it's now free for Under-16s to swim. There's no excuse for allowing a child to sit inside and get fat.

Now, there are exceptions, I'm not goign to be fast to condemn all parents as horrible, however, the only exceptions I'd generally think about are medical conditions. My brother has a problem where his body takes longer to process the fact he's 'full' therefore will eat more. He's not morbidly obese, but is overweight due to this. In general though, it's simply bad parenting to allow a child to become this way, and up until at least the age of 12, a parent has to be fully responsible for their eating habits.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

I completely agree with you. While not a parent in the biological sense, I'm responsible for a 7 year old. And she'll tell you how much she hates me sometimes because I won't let her simply have a microwave meal. I hate the things. Every night she has a home cooked meal, which rarely involves the likes of chips or frozen pizzas.

That's a good thing you do. Besides, microwaved dinners and frozen pizza tastes like horse shit. Not that I've ever tasted that, of course.

I don't understand parents who do this to their child.

I do. They really don't think they're doing anything wrong at all. Feeding a child food he or she likes makes them happy, and as a parent you ultimately want to see your child happy more than anything else in the world, which leads to...

Not only will they feel ill and live for a shorter time, they are likely to be self-concious about their body image, and therefore emotionally unhappy.

Bingo, Bex! Parents know what kind of nutritional value the foods they feed their children have. While ice cream and hamburgers and the like may make their child happy for a night, it'd be better to put your foot down and get them eating healthier food. (Of course, the parent would have to suck it up and eat the same in order for the child to.) Because, when a child has no nutritional habits, they end up like the kid I posted up there. ^ Oh, sugars and fats and grease can also rot their teeth and make them smell.

Parents who don't encourage activities, or allow their child to stay inside on a computer all day are also at fault.

Says us, who spend hours a day on WrestleZone.

While I disagree with parents who force children into a million activities every night, I think a child should definitely be given some physical exercise by their parents

I think keeping a kid busy is a good thing, but you're right. They have to have some down time.

this doesn't have to be structured. A play in the park after school, a trip to a swimming pool, where it's now free for Under-16s to swim. There's no excuse for allowing a child to sit inside and get fat.

Another benefit of getting your kid out there and playing is that they'll meet more kids their age and hone their social skills. Eh?

Now, there are exceptions, I'm not goign to be fast to condemn all parents as horrible, however, the only exceptions I'd generally think about are medical conditions. My brother has a problem where his body takes longer to process the fact he's 'full' therefore will eat more. He's not morbidly obese, but is overweight due to this. In general though, it's simply bad parenting to allow a child to become this way, and up until at least the age of 12, a parent has to be fully responsible for their eating habits.

I truly forgot to mention medical habits in the first post. It went through my head, because I have a friend, Jacques... I shit you not. His name is Jacques. He has some sort of condition.

**

I came off pretty strongly in the first post. While I think there needs to be structure and guidelines, there has to be a balance. A kid needs time to play a video game or watch TV and it's okay to allow them to have an Oreo after dinner and an ice cream cone on the weekend. I'm not trying to breed a new generation of super-humans. But I stand by my original point. A parent needs to be involved, no... in control of what a child is eating and needs to be setting up activities to keep them in shape.

 

[Pimpin]

I completely agree with you. While not a parent in the biological sense, I'm responsible for a 7 year old. And she'll tell you how much she hates me sometimes because I won't let her simply have a microwave meal. I hate the things. Every night she has a home cooked meal, which rarely involves the likes of chips or frozen pizzas. I don't understand parents who do this to their child.

We kinda have the same situation except it's a little different. Anyways I think it's a good thing that the 7 year old that you raise gets a home cooked meal every night that doesn't involve junk food like chips or anything of that nature due to them possibly getting tired of that stuff. I think the reason why a child gets frozen meals & stuff like that at times is cause they simply do not have the time or the energy for that matter(especially most single parents who work 2 or 3 jobs to survive) to cook a hot meal on the stove every night.

Not only will they feel ill and live for a shorter time, they are likely to be self-concious about their body image, and therefore emotionally unhappy.

Again I agree with this, but the children have to have some activities that they do on a daily basis.

Parents who don't encourage activities, or allow their child to stay inside on a computer all day are also at fault. While I disagree with parents who force children into a million activities every night, I think a child should definitely be given some physical exercise by their parents - this doesn't have to be structured. A play in the park after school, a trip to a swimming pool, where it's now free for Under-16s to swim. There's no excuse for allowing a child to sit inside and get fat.

