Local mother faces losing son to CPS because he's fat!

I would agree with the "Bad Parenting" rather than abused. Since if there was an abused there should be refusal by the other party but enforced by another. In this case it is mutually acceptable in both parties that they want to eat a lot. I guess it was a bit harsh for the law enforcers to get your child jsut so you are overfeeding your child. I guess you could be penalized for doing so but not taking your child away. I guess you need to be educated regarding proper nutrition and everything but not taking of the child.

I agree its bad parenting but, he is obese at 14 odd stone at 8 yrs old.

Yeah, they spend more time trying to live our life for us and in the mean time how many fat a$$es are in the government? Why aren't they governed?

I aggree with you 100% on this. Their are children being physically and sexually abused, abandoned, and killed by their parents and they are chosing to spend time and money on a case like this? The Government needs to do more investigating and research before jumping to conclusions or making false acusations. It's just like a posting I did before about how some people are so ignorant and uneducated. They aren't really any better and they are supposed to be setting an example for the rest of us?!?

MAybe it is wrong for her to have let him get that heavy,but I agree that it is bad parenting not child abuse. Cys lets kids be beaten and abused every day by cruel parents. I do think people from agencies do not know how to parent,they just read books and go by that.

It may be true that it's a bad choice but how would you have fared if the government stepped in and removed you from your family home based on that eating habit? Would you have been able to become what you have? The mere fact that the system is overcrowded with not enough foster families and then so overtaxed with REAL cases justifies why CP is NOT who should be doing this. Medical professionals and ok, if CP is concerned or the school is concerned, etc. then send in some professionals to do a daily work out after school or at that matter I would bet my last buck that he's not the only OBESE child in his school. Start a program at his grade school that gives these kids a work out. EVERYONE benefits and that includes HIM. Taking him from a loving atmosphere and caring family is not the answer. Perhaps if he were 1 of 10 obese kids in our country I could understand. He's FAR from that though.

i became what i am because i got myself out of that situation at 18 yrs old got myself educated and did not raise my own kids that way!

i became what i am because i got myself out of that situation at 18 yrs old got myself educated and did not raise my own kids that way!

Exactly... I have 3 kids... 2 are perfect weight, one is heavy like me. We obviously all eat the same foods from the same house prepared the same way. Should they remove just my "fat kid" because I'm unfit? I don't think so. And I think it's ridiculous coming from an organization that has done nothing but complain how overworked and understaffed they are!

What actually the organization want?? I think they just raise this kind of issue just to show the government they are working and need a lot more worker to settle all this so call problems lol. Just poking around and raise the unrealistic issues!! There are a lot more unsettled problems out there need more attention rather than a fat kid problems!! Fat kids shows that their parents care and feed them well dooouuhhhh....

You ask;"Why do they care about the way we treat the kids?"The responces that I am seeing here are the VERY reason "they" do care. Being dangerously over-weight is just that DANGEROUS! There are many, many forms of abuse in this world, and who is to say that one is more important than the other? Do you know what a fat childs deals with in his/her life? I do and it is NOT fun, I can tell you that. Not only is there the emotional factor here, but the basic health of the child is as risk. His/her life is being cut short by a parent who would rather give in, than to teach. As parents it is our responcibility to take care of and teach our children. This mother is not doing that, so thank goodness there are ways to help this child other than relying on someone to have the proper concern and knowledge to raise a happy, healthy child, which she does not seem to be able to do. I was a fat kid, and I can tell you that at 42 years old, I feel better now then I ever did at 12 years old. The US is THE fattest nation in the world. Do a little research and take a close look at the statistics. I think it is about time someone steps in and assists people in learning to live healthy. I know that I would not want my child to grow up fat, stay fat and suffer all of the complication of being so. I should hope that every mother would want better for their child. It seems that people here are taking personal offence in this issue. I am wondering why? Again, do some real research and then come back and tell me that you would want to put your own child at such risks. Read about what the real effects of being over-weight means to a persons health, and self image. A good, healthy diet and excercise is vital. Making a decent living should not be reason to load your kids up on all of the unhealthy things that you can afford, it should be reason in invest in a healthy lifestyle. And if your child has a medical reason for being over weight, then you can afford to get them the proper medical and nutritional care to manage it. Each of us have a very different metabolisim, so each person should be taking care of accordingly. I am shocked to see such outrage over someone stepping in to save ANY childs life, and very concerned that there are people who would even try to compare forms of abuse as being lesser or greater. Abuse in ANY form is wrong and should be stopped. Childern cannot defend themselvs, so there are people out there who care enough to fight for them.

