Overweight Children Have Low Self-esteem

yeah I was one of those kids. I had a weight problem and still do some what. I have lost alot of weight though but I have been there. So I understand it. Of course my dad use to do it also make jokes about my weight untill he saw how bad it upset me and he finally stopped.

While I think that many children naturally pick on those in any way different, overweight, glasses, speech problem etc I do agree with you to a certain extent! I have always taught my children not to pick on other children for any reason - they have been taught to accept people for who they are, I have always asked them how they would feel if everyone was laughing at or picking on them! I think every parent should teach their child the same thing but even then there would always be a certain level of bullying! xxx

It's not only the overweight kids who have low self-esteem. I was always the skinniest kid around, and I had low self-esteem because of comments made by acquaintences, strangers, and even friends and family members. It hurt when I was called "bird legs", "skinny minnie" or other names. I also have a sister who has cerebral palsy in one leg and is blind in one eye, and she was horribly teased all the time. You can bet that when I raised my kids, I taught them to be kind to someone who looked different or had any kind of disability. Thank goodness, they also raised their kids that way. It never hurts to be kind to others, and everyone should know this.

Well not that true yea , i have met some overweight children that has lots of confidence and high self esteem yea

Yeah, I don't get where kids learn to be cruel to people who are heavy. But, mostly I think kids learn it from their peers who learn it from their peers/siblings, and so on. Plus, they are not finished developing mentally or emotionally, so they still think in childish ways.

Believe it or not, many parents have low self-esteem. I think that is where most kids learn it from. Parents are often not aware of how their examples impact kids. I see this constantly in my young granddaughter and how she imitates her parents. Kids pick up on every little thing. And what they learn at a young age, sticks with them forever. I am living proof of that as I still battle many of the silly things I learned when I was a kid. You are so right in that looks don't mean anything and a person should not be judge in that respect.

i in a way thank u for bringing such a crucial issue out. i have faced insults bcoz of my thin physique and i know how it hurts. i will cetainly take care that my child does not mocks at but understand and be an angel for such kids.

You have to believe me on this... because it is my personal experience. It's not always fatness that causes lack of esteem. Often lack of self esteem will cause overeating or bulimia or anorexia. Poor self image is often the cause of poor habits or behaviors by the person who is suffering them. This of course is a vicious cycle. People feel bad, so they have harmful behaviors, this makes their condition worse so they compound the behavior. As for teasing and harassing, the ones performing that behavior may also have really poor self esteem. As one respondent said, the bullies need as much attention and counseling as their victims. I know my stepson is a total bully and literally not liked by most other kids. He's fat because he hides inside and eats to medicate himself. He bullies because it prevents others from picking on him. I also really believe he's bringing the whole problem on himself by living in the cycle but the beginning of the behavior goes back to the behavior of my husband and his ex wife when the boy was young... but that's another discussion.

I do agree with you worldwise and its so sad for these kids. But if it wasnt the weight issue it would be some other issue. Kids are cruel and they have always been like that. I can remember when I was young if there was anything different about someone they would be made fun of. Thats just the way it is and will always be like that. Some of them grow out of it and some dont.

Kids are not respecting each other if you want to see one of the reason look at their parents. Some of them are mean, rude, disrespectful so what can these children learn the same thing.

Yes, generally, they have lower self esteem than those who are not. They become the point ofattraction in the classroom and the teasing subjects of nieghbors and friends for they appear to be diffirent from them and this could really affect them psychologically. Though they may excel in some areas and this should be a major concern for the parents, their support should be there always so that the child may not be maladjusted to the real world.