Should allowing a child to become obese be considered child abuse?

The later in life a child is allowed to be obese, the more likely they will be an obese adult. For example, 80% of obese adolescents are obese adults. This puts them at amazingly high risk for diabetes, heart disease, liver dysfunction, to name a few disorders. As parents are the nutritional providers for their children and as their mis-management may be a death sentence for their offspring in 30- 40 years, would you say this is child abuse? Would you recommend separating the child from the home (like other abused children)? Why or why not?

yes it is in a roundabout way. Some parents use food as a way of reward and/or love. It is extremely hard work to raise a child and even more of a challenge to enforce new heatky eating habits. Alot of the time, the parent will give in a give the child the food they desire. It seems much easier to do at the time. Make an effort to help the child develop healthy habits. To make things easier, the entire household can start follwing a more The end result could be a child who is unhealthy and obese. It takes 21 days to break a bad habit. It also takes 21 days to get caught up in a bad addicction and/or habits Self discipline on the part of the parent and child must be enforced. Every effort should be focused on a nre way of eating healthy. We eat to live-Not live to eat. Instill healthy values , morals and habits at an early age and stick with them

It should be considered stupid parenting.

The family needs to be retrained by authorities into providing proper nutrition for the child and only in a helpless case should the child be placed in care where proper nutrition is supplied.~~

Maybe if the parent is forcing food down his/her child.

If you really want to call "feeding your kid too much" child abuse, then you can call a bunch of other things child abuse. What about not socializing your kid, not helping them with school, creating emotional stress, feeding them unhealthy food.....maybe you can even say the schools are abusing their children for providing unhealthy food too...

Anyways, I wish parents and schools would be more responsible, but calling it child abuse is too extreme.

Neglect. Just like you shouldn't smoke around your child, let your child use chemicals or drugs, ect...you should not let your child abuse the body in such a way. Obesity is a disease of malnutrition, whereas the body is not getting enough nutrient dense food and too many empty calories to feed the body properly. In my perspective I feel it is neglect, not punishable, but we should encourage parents in the right direction. I teach my children the value of carefully choosing food, and it's an uphill battle because their dad is very obese (my ex) -- and part of the problem is he neglects himself and I am trying to fight for them. His dad died very young of heart disease, and he will most likely have the same fate, in my opinion. I restrict them to healthy food, and I don't feel guilty one bit about it! I am frank about the consequences, and they basically have no choice but healthy food in my house. I also encourage healthy activity daily for them to get their privileges in the house. I find it my responsibility to help prevent this disease and will do so. :) Good question.

its horible to have obesity and over weight kids, parents should really care about thier health and should be taken away from their child because it is sort of child abuse to let them sit there and get diabetes, pain in their body, and their feelings are hurt too from others at school. They need to do sumthing major. to change the statistics around.

Yes. If a doctor states that a child's health is jeopardized by excessive weight and the parent will not or can not supervise and care for the child so that the child eats the proper amount of food. The parent should be trained in nutrition and be given assistance to help the child eat correctly. If, however, after the training, the parent still cannot care for the child properly, the child should be removed. The risk factor has to exist now. It can't be in the child's adult future.