I say balance it out to where the children get a set amount of time to do some outdoor activies, yard or physical exercise or a combination of the 3 & then spend some other time playing video games & playing on the computer. But don't just let your children sit on their asses all day & getting fat.

Now, there are exceptions, I'm not goign to be fast to condemn all parents as horrible, however, the only exceptions I'd generally think about are medical conditions. My brother has a problem where his body takes longer to process the fact he's 'full' therefore will eat more. He's not morbidly obese, but is overweight due to this. In general though, it's simply bad parenting to allow a child to become this way, and up until at least the age of 12, a parent has to be fully responsible for their eating habits.

If it's a medical condition on why the child is fat then that's an exception, but yeah I do agree that it is bad parenting to allow a child to be fat & the parent has to be fully responsible til about the ages of 12-14.

 

[X]

You guys are out of your minds. So now parents are solely responsible for the outcome of their child's life? What about FREE WILL?

If your child is obese at the age of say 6, then obviously the parent is to blame. But once that child becomes a teenager, it's up them. I was pretty damn overweight when I was twelve, but became fed up with it when I was fifteen and lost the weight. On my own. Without any help from my parents.

To claim that a parent is 100% responsible for their child's weight and if they are obese they are a failure as a parent is beyond hyperbole. Parent's cannot 100% control everything their child does/eats, even a very young one.

This whole "You're parents are a failure unless you're like me" thing you keep doing is getting pretty annoying. I'm sure you're not intentionally trying to give that message, but claiming that all parents are failures if their child is fat or smokes is absurd. Not only that, but it's incredibly insulting. Thanks for insulting my dead father and my mother and calling them failures 48, really appreciate it.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

You guys are out of your minds. So now parents are solely responsible for the outcome of their child's life? What about FREE WILL?

A young child has no free will. Their parents make all decisions for them.

If your child is obese at the age of say 6, then obviously the parent is to blame.

That's what I was meaning.

But once that child becomes a teenager, it's up them. I was pretty damn overweight when I was twelve, but became fed up with it when I was fifteen and lost the weight. On my own. Without any help from my parents.

Your parents shouldn't have allowed you to gain that weight. They should be there to monitor your diet and regulate your activities. Even as a teenager, they can choose what kinds of foods are in the home.

To claim that a parent is 100% responsible for their child's weight and if they are obese they are a failure as a parent is beyond hyperbole. Parent's cannot 100% control everything their child does/eats, even a very young one.

They can though, for a young one at least. A young child doesn't make any decisions on their own, save for if they play in the back yard or front yard.

This whole "You're parents are a failure unless you're like me" thing you keep doing is getting pretty annoying.

If a parent allows their child to become obese, there is no excuse. It's simply bad parenting.

I'm sure you're not intentionally trying to give that message, but claiming that all parents are failures if their child is fat or smokes is absurd.

I was never trying to give the message that I am better than anyone. I don't consider myself better than someone who smokes or someone who is fat. Do I think they are making mistakes with the way they are living? Yes, of course. I'm not perfect, but I'm not screwing with my life and body by smoking, drinking, and getting fat.

Not only that, but it's incredibly insulting. Thanks for insulting my dead father and my mother and calling them failures 48, really appreciate it.

I knew when I made this topic that it may offend some and I apologize that you're insulted, but I stand by my statements.

 

[X]

A young child has no free will. Their parents make all decisions for them.

Well that's ridiculious. Any living being has free will, how can you possibly debate that?

Your parents shouldn't have allowed you to gain that weight. They should be there to monitor your diet and regulate your activities. Even as a teenager, they can choose what kinds of foods are in the home.

Unless your parents have a video camera with a microphone attached to your head, there's no possible way they can control everything you eat/do. It's impossible. It's not my parents fault that I over-ate, it's my own fault. I put that food into my mouth, my mother and father weren't sititng there feeding me cinna-buns and ice cream for breakfast.

They can though, for a young one at least. A young child doesn't make any decisions on their own, save for if they play in the back yard or front yard.

A young child makes plenty of decisions, usually bad ones. When I was six years old I remember stealing a packet of gum from the local bodega. Made that decision on my own.

If a parent allows their child to become obese, there is no excuse. It's simply bad parenting.

It's just not. I've known obese people who's parents were the most loving and attentive I've ever seen, and I've known perfectly healthy people who's family were abusive and hardly ever around. This idea that parents are soley responsible for their child's life decisions is just absurd.

