11 year old boys parents arrested for sons obesity.

[smallpeanut]

What are your thoughts?

https://news.sky.com/story/1276875/parents-arrested-over-obese-11-year-old-son

 

[Bex84]

Its a tricky one. It sounds like there was intervention to try and help and the child was obviously going to be at risk at more health problems. Yes you can be pre despised to being bigger but not that weight and they should have been doing more active stuff outside etc. However does the school do any of his meals as to be honest school dinners are full of crap to, I'm assuming he has been tested for medical reason and it must be a bit more tricky with 11 year old stopping them from buying sweets etc if allowed out on own

 

[lindseymw]

It's a tricky one sure.

I think the family may need support based on a couple of the comments that were made (trying to get him to play the wii....to me the wii would not be an option...going outside, walking etc would be my first go to & the wii would be to compliment exercise).

I am not entirely sure arrest was the way to go but then again, we don't know the back story. He was already known to Social Workers so I am assuming the help was there but the parents didn't try perhaps.

Bex, in terms of it being tricky to stop an 11 year buying sweets, surely the answer would be don't give them money?

 

[smallpeanut]

I think that letting a child become obese is just as bad as starving them. Both forms of child neglect.

Obviously genetics etc should all be taken in to consideration , but in this case, it sounds like there was a big investigation and it was the doctors who got the police involved. So it sounds like a case of neglect. In which case, I actually agree with the arrest. No one would blink an eye if parents got arrested after starving their kids. And both cases are quite extreme!

 

[Noodlebear]

I think some sort of intervention was definitely needed, if no one had stepped up and the child had ended up with serious health problems everyone would be asking why the hell no one did anything. I do think allowing a child to get that size is neglectful, whether it was out of love or not, they are clearly in denial about their own size and need help before they ruin that poor boy. You don't get to 15 stone, at age 11, just from buying sweets on your way home from school and having the odd unhealthy school dinner. He obviously isn't eating right at home or getting enough exercise.

Saying that I do think it was a complete waste of police time, as if the police force isn't stretched enough. Social services should be dealing with things like that.

 

[Dragonfly]

Genetically fat?

 

[smallpeanut]

Genetics is a different story, and you'd hope that the parents would take initiative and be trying to prevent any further weight gain or trying to help the child lose it, or at least promote a healthy lifestyle and be a good role model. But it doesn't sound like this was the case in this instance.

 

[Sqwidge]

I think some sort of intervention was definitely needed, if no one had stepped up and the child had ended up with serious health problems everyone would be asking why the hell no one did anything. I do think allowing a child to get that size is neglectful, whether it was out of love or not, they are clearly in denial about their own size and need help before they ruin that poor boy. You don't get to 15 stone, at age 11, just from buying sweets on your way home from school and having the odd unhealthy school dinner. He obviously isn't eating right at home or getting enough exercise.

Saying that I do think it was a complete waste of police time, as if the police force isn't stretched enough. Social services should be dealing with things like that.

Whether arrest was correct or not, it wasn't just your usual on the street police who initiated the arrest, it was officers from a specialist unit (child abuse investigation unit) - they had been working closely with health and social services to deal with "sensitive issues such as obesity and neglect of a child".

 

[Dragonfly]

Thats what it looks like they put it down too. :/

 

[smallpeanut]

That's what the parents say it's down too. social services wouldn't get this involved if it was just genetics. They would hand out advice and support the family and help them make the correct changes. If all this was done and followed through, it wouldn't have gone further. but the kid was admitted to hospital. It was obviously an ongoing case, lots of health care specialists involved.

 

[Dragonfly]

I think they done what they thought was right as they know more details. If it was genetic I take it he eats a good healthy balance of food in a day. Which I doubt to be his weight and nintendoes dont help either.

 

[Noodlebear]

If his weight was due to genetics a doctor wouldn't have got the police involved.

 

[Bex84]

It's a tricky one sure.

I think the family may need support based on a couple of the comments that were made (trying to get him to play the wii....to me the wii would not be an option...going outside, walking etc would be my first go to & the wii would be to compliment exercise).

I am not entirely sure arrest was the way to go but then again, we don't know the back story. He was already known to Social Workers so I am assuming the help was there but the parents didn't try perhaps.

Bex, in terms of it being tricky to stop an 11 year buying sweets, surely the answer would be don't give them money?

Your definitely right with that, I know I wouldent be giving lo money for sweets, I do know lots of children who buy for mates or beg off grand parents though. For me I would be taking child for walks, enrolling in football, swimming etc and encouraging them. The wii isn't an exercise choice for me

 

[Bex84]

we dealt with children at school who were spending dinner money on crap as well

 

[sue_88]

11 years old and 15stone is not genetics. That's neglect, and is no different to starving. Both can lead to severe problems, and heart failure. The boy needs to be protected and the parents given lessons in how to parent correctly.

 

[sparkle_1979]

It's neglect

I was out last summer and a young girl around 6 was so overweight she was really struggling with her breath walking around whilst eating a huge bag of haribo

The whole family were very very over weight

Social services should be involved

 

[Eternal]

Definatly neglect, parents sound really clueless. 15 stone sounds healthy for any adult, let alone an 11 year old child. Clearly they have had lots of support and advise on the build up to this and not taken it. The child is at risk of heart failure, diabetes, liver failure and many other issues.

I would say though, in the article I read it said he has autism, I have a child with autism, I have to be really strict and watch as he will steal food and be extremely fussy and due to sensory issues it's very difficult for him to be outside (sun, sounds, insects, things out of routine/changing).

However, I do watch what he eats and get him to exercise etc. He is lucky to have hubby's genetics of being skinny, but I would not allow him to become obese.

In this case the child isny even a bit chubby, he is dangerously overweight and that is neglect.

 

[Button#]

I agree it's neglect. Also there's probably a lot more to this case than is being reported. Obviously we won't know as SS and the police can't comment and this is the headline grabbing part of the story.

 

[cookette]

I had a patient that was over 250lbs at 12 years old and diagnosed with high cholesterol. Parents were both incredibly obese. When I questioned him on what he had eaten for breakfast, I was told 3 donuts and a can of coke.

This poor kid didn't buy his breakfast, his parents did.

If you are held responsible for gross malnourishment beyond any other medical explanation, obesity is no different.

 

[Bex84]

I have never understood people saying junk food is cheaper. I make stuff from scratch and is much much cheaper. We just don't have junk in the house. My daughter will pick fruit over chocolate as she has always been offered healthy choices and everything in moderation