I don't have issue that she has made some obvious bad decisions in how to feed her kid but is this what CPS was for? This isn't abuse. He's in a loving environment and cared for. There are kids out there that are literally dying as CPS ignores their cases, yet they spend time on something like this? How "good" can it be for the kid to basically be told "Lose weight each week or we're taking you from your mother!". I'm sure the mental stress of that works wonders! If he isn't screwed up for life because of having to deal with his obesity, he will be after this!

If you THREW him in front of a car, then I could relate. There are many cases where parents do NOT agree with medical intervention for various reasons. It's very familiar to see parents refuse childhood shots for various reasons and that is legal. I personally think that not giving your kid shots is horrible and definitely NOT healthy for the kid. Yet those children remain with the family. Most medical people will tell you it is more detrimental to NOT give the shots then to give them. But yet, still they remain with the family. My biggest issue is that this NOT something CPS should be dealing with. This is not why CPS was created. And allowing them to step in on something like this opens the doors for so many other issues based on what individuals think of as "proper parenting". In Japan, Sumo wrestlers are bred to be HUGE. They are amongst the most highly honored. So what if the parent said they believe in those standards? Would it then be ok? If not, then we'd have to remove any "Non-Christian" children from Christian homes if the majority were to rule that wasn't the proper way to raise a kid. Do you see where I'm going with this? This is NOT a matter of abuse. The parents didn't sit the child down, force feed him and lock him up so he couldn't exercise. Did they make proper decisions in raising him? Probably not. Are they the first to have a fat kid? Definitely NOT. Look around the entire country. How many kids would CPS have to house?

It is not physical abuse, but it is certainly neglect. She is neglecting his health and welfare. And I'm sure there are going to be some psychologal issues that he will have to deal with because of his weight. Really, I didn't see the news, but I fail to see how it can be assumed that he is in a loving environment. A loving parent takes care of their child and helps them because of the love, allowing the child to reach such weight does not reflect love to me. Not real love anyway, the kind that a parent feels that urges them to care for her child. CPS is for more than just abuse, they also step in to handle cases of neglect. Allowing him to eat until he was this large is the same as not taking him to the hospital over a serious injury that could kill him.

Oh so true. He's been told by CPS too that if he doesn't continue to lose weight regularly he will be removed. That's a great incentive for an 8 year old eh? Talk about making their mark on this childs life forever!

I didn't realize it made national news! It's sad indeed to see the child become so obese but it's not the place of CPS to act. His doctor/pediatrician and nurses, etc. need to step in and talk to the mother. She wasn't ignorant by any means and admitted she gave in all the time to him eating fast food almost daily because he loves it so much. She realized, in hind sight her flaw but by no means did she abuse him.

agreed. What really troubles me is what impact all this media attention will have on a child so young. This child could be damaged by this for the rest of his life, i just think it is very sad indeed

So true mom2! And the sad part is, if we would spend more time and money on making our youth feel GOOD about being themselves and accepting who they are we probably wouldn't have so many eating disorders. Some people, no matter what are going to be heavier. I'm heavy, my dad and his whole side are heavy, my oldest daughter that looks like my twin is heavy. My twins are like their father's side, thin. They often eat more than me and my daughter, yet WE gain the weight.

I hope he doesn't have an eating disorder after this :( It is so awful, you can turn on your tv and see numerous weight loss commercials. My daughter who just turned 4 in January told me she couldn't eat something because it was bad for her and she would get a big belly. How awful is that??? I'm overweight but I don't say stuff in front of the kids. I don't put myself down or anything like that and to have my 4 year old be concerned just floored me! She isn't overweight at all. She is a bean pole...lol. But people wonder why our teenagers have eating disorders when all they have to do is turn the tv on to see a weight loss commercial. (Sorry, I know that last part was totally off topic)

Exactly. Spend the time, effort and money in helping the child and not threatening him. How much mental abuse can he take and the end result is going to be some real issues with eating in general if you ask me.