I was never trying to give the message that I am better than anyone. I don't consider myself better than someone who smokes or someone who is fat.

When you say that those who do smoke/are fat's parents are failures, that is giving off the message that you think you're better. I'm sure you weren't intending for that message because you're a pretty nice guy, but that's what it comes off as.

Do I think they are making mistakes with the way they are living? Yes, of course. I'm not perfect, but I'm not screwing with my life and body by smoking, drinking, and getting fat.

But I thought it was all their parents fault? This thead is basically saying that adolescents don't have to take responsibility for their actions because they're really just victims of poor parenting. Which is bullshit, IMO.

I get what you're saying 48, and obviously parenting plays a huge role in an adolescent's development, but it's not the biggest part.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Well that's ridiculious. Any living being has free will, how can you possibly debate that?

Hyperbole. In reality, children really don't have very much say in anything.

Unless your parents have a video camera with a microphone attached to your head, there's no possible way they can control everything you eat/do. It's impossible. It's not my parents fault that I over-ate, it's my own fault. I put that food into my mouth, my mother and father weren't sititng there feeding me cinna-buns and ice cream for breakfast.

I know they can't control everything. I could hop out the window and go wherever, no matter what my mom say, but this is where strong rules come in to place. If your parents say what you can and cannot have to eat and when you can, by which I mean breakfast, lunch and dinner and giving you good food to eat, and give you consequences for sneaking junk behind their back, then kids wouldn't be fat.

A young child makes plenty of decisions, usually bad ones. When I was six years old I remember stealing a packet of gum from the local bodega. Made that decision on my own.

Touche, xfear.

It's just not. I've known obese people who's parents were the most loving and attentive I've ever seen, and I've known perfectly healthy people who's family were abusive and hardly ever around. This idea that parents are soley responsible for their child's life decisions is just absurd.

This wasn't meant to be a thread about parents controlling childrens' lives. It's simply saying that if a parent were more involved and more concerned with their child's weight, they would control it.

When you say that those who do smoke/are fat's parents are failures, that is giving off the message that you think you're better. I'm sure you weren't intending for that message because you're a pretty nice guy, but that's what it comes off as.

I apologize.

I get what you're saying 48, and obviously parenting plays a huge role in an adolescent's development, but it's not the biggest part.

What is the biggest part, then?

 

[NYSandman]

LOL. I wrote this poem awhile ago. Let me know what you think.

You walk under the arches
For the third time today
Your brat is in tow
With waddle and sway

250 pounds
At only 7 years
When the kid's heart explodes
We'll have to see your tears



Your child cannot breath
He can't play ball or run track
But your a lazy fucking bitch
So you feed him a big mac

Finally the day comes
BCW at your door
They're taking your kid away
"It's not MY fault" you swore!

You hire a lawyer
A vile scumbag leach
You're suing Mickey D's
A lesson you will teach

"It's their fault!" you scream
As you speak to the court
Mickey D's didn't mention
All the fat and that sort

It wasn't YOUR fault
They made your kid fat
You thought it was healthy
Also, he whined like a brat

So, all three meals
Were just burgers and fries
You want money from Ronald
If little Howard Hughs dies

But now the judge stares
His eyes black as pitch
"It's your fault he's fat
You stupid dumb bitch!"

Stop blaming Ronald
'Cause you can't cook a meal
Tell your bastard lawyer
To die or get real

What did you expect
Feeding him shit 3 times a day
Did you think all that grease
Was the healthy slim way?

Your kid has no money
You are in charge of his meals
If he starts to throw a tantrum
Penetrate his ass with your heels!

Not guilty, Ronald
Sorry you got dissed
By this poor excuse for a mother
Court fucking dismissed!

You have to face the facts
Responsibility you cannot duck
It's not Mickey D's fault
That as a parent you SUCK!

I think it's totally the parents fault. You have to control what your child eats, and his health is your responsibility. It is a form of child abuse and should be treated as such.

 

[Coco]

How about genetics? I eat look a bloody cow on a regular basis, and I'm extremely skinny. Some people just can't get fat and some people have a predisposition to it. I'm with X in that using a predisposition to call people bad parents is damn sure insulting.

