Comments on: Childhood Obesity: Are the Parents to Blame?

By: Sandy Poarch

Sandy Poarch — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 02:26:08 +0000

I honestly think the parents have alot to do with the child’s obesity. If the parents let them eat what they want, when they want, as much as they want, with no exercise then yeah there going to most likely come out obese. It’s sad. My parents always made me watch what I ate especially when it came to sweets and sugar. Because they didn’t want me to end up obese or with several heart problems. I’m so glad I listen. I still drink sodas, yes, but I watch what I eat and how much I eat and I hardly ever eat after 9pm. If the parents teach the child majority of the time the child will listen. If the parent doesn’t exercise there self or eat right there self then the child 9 times out of 10 will not..So yes I think the parents are responsible

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:14:03 +0000

I have lived through times in which I had to feed myself and my children on less than fifty dollars a week. Times like those meant that fruit and vegetables were luxuries, and the basis of our diet was the cheapest meat available (27% fat ground beef) white bread, and white rice to fill our bellies. There were certainly no sodas or sweets in the house. We simply couldn’t afford them. My children were very young, and did not suffer from weight problems. I, however, packed on the pounds. If poverty is an issue, weight problems can very easily follow. I don’t necessarily disagree with the comments other ladies have made, but I just think there are many sides of the obesity issue which need to be examined.

By: Teri LaFaye

Teri LaFaye — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:29:03 +0000

I found the article sad all the way around. I teach high school and see obesity on a daily basis. I too have obesity in my family and see the issues people tend to associate with comfort foods and binge eating.
However, I still believe that discipline and diligence go hand in hand.
And as Einstein put it, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.”

Why wait till things are out of hand to open your eyes and SEE things are out of hand? Solutions are not only through education and counseling, but society’s admission and taking responsibility for their own actions. In my opinion, this includes healthy habits. Striving for EXCELLENCE becomes a HABIT if practiced enough.

Hugs to u! Teri LaFaye

By: Alphawoman

Alphawoman — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:20:21 +0000

This is messed up. Nobody gets to 555lbs, or allows his/her child to do so, without major psychological issues. I have a 10-year-old niece who is obese, just like her parents, and it’s only just now that her mother is taking an interest in nutrition that the family is learning healthy habits.

By: Artemisia

Artemisia — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:40:35 +0000

I, too, had a very close family member who became morbidly obese – we both started out as skinny kids, but around the age of nine he started gaining and I stayed slim. It was awful to watch; he was made fun of and even contemplated suicide at one point. His mother was DEFINITELY the reason he became that way – she’d was a stay-at-home mom, no excuse not to prepare healthy meals – she’d feed him McDonald’s every day, multiple times a day and let him sit, totally inactive, playing video games. She never encouraged him to get outside and play, or participate in sports.

By the time we graduated high school, he was almost 400 pounds. It wasn’t until a few years into college when I took an interest in nutrition and fitness that he also around the same time realized he needed to change his lifestyle. I’m very happy for him – he’s down to around 200 pounds (healthy for his tall height), is constantly willing to learn more about nutrition and exercise, and is dedicated to his health.

His mom: “you’re too skinny.” I kid you not.

By: K

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:22:07 +0000

i have a very close family member whose son is morbidly obese. He is now 11. She comforts her son with food and he probably eats the amount of two grown men each day. He is also not encouraged to exercise.

The saddest part is that she does it because she loves him. If he is upset, she feeds him. If he finishes all of his dinner, she gives him dessert. Dinner usually equates to 1700 calories and dessert can be half a bag of Oreos.

It breaks my heart on so many levels. She is a great mother and loves her son to no end. I can’t grasp why she doesn’t see what she is doing to him. She only focuses on seeing him happy. She never thinks of the repercussions of her actions.

The last thing I would ever want is for her to lose her son.

As a teacher, I observed parents of obese children’s behavior. Most of the mothers were pushovers. They did anything they could to comfort their children, and most of the comfort manifested in food choices. Candy, sodas, snack cakes, were a regular part of eating. I would notice these children packed a lunch and were given lunch money for snacks and even a second lunch.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:06:46 +0000

I teach 8th grade and that makes my kids 14 yrs.old. I believe that at this age they can be partially responsible for themselves. That being said I do not believe that his mother should take all the blame for her son’s weight, and should not be sent to jail. They should both be put into a counseling/nutrition program and monitored closely by a social worker. Which could very well be what she was ordered to do in the first place. (details are sketchy).

But the boy also needs to be held accountable for his health as well. He needs to have input on what he eats and when and what he does for exercise. Don’t force him to walk on a treadmill if he’d rather walk outside….

I find the whole situation to be very sad…