I agree. Attacking one family who's only "bad" action is to allow the son to eat poorly as opposed to most of the nation that is also obese. This kid is huge and at 8 years old they said he's something like 8x the average acceptable size. I believe they put him at like 200+ pounds and that is horrible. But you can see the mother has gone to find him help even before CPS came in on it. They interviewed her on local tv and she is also a larger lady. It's obvious that eating poorly is common in the household. But how many others are also guilty of this? I agree that at this rate of the government jumping in on a child's eating habits, the smoking habits of adults, the trans fat issue with junk foods, etc. that if we don't take a stand soon we're all going to be thinking of FREEDOM as something that our forefathers had long ago.

I understand that and I do agree that these are wrongful.. BUT... I don't think it's a situation that our CPS people need to be dealing with. Get the schools, counselors, doctors, etc. involved in helping this child and even coming to the home and giving advice, etc. but CPS should be used for what it was created for. ABUSED and life threatening children. Children who are beaten, sexually abused, etc.

NP! It was a great response and brought conversation with it! A definite great addition to the conversation.

You would have thought they would have learned from prohibition many years ago wouldn't you? But they seem to think of themselves as untouchable and truly have been for the most part.

Yeah, being fat is a whole lot worse then being molested, beaten or even killed. I agree.... NOT! CPS needs to do the job they were meant to do before they decide to be the nutritionist of the day. And before the government steps in on a child's eating habits they need to take a good long look at what THEY provide to our kids in school every day. Little Debbie snacks for breakfast is far from healthy I'm sure. They load their meals with fat, salt, carbs and more. Maybe CPS should spend their time truly helping children who are abused and hurt by their parents and leave the overweight issue to the family and doctors involved. I just cannot agree with you on this one.

There is truth to that. But I would venture to guess in a situation where the child is being starved there is going to be more abuse. In the case of overeating it is more a matter of over indulging a child... sort of like the single child who is given everything they want, creating a spoiled brat. Where as a kid who gets nothing in the way of clothes and toys and food would be "abused". Maybe not so much toys.. lol.. but you know what I mean. I do see your point though. I just think that it's viewed of as differently because the parent is not providing something that is a necessity to life; whereas the other parent is just over providing.

I see your concerns and your reasonings and I do agree that it's sad but I just think this is not something our government entities should step in on. But I can see too that if the mother does ignore the medical experts that told her what to do and how to handle it, what is left to do. My personal fear is that the government is getting out of hand about everything from child rearing to smoking and eating unhealthy. I live in AMERICA for my FREEDOM, not to be owned and governed with every step I take, including my eating habits. How long before they go further and further. Give them an inch, they take a mile.

But in the same sense, I have the perfect example of "It's not always the parent". My 3 teens eat identical foods placed on our table. My oldest is heavy like me while her brother and sister (twins) are thin like their father. So that means I abused just one kid and treated the other 2 fine? I don't think so! And what about the skinny kids that eat nonstop junk food? My son has a friend that I swear I've never seen him put a vegetable near his lips! He's far from fat. He eats junk food nonstop though. So because he's not fat from it, it's not abuse? I agree, it was bad choices that the parent made and allowed the kid to eat fast food constantly but it's not the place of the government to step in if you ask me. Instead of spending time on accusations of child molestation and physical abuse, etc. they target a parent for feeding her child wrong? Just not right if you ask me.

And then they wonder why people are so unfriendly to them and fear them so much. I've seen "wrong doers" go free without as much as a spanking while people who aren't abusing but perhaps have made some bad choices, etc. are put through the mill!

I do think she's addressed it with her pediatrician and I'm not sure she allowed the press to know if there was a problem or not. But to see her house you can tell she's a good parent. They were in a nice house, clean, he was clean, she was clean and neat, they had a trampoline the kid was on out back. It's far from an "abusive" situation by any terms. I agree that she should make some changes in his eating habits and even teach her what to offer and how to prepare it. She was a heavier lady herself, not nearly as obese but still obviously wasn't eating properly herself (I'd love to see someone who is eating properly 100% of the time though). Spend some money helping the kids who are truly abused though. Leave the eating healthy promotion to the doctors and nurses!

Yes, they were forced (also by the US government) to change how they cooked their foods. I agree that the kid is obese and unhealthy but it's not the place of the government to step in if you ask me!