How about the fact that psychologists are paid to improve the effectiveness of the ads for cookies and McDonalds that kids see when the watch cartoons? No child can fight the influence that multi-billion dollar industries have on the public, and no parent is perfect and has a set in stone handbook telling them not to treat their child once in a while or do the convenient thing. But for some reason we can blame soley the parents and not corporations or genetics for the child obesity problem? It's insulting and the problem is much larger than most parents.

How about that even good parents have trouble with their children? Sometimes, when push comes to shove, a child may very well reject a parents ideas and say no. Parents are not all powerful despite what we think of them. It is not that difficult to act out beyond a parent's control. What are you gonna do when you're a parent, 48.7? Beat little Johnny or Suzzie when he refuses to eat his corn and chooses to go out for a Big Mac?

Finally, I've read that obesity standards are too strict because of societal standards. Not every overweight person is obese and not every overweight person is unhealthy. Societies standards are too skewed in favor of the skinny. Yes, true obesity is a problem. But obesity statistics are over-exaaggerated.

 

[Ty Burna]

You guys are out of your minds. So now parents are solely responsible for the outcome of their child's life? What about FREE WILL?

If your child is obese at the age of say 6, then obviously the parent is to blame. But once that child becomes a teenager, it's up them. I was pretty damn overweight when I was twelve, but became fed up with it when I was fifteen and lost the weight. On my own. Without any help from my parents.

To claim that a parent is 100% responsible for their child's weight and if they are obese they are a failure as a parent is beyond hyperbole. Parent's cannot 100% control everything their child does/eats, even a very young one.

This whole "You're parents are a failure unless you're like me" thing you keep doing is getting pretty annoying. I'm sure you're not intentionally trying to give that message, but claiming that all parents are failures if their child is fat or smokes is absurd. Not only that, but it's incredibly insulting. Thanks for insulting my dead father and my mother and calling them failures 48, really appreciate it.

I have to agree with X here, from what I've been reading many of you think that parents have the time of day to sit right next to their child and hold their hand all day long telling them what they can and cannot do. This is simply asinine and a little shortsighted to think that parents can control EVERYTHING their kids do. Come on be serious for a moment here, in today's world, if it is a two parent house, most times both parents have to work in order to make ends meet. In a single parent home, it's even more difficult. You simply do not have the time to hover over your kids when you have to work just to put a roof over their heads, or to put food on the table.

From personal experience, my brothers and I were taught to be independent probably a lot sooner than most kids were, but we were given responsibilities around the house, and taught that if something needed to be done, we could take care of it ourselves. For instance, if we were hungry, we can go get our own damn food and cook it ourselves. And another thing you also fail to take into consideration is genetics. Now my family from my grandfather, to my brothers and I, all have the same body build, and we may not have a flat stomach with a 6 pack to kill for, but we have bigger midsections that are firm. It looks like fat, which of course some of it is, but it's just the way our genetics are. Even when I dropped down to 180 lbs, I still didn't have a flat stomach, and now that I'm 230 again, it looks like a beer gut again. But fuck it, as long as you are healthy and take time to be active, you'll be fine. I'll never have the washboard abs and I will probably have to wear 34-38 pants for the rest of my life, but it doesn't bother me. People appreciate me for who I am and my personality, not because I'm pure muscle.

Parents should be happy for who their kids are. They are special, and it really pisses me off when I see parents try to make their kids someone they're not. Your child may not be an athlete, they may be a computer person. That's fine, don't push them into sports if they don't want to. Consequently if your kid is eating too many snacks, the best way to handle it is to introduce new snacks and foods that will be healthier for them and do it in a way that will introduce knowledge of nutrition, instead of being a complete nazi about it.

One more aspect of this conversation, you cannot blame the parents for fucking everything that the kid becomes. For instance, my parents raised me right, I was given more freedom then most kids, but they still taught me right and wrong. Can you blame them for me going out and doing drugs or drinking? No because that was a choice I made on my own. They didn't sit me down and force me to smoke a joint, or drink a beer, or light up a cigarette. Like X said, people have free will and it starts sooner than you think, and you will have to accept the fact that your child will make decisions on their own, whether you approve of them or not. What you can do however, is try to teach them proper right and wrong values and hope that they can fall back on those teachings you gave them. If a child goes and decides while you are away to eat all this junk food, then it was their personal choice to. Or if they decide to listen to what you have taught them, instead they may go eat fruit instead. Again, their personal choice to listen to what you had to say.

