Should morbidly obese children be removed from their parents?

That is what I was going to say HWG, but didn't know how to put it into words..You said what I felt, I don't think the parents meant for their child to get so obese, and guidance in healthy eating and exercise for the whole family should be the first choice.

Having been raised in the Foster care system myself, I do know first hand what takes place in some of them. I never spent a full year in one home, as I was bounced from home to home for many, many years. This is why I would one of the ones that would strongly suggest to perhaps help the parents with the kids, because it is not easy for a child to adjust to the foster care system, once they have been accustomed to being with a family. Granted for me I was in the system from day one of my birth so I did not have to adjust it was the way my life was.

The thing is, though, that many times the healthy meals that can be prepared from scratch are not less expensive than the unhealthy, prepackaged ones. Once you buy all the ingredients to be able to prepare the meal, you have spent at least the amount that you would have spent for a prepackaged meal, and many times you have spent far more than that. I am not saying that it is right, but I am saying that financially I can at least understand why some parents feel that they do not have any choice other than to do this.

Very true. And a box of mac and cheese takes less for a tired working mom or single parent to get on the table, as well. When we first got our kids (at 5 and 9) they already were used to certain foods like packaged man and cheese and canned ravioli and forzen burritos. It was very hard to change them over to home prepared foods. These things take time. Many people know they could prepare food more cheaply from scratch, but they believe it will take hours to cook. We need to show them how to cook quick nutritious meals that aren't too expensive.

Your final question is very pertinent. I have seen some very good foster homes, but I have also seen some that are the pits. How does that help a child? Disrupting social connections is not good for anyone.

In my country most women have to work too, but many cook from scratch if they want the ends to meet. I am absolutly sure than a healthy main dish of legumes takes no more to be made than 15 minutes if you have a pressure cooker. Low price kitchen gadgets save a lot of work on the long run. I soak my legumes just as my grandmother did and so do my daughters. We buy few cannned food, some frozen food and a lot of fresh things. All those fries and snacks full of fat are not only unhealthy but very expensive. We even make from scratch baby food and it´s healthier than bought one. There are ways to sterilize them so you can make several in one batch. No need to cook all evening. Our children´s breakfast is bread and butter or bread and jam. We don´t have fried or scrambled eggs with bacon for breakfast. I have gone several times to Disney World and each time I saw heavier children. And when I saw a thin, healthy child, he/she wasn´t talking in English.

This is the way it ought to be, but here in the US, too many parents let their children watch too much TV, and the TV commericals make them want to eat fattening and unhealthy processed and fattening foods. So then the children pester their parents for these things. Working moms often don't want to cook when they get home tired, so they give in to the children's desires for fast food out of frozen foods at home. They think cooking nutritrious food takes more time, energy, and money than they have. The children think they need sweet or salty snacks instead of fruits and vegetables. Many parents allow their children to be picky eaters and give them what they want, not what they should have. In many households, the children seem to get what they want. Parent do need education on how to prepare quick, tasty, and nutritious meals and on how to gradually train their children's taste so they will begin to enjoy eating those foods.

I agree, take them to see if something else is not the problem first, then to an alternative healthcare practicioner/naturapath. Medical doctors are not fully trained in nutrtional ways to stay healthy. Not everyone is the same or has the same needs. A phyical therapist is a good idea purplealabaster. Many kids have trouble during puberty (growth spurt) with the wrong exercises for their fast growing bodies.

Thank you. I agree that everybody is different, and while there are obviously general rules that most people can follow, each individual will not fit neatly into any general category. There are always special instances that need to be addressed as we all have our own abilities and limitations. Even our own bodies change over time, and we need to modify our diet and exercise routines to accommodate these changes. Most people can't afford to go see their normal doctor on a regular basis let alone a nutritionist or a physical therapist. I think that if insurance companies spent more money on preventative measures, such as allowing people to see these kinds of professionals in conjunction with each other to give individuals the opportunity to have a healthy foundation through education and individual training, then it would save the insurance companies money in the long run, because they wouldn't have to pay for as many medical conditions that are a result of unhealthy lifestyles ... and we all know that insurance companies are motivated by profit.

Sounds like your children had a great time. I only wish I could give that to mine, but sadly play dates are centered around the coolest tv gadget or computer game. Even when I was growing up, after I hit about 12, there was no more riding bikes or roller skates. Everyone has a video game console and stayed in all day. My children are only 2 and 6months, so they aren't old enough for those things yet, but I'm worried they wont be as active anymore. Right now we live in a farm where he can run around and go for hikes and such. But who knows where we will be in 4 or 5 years. I'm hoping we can stay here and give our children a healthy fun life away from all the horrible things America now encompasses. I wish I could give my kids the childhood yours had, but today its not very easy. I will still try my hardest. And if its not working out I can always buy a bunch of land in Colorado or somewhere and start my own self sufficient farm.... that'd be awesome

I think you've hit the nail on the head! We kept our kids physically active and we went for a walk as a family very often. Soemtimes we went to the park and we all used the swings. Sometimes we walked to a neaby state park and took a trail there. Soemtimes we just walked around the neighborhood to say hi to the neighbors and invite them to come along. Many times they did. Our son used to love to play outside, and we had no TV to distract him. I built a treehouse, a tree fort with some logs in the front yard and every kid in the neighborhood came to help because it was fun. He also loved to ride bikes with his friends.One day after we had visited a living history day at an abobe, he came home and started to make adobe bricks in the back yard to build an adobe fort. If given a chance and some free time, and if not yet in the habit of watching TV or being on the computer all the time (we had neither, since it was before people had PCs in the home), most kids would like to play outside with other kids. When it was birthday party time, we had a joint party at a nearby beach for both children. It was across from and part of a state park near our home. My husband and any other parents who wanted to come would take an eight mile hike to the beach through the park with all the kids who wanted to do that. Most did. I and some of the moms would meet them at the beach with the food. We'd feed them, the kids would open their presents, and then the families would help watch the kids as they played on the beach and in the water. It was fun, because we didn't need to limit the guests, and we could meet the parents of our kids since their families were also invited, and everyone got lots of exercise . These parties were very popular, and we thought it was better (and more economical) than taking the kids somewhere like a pizza parlour where they played video games to entertain themselves. One year, after my daughter was no longer with us, we had a swimming party at a friend's pool. The kids enjoyed something fun and physical to do with other kids

Thanks for sharing that concrete example to illustrate your point. Weight loss works best as a family project -- including grandmas.