UK is thinking about taking an overweight child away from parents.

I saw the stories in the paper this morning. It is fairly typical of the so-called "nanny State" we have here in the UK nowadays, when the Government spend all their time telling us what not to do, instead of concentrating on the things we voted them in to do - like looking after schols, and education. The por lad is definately grossly overweight, and suffring health wise because of it, but perhaps they ought to try and educate the parents before then take him away from them.

I would definitely need more information on this one. Is the boy a victim of a thyroid problem? Or is his obesity due to overeating? If it is overeating, then the parents should be offered the services of a nutritionist. Maybe they don't understand proper portions. I don't agree with the idea of taking the child from his parents. Unless the parents are cannibalistic and fattening up their next meal! :-) If it is a thyroid problem and the authorities aren't aware of it, then it would be a crime for them to take the child then later learn the problem. I was a victim of a similar situation. My daughter's teeth came in with no enamel when she was an infant/toddler. THe day care facility to which she was enrolled, called social services on me because the administrator ASSUMED that it was tooth decay caused by the bottle. She never asked me about it or posed any concerns to me about my daughter, so I was caught off guard when I was contacted. After a telephone interview, an in-person interview and a meeting with my daughter, I was "cleared" of any wrongdoing. The Dept of Social Services was livid when they realized that the day care administrator not once expressed concern to me before reporting me. Needless to say, my daughter didn't return to that facility and I was seriously considering a lawsuit, but didn't have the funds needed to acquire a lawyer. I just felt that it was a slander/libel suit of osme sort. It was also harassing!

I think that is awful. I feel that if they are concerned, then let them see the reasons why he is so heavy. Are the parents overweight? Is it a health condition. Maybe the parents need guidence, but they should help them, not take the boy. Unless, there is more to the story than just an overweight child. Maybe they are not feeding him anything but carbs????

My wife was telling me about this earlier today. I have a real problem when the government tries to dictate how we are to be as parents. While the child is very overweight, why should the government be allowed to consider this a reason to remove the child from the home? This is just another step towards government control of our private lives. If they start removing children for being overweight, then what's next? What is going to be the guideline before you lose your kid because of being too fat? Will it be 5 - 10 pounds over, or 25 pounds or what? How long before the government dictates a proscribed regimen that you must follow in the raising of your children, and any deviation will result in them being taken away from you? I believe this is soon going to be a world wide problem, if people don't start standing up and saying no more. The government is good about initiating programs "for the children" and "in the children's best interest" all for the purpose of having more say about what goes on in the privacy of our own homes. The government in this case is clearing overstepping itself.

Ummm very hard disscusion, in one way the doctors should work together with the parents of this boy, then on the other hand how has it come to this stage and the parents have not helped ? I have seen the photos on the news and i heard the mother in a disscusion, i must admit she does'nt seem to think it's a problem, but this poor boy who is the same age as my daughter i dread to think what he is going through, and of course this illness which it is will unfortnately end his life prematurely. I feel sorry for all the parties all round. And hope that the end out come will sort everyone and this young boy might be able to have a normal childhood

I just heard this on the radio and posted about it.. how weird!! I think that something needs to be done about it- I had hoped to hear more about the story. Personally I think she needs to be taught a lesson, from what I have heard so far I feel that she is very much at fault-- but I think taking her child away from her isn't going to solve anything. I think she needs to learn how to help her son instead of feeding him whatever because he's hungry. Intervention definitely needs to take place but I think they are going about this the wrong way. Do you think they should just take him away and thats that?

This is hard. I think there should be steps. First, get the family to a doctor immediately! Then, if the child continues to gain weight and it's due to the family not feeding the child correctly, yes, then take the child away. That is child endangerment. If the child is that overweight and the parents don't think it's a problem, they are wrong! I get tired of seeing these people on tv talk shows who bring their way overweight children on the show, and don't think it's a problem! the child could die from it! That is irresponsible and the child should be taken from the home.

I definitely think they should work with the parents and educate them. Think how traumatic this could be for this boy to be taken away from his parents, for no other reason than being overweight? Every child needs their parents. Also, have they stated if they believe there is a genetic reason for his obesity? If so, maybe a medical doctor could help. I just don't see how taking him from his parents could be a good thing.

obesity is a curse and one of the leading causes of mortality. we all know, how bad it is and we all know the tags, like hypertension, diabetes, kidney and general health diseases, attached to it. i bet, we all know the prevention, EAT WISELY AND EAT SCIENTIFICALLY. the surprising part is we care the less and are not atall conscious of the effects of obesity. when children are concerned, it becomes a more sensitive issue and i feel, the parents and the caretakers are to blame for it all, since they do the groceries and not the children. their indulgence, negligence and lack of consciousness should be taken care of instead of taking away the child from parental care. it's surprising, especially when comes from UK govt, that instead of motvating the parents to DOS and DONOTs, its actually severing the normal development of a child!! get real!!!