But by all means, blame the parents for everything, it will just give kids later on in life a great scapegoat when they can't take responsibility for themselves and blame everyone else. I mean really, that's what this world is coming to anyways, it's not my fault, it's on everyone else. I understand that you're talking more towards 8-10 year olds or younger, but irregardless my point stands. You cannot be around your child 24/7 to ensure the same decision you would. To even think you could try something like that would be failure as a human being and as a parent. Again as a parent you have to hope that you taught your kids the right way to do things, and when they stray from the right path, you gently guide them back to the correct path when they need it. The way some people have talked about it here, you want these parents to have a god damn leash around the kid and yank them into a path without letting them make mistakes first. These kids that are forced like that will end up straying far worse then any kid who had the freedom to make the wrong choice. The kids held down while they were kids and teenagers will not know what the world is like when they are out on their own, and will make far graver mistakes than they would have as a teenager. I've seen these rich kids who Mommy and Daddy have basically stifled any exploration if you will hit college. They get into drugs and they have no self control. They don't know how to limit themselves because their parents have done the limiting all their lives. Whereas compared to me, I could handle my shit because I've had the ability to go out and find my limits and when not to cross a certain line. I developed my own boundaries because I had the chance to go out and find how far I could take things, instead of someone telling me: this is the line, you will never cross it.

 

[NYSandman]

My friend is thin as a rail. He and I go to a pizza place and buy a large pie. Four slices each, and I end up looking like the Violater from Punisher, and he looks like an AIDS victim.

Yes, I believe genetics has something to do with it, but if you're feeding your kid right and they are still gaining weight, not taking some type of action is still abuse.

Take the kid to the doctor and find out what's going on. Most dieticians can put you on a special diet to counter any genetic tendencies.

 

[RVDgurl]

and I know I'm going to offend someone with this statement (I apologize if I do.), then you are a failure as a parent. Again, I realize that statement is harsh, but it is partially true.

I can agree that there is an obesity problem among young kids in the US. And the parents must take some responsibility in this. However to say that you are a failure as a parent because your child is overweight is wrong on so many levels.

Since when is physical appearance the a measure of parenting skills? If a child is clean and well kept, gets good grades at school, is socially well adjusted, friendly, happy and healthy but happens to be chubby- I'd say the parents are doing a bang up job.

A child being overweight doesn't qualify as abuse, neglect or even unhealthiness in many cases. Many people who are overweight as a kid simply grow out of it as they hit their growth spurt. Children should be taught healthy eating habits and should be encouraged to get lots of physical activity, but obsessing over a child's weight is detrimental to their emotional health and psychological growth.

 

[Blade]

They really aren't failures as parents. They should take part fo the blame, but it is also the child's fault.

Firstly, children are independent. Their brains might not be fully developed, but they do make their own decisions. If the parents aren't happy about their children eating crap, they can discourage it and tell them the consequences, but they can't use force to stop their kids eating what they want cause that would be bad parenting, and it would make the kids even more resentful towards their parents as teenagers.

I know when I was 7 or so, I understood that I'd feel and look like crap if I ate crap. You are what you eat, right? And so I chose to eat junk food on special occasions. Now perhaps I was a particularly intelligent 7 year old, but if I as a 7 year old can see the down sides to eating junk food all the time, surely all other 7 year olds can too?

MY parents were together till I was 13, we were well off financially and my parents had alot of free time because they had jobs where they didn't have to work long hours. Even in those conditions, there was no way my parents could watch what I was eating 24/7. I went to school, I went to friends' houses and later I went to malls and cinemas. It was up to me what I ate in those places, just like it's up to all kids.

Also, alot of kids just as their hitting puberty gain wait, probably some metabolism thing. It happened to me. I gained alot of weight at around 11 and lost it at 15 without ever changing my general diet. My parents are definately not failures. Same thing happened to my brother and quite a few of my friends. So that is a factor in kids becoming overweight too.

 

[LigerBomb]

Eh, gotta mostly agree with the OP. Parents need to instill proper habits of nutrition in their children -and teach about the consequences of poor nutrition- so that when they do have the freedom to really make choices upon reaching a certain age they make the proper ones in regards to their long and short term health, appearance, and overall well-being. If after all the proper education, parents providing nutritious foods, not purchasing junk, etc. etc. a kid gets fat, well then and only then is it the kid's fault and they should handle it however they see fit; lose the weight, keep the weight I don't care, but don't blame anyone either. Mostly blame the parents when they're kids, split it a bit when they're adolescents, blame the person thereafter. Simple as that.

 

[Razor]

and I know I'm going to offend someone with this statement (I apologize if I do.), then you are a failure as a parent. Again, I realize that statement is harsh, but it is partially true.

Buddy, that's really harsh. What if you're working all the time and all you can afford is quick meals that get your children fed, but aren't the most nutritious? What if you don't have the time to cook your children three squares a day?

I myself would trade my kid having 20 extra pounds for my kid having a roof over his head and clothes on his body. Just sayin'

One in four American children is obese. Not chubby with a bit of a tummy and a round face. Obese. For example:

Say there are 80-100 million kids in America. I'm sure some of you can do the math, but for those who can't, that is 20-25 million fat kids in this country. That number is ridiculously high and it isn't decreasing.

Those figures are based off of the BMI index, which is incredibly flawed. There is a difference between being 50 pounds overweight and being 30 pounds overweight. But BMI considers everyone 20 pounds over the magic weight obese. That's bullshit. That 30 pounds can be muscle, or half and half. BMI doesn't take that into account.

Where does the blame lie? Well, as you can tell by the title of the thread and opening statement, I say the parents are to blame. Parents should be monitoring what their child eats and making sure they're active, encouraging them to get involved with sports or something along those lines.

That logic holds for suburbia and the rich parents. They have no excuse. None at all. It fails when you have parents like my own single mom, who worked 2 jobs a day and fed us the best she could. She monitored what we ate, sad thing is she couldn't afford the healthy foods. We ate A LOT of Macaroni and sandwiches. I still get pissed off if I eat a sandwich for lunch, then someone wants me to eat one for dinner.

Now the activity stuff, agree spot on. If there was anything my mom did do, it was make sure we didn't sit on our asses all day. All parents should do the same. And if your child doesn't like playing outside, then find something inside to do. Hide and Seek is perfect. It's what we used to play as children when the Arkansas summers kept us inside.

If parents established good habits in their children when it comes to eating right and being active, not only would we have a healthier generation, we'd have a happier one.

Again. Food habits can't always be controlled. Sometimes you have no choice but to feed your children shit. It's either feed them that Happy Meal, or let them go hungry. And I guarantee you no mother would ever make that choice to let their child starve.

(FUCK! Brazil just scored a goal.)

Edit: I did forget to mention medical conditions. Those are the exception.

Sorry bout the Brazil goal, but Brazil kinda does that. It's their thing.

 

[Razor]

I completely agree with you. While not a parent in the biological sense, I'm responsible for a 7 year old. And she'll tell you how much she hates me sometimes because I won't let her simply have a microwave meal. I hate the things. Every night she has a home cooked meal, which rarely involves the likes of chips or frozen pizzas. I don't understand parents who do this to their child.

Well. There are really only a few types of parents who feed their children shit. and they:

A) Don't give a shit what their children eat. They buy what they wanna eat, and if it's bad for the child then oh well.

B) Can't afford any better food. I'm glad you can afford to cook your daughter or whatever you identify her as a home cooked meal everyday. My mother couldn't. It was regularly peanut butter sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, or some other quick food. When you can barely keep the bills paid working 2 jobs, nutrition (regrettably) isn't the name of the game. It's feeding you children. My mom went hungry many a night just to make sure we were fed. She's not a horrible parent at all. Because she fed us.

Not only will they feel ill and live for a shorter time, they are likely to be self-concious about their body image, and therefore emotionally unhappy.

Point 1, Whisper.

Parents who don't encourage activities, or allow their child to stay inside on a computer all day are also at fault. While I disagree with parents who force children into a million activities every night, I think a child should definitely be given some physical exercise by their parents - this doesn't have to be structured. A play in the park after school, a trip to a swimming pool, where it's now free for Under-16s to swim. There's no excuse for allowing a child to sit inside and get fat.

Agree. My mom, for the bad foods she fed us, always made sure we played and got our exercise. She couldn't afford the nutritional food, but she could afford to let us play Hide and Seek and play outside, lulz.

Now, there are exceptions, I'm not goign to be fast to condemn all parents as horrible, however, the only exceptions I'd generally think about are medical conditions.

Add poverty to that, and we got a deal.

My brother has a problem where his body takes longer to process the fact he's 'full' therefore will eat more. He's not morbidly obese, but is overweight due to this.