I live in the UK and i watched the footage with him and his mother and she could not careless that he was that fat at his age. If they leave him with her he will be lucky to see his 10th birthday. She was laughing about the fact he was over weight. Do you think it would be better then for him to stay with his mother and maybe die of being over weight. I think it's best he is put into care, it may not be permanent but i think it should happen. Sorry if you don't agree.

I think the whole family needs someone like a nutritionist to come and show them the right way to eat. It could be a like a service. The nutritionist could come to their house everyday or however they could schedule it so it is effective. There could be a personal plan made for that family and it could be court ordered that they follow it for 6 months. If there were findings that the boy had medical problems this person would still be of value, so it is a good part of the solution. I think if the situation of his weight was was directly caused from the diet then a nutritionist coming into their lives would not be a punishment, it would also benefit his parents as well. I guess I would need to know more about why he is overweight. If I was going to just answer yes or no to your question, I would no. It would not be in the boy's best interest to be taken from his home because they do not know how to feed him properly. That is something that can be resolved with the boy being able to stay at home with his family. It would be frightening and a traumatic experience to send him away and change his whole life. Which in the end could cause him to turn to food for comfort when he is older and on his own anyway. I see no benefit in that. Maybe the threat of it maybe, but nothing is better for the situation than having someone teaching them nutrition and meal proprotions.

It is obviously not good for the child my opinion is the parents need to be educated first! i think he should be helped at home with a proper dietician and exercise program being put into care will only make him unhappy.I see an unhappy child who eats for comfort so the cycle needs to be changed give him goals to work towards and lots of love. I hope he will be given the help he needed without going into care it breaks my heart to see a child so unhappy The goverment are so controlling of everything its really scarey whatever happened to our free speech and our rights

This story is not as tactile as you are saying i've heard about it, and the parents are not helping their son in anyway what so ever... the mother simply says... he tantrums and cries for junk food untill i give him it, this is poor parenting, imagine what this could lead to if the child decides to tantrum and cry for other things?? will they give into those things too even tho they know they are not good for him, however saying this i understand this is a serious problem and i'm sure they do love their son, just clueless as to how to control this problem, i think removing the child is the right thing to do, not to punnish the parents, they should be kept fully informed and included in his help as much as possible, if they keep giving into their son for all his whims, this situation could well go out of control, i think they all need help, they need help in possitive parenting and the boy needs to be out into a special clinic to realise the damage he is doing to himself!!! When doctors are happy that the parents and boy can learn some control he should be returned home :-) I fear leaving him in his present situation with no outside help could well mean the end for him!!

Taking the child away is not a solution. This will create more problems for the child and the parents. The mental trauma alone will be bad for all of them. It would be much better if the social services worked with the family to help out as much as possible without separating the child from his mother. I agree that childhood obesity is bad and can lead to all sorts of medical problems for the child in the future. From what I have read, the mother said that the child does not like fruits and vegetables and like fast food. Of course, he is not going to change his eating habits that have been formed over the years (no thanks to the mother here) but gradually, he can be brought to eat more fruit and fibre and less of the junk food. It has to be a slow methodical process. Unfortunately, the dangers of childhood obesity are not properly explained to people who think that their child is just chubby.

he needs more care & treatment 4 reducing his weight & get his normal life back smoothly. But taking away from parents is not good,for both the child & the parents.

I do not agree with it at all as you say what other Reason are they going to have to take the Children away, how about going for more serious cases where the Parents leave their little Children unattended outside. They should help the Parents with this boy to get his weight down, see a Specialist as it might also be that the Child has a medical problem. I think it is disgusting that they are going for cases like this but the ones that are neglecting their Children are getting away with it.

I think that is child abuse because it is causing so many health problems. I think of it like Munchassens Syndrome... making your own child sick. That is abuse. The parents could stop giving so much food and such unhealthy food. The child isn't old enough to decide for himself.

I would need to know more about the family and the kid to know whether or not it constitutes child abuse. Good food is expensive in the UK, and it may be just that the parents don't have any money to feed him properly.

Well I can't see how this is child abuse I mean he may be the one eating without his parents being able to stop him. He may also have some kind of health problem that they haven't gotten checked out that makes him like this. I'm unsure but I think this is really unfair because he's obese so what. His parents still love him, and it's not like they force him to eat or anything. I don't know I just think it's a bit to much.

What kind of parent allows their child to get morbitly obese at such a young age? I see on tv all the time these toddlers and young children who weigh 150 even 200 lbs. Im 21, over five feet tall, and I weigh 130. These children weigh more than some adults. What ind of diet gets them their? One filled with over-eating foods high in fat with little to no exercise. This is extremely bad for the health of children! Only an unresponsible parent would allow this to happen. It is the duty of the government to protect these morbitly obese children from their parents who created this condition.