Overweight is technically 20 poundsish over the "Ideal Weight" for a certain height. Obese? Anything over Overweight on the BMI scale. Then after 50 pounds it goes to Super Obese (or something like that) and on up to Morbidly Obese. (I may have fibbed Super Obese. Sorry.) The medical terms "Obese" and "Overweight" that we hear as the "80-100 million kids in the US" aren't what we see in our heads when we think "Obese" and "Overweight."

In general though, it's simply bad parenting to allow a child to become this way, and up until at least the age of 12, a parent has to be fully responsible for their eating habits.

Make an exception for poverty, and we have a deal. Not all parents have a choice over what they feed their child. I'm glad you can feed your daughter a home cooked meal everyday, but not everyone has that choice.

 

[TwistofRKO]

I see everyone striking the right chords, and I think it's a blend of most things mentioned.

Although the number of truly obese kids is NOT as high due to the flaws in the BMI logic, there are a lot of obese kids who are on the wrong foot by age 7.

There's a lot of kids who start out chubby-obese as young children and their bodies shape up as they get older and approach their teen years. It's just how their body works. I was chubby until I was 12 and now I'm in really good shape.

While parents aren't there holding their kids hands everywhere they go, they do control what is in the house to eat. They can't go to 1st grade with their kids and stop their little Tommy from trading his sliced apples to the nerdy boy for his Pringles and cookies, but they can regulate what is eaten at home. A fridge full of Pepsi and Mt. Dew is a lot more attractive to (almost anyone, really) a 7 year old than a glass of water. Most kids (and adults) don't understand benefits of water, so if you can take a small step like this and start small habits with your kids drinking water in place of some of the Pepsi, you're improving the situation as a parent.

Logically, a decent amount of parents of younger kids might not have the time to make a healthy meal for the family every night, so that must be taken into equation. At the same time it is completely irresponsible to throw down $25 at McDonalds or order from Pizza Hut every night. There's a fine line of moderation on both sides of the argument.

As far as regulating tv/computer/Xbox times, I see no real need for that if you can instill healthy exercise habits. I was on the computer a lot when I was younger, my mom worked nights and slept during the day, she doesn't want me running around the development while she's sleeping. Same situation with other kids. All you have to do is interest children in outdoor activities where they are at the point when the option of going outside is attractive to them.

Overall, yes the parents have a significant impact on their children's health, especially when it is at their regulation. At the same token, others are correct when saying kids have a free will. It's on the parent's shoulder's to at least set a foundation for a healthy diet, exercise routine, etc.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Well. There are really only a few types of parents who feed their children shit. and they:

A) Don't give a shit what their children eat. They buy what they wanna eat, and if it's bad for the child then oh well.

Ahuh, so bad parents.

B) Can't afford any better food. I'm glad you can afford to cook your daughter or whatever you identify her as a home cooked meal everyday. My mother couldn't. It was regularly peanut butter sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, or some other quick food. When you can barely keep the bills paid working 2 jobs, nutrition (regrettably) isn't the name of the game. It's feeding you children. My mom went hungry many a night just to make sure we were fed. She's not a horrible parent at all. Because she fed us.

While this is a good argument, and I expected it sooner, I don't really think it's unarguable. You can buy a bag of apples for a pound. That's what, 2 Mars Bars? While it's harder to cater for low income families, a lot of the arguments (not yours, in general) are made up. It really isn't that hard to choose an apple over a chocolate bar.

Agree. My mom, for the bad foods she fed us, always made sure we played and got our exercise. She couldn't afford the nutritional food, but she could afford to let us play Hide and Seek and play outside, lulz.

Yay Razorbacks mum.

Add poverty to that, and we got a deal.

Make an exception for poverty, and we have a deal. Not all parents have a choice over what they feed their child. I'm glad you can feed your daughter a home cooked meal everyday, but not everyone has that choice.

Again, while poverty can be taken into account, I don't think it's a definite exception as is a medical condition. It makes it harder, maybe takes responsibility away from the parents moreso than a 'rich' family, but still isn't a complete cop out.

 

[Azrael Cain]

It's not all always the parent's fault. It's the whole system, truthfully.

Besides, what is the true American pastime? Eating.
Celebrating an occasion? Go out. Date? Restaurant. Breaking up? Do it over dinner.
Breakfast on the run, lunch on the run, dinner on the run?: there's a Mickey D's or a whatever on EVERY block for your "convenience." Healthy food is HELL expensive. Shitty food is cheaper. The food pyramid also lies, btw. It is SO overdue for an upgrade and revision. The education about food, what to eat, how much is practically nonexistent.

How can a parent raise their child to be healthy in a society where s/he is forced to work longer hours, make less money, spend less time with the child, let alone in a society where it's okay to eat your feelings as opposed to talking about them or confronting the real issue?

Come on, get real.

Am I saying the parents aren't responsible? No. They are. Some parents CAN do it. Most can't.

I do agree that the BMI scale is flawed, and the statistics on obesity (like most statistics) are overblown to give people something else to be afraid of this week. We're either fat and stupid or we're all going to die soon or we're fat and stupid and we're going to die soon.

Where's the ability to win?!

 

[LigerBomb]

True story, my Dad, and his parents lived poorer than most could imagine. At one point they were literally running from both Nazi's and Communists. They're all thin. And I don't mean to imply it's genetic. Usta be that when you were poor you were thin... 'cause you couldn't afford to eat. Now apparently, you're fat 'cause you're poor... What?!?

No, no I'm largely playing devil's advocate. I work in the strength conditioning and fitness industry, I read the studies and know the people who do the research. I offer nutritional advice practically every day of my life. I will say that the garbage frankenfood is cheap -and government subsidized- while some of the nutritious stuff is expensive. That said, you can give your kids whole fruit and vegetables all the time, it's cheaper than fast food. Grass-fed/finished animal proteins and fish are the only really expensive food item and even then there are ways around it. Point is it's a cop out to say that you can't keep your kids thin if you have a lower income. It's basic physiological science that you only gain weight if you take in more calories than you need. So even if you're poor, if your kids are getting fat they're clearly eating more than they need, and you're spending more on food than necessary.

Education is the first step, it's why I do seminars and participate in outreach youth programs because I recognize how much harder it is to keep your children healthy in this media confused, economically challenged climate. BUT, that is exactly why it's more important now than ever to keep your mind sharp and your body fit. I tell parents and children that it's imperative to take your health seriously as "an ounce of prevention..." and all that.

The schools aren't helping, the TV isn't helping, the medical community isn't helping, the government isn't helping, the food scientists aren't helping, the food industry lobbyists aren't helping. Now more than ever absolutely no one has your child's best interests and long term health at heart, save perhaps for you, their parent(s). It's a dirty job but somebody has gotta to do it. Clearly I'm not blaming the parents out right, but it must be said that they are the first, and sadly last line of defense in their kid's nutritive health.

 

[Tim]

If someone's kids are fat, there parents are not failures. It could be a genetic obeity problem, it could be something wrong with the child's metabolism, the kid could be sneaking out of the house, stealing their dad's money and going to the nearest Maccas.

However, some of the blame can be put on the parents. If the parents don't provide their kid with a healthy lifestyle, if they set a bad example by just eating junk food the whole time, then they are to blame. But usually, the parents provide a healthy lifestyle, but that doesn't make one bit of difference. The kids reject it, stealing snacks whenever they can, not exercising, and so on. The kids get educated about living healthy, but I know, and everyone else knows that kids won't listen in any type of seminar or lecture. So that just goes straight over their heads too.

The media, with all the ads on TV, doesn't help either. They show happy, normal families eating at Maccas, or at KFC, and having a great time. These ads brainwash the kids, since they don't know any better. And then hey nag their parents until the parents can't be bothered arguing and just take them out to some fast food place. And then it repeats, each time an ad comes on. It's a vicious cycle, and one the kids can't break out of. They're raised up like this, but usually they break out of it when they get older. But there are some that stay the same throughout their whole lives, and these guys just waste their life because of choices they made when they were younger.

To stop the obesity problem not just in the young kids, but in all of the population, you need to stop the junk food ads, you need to educate them about living healthy, you need to basically brainwash the kids when they're young, and that is the only way you can stop your child becoming fat.

 

[E7]

It really is a shame, but its how our culture is these days. See, we are so busy as a society. Meetings, plays, business trips, work, sports, that we just go to the local fast food joint, grab a bite to eat to the next destination. I'm taking a obesity class next semester, so it will be interesting to understand everything that happens to obese children, in all forms. I use to be overweight, at 5'3 170 and all fat. I lost 35 pounds and then put on 15-25 pounds of muscle over the last 3-4 years weight training 4-5 days a week. I look good and feel good about myself and my body, that although i sometimes over eat or whatever, i go back to the gym and grind it off or put it into muscle.

The kids shouldn't have to deal with obese, because of the demands life has placed on her by things that the parents kids can't control.