Would you sign this petition? I did not.

@TheHorse (203755)
Walnut Creek, California
February 18, 2022 6:36pm CST
Change.org is one of those (mostly Lefty) petition sites that sends me semi-SPAM emails almost every day. OK, I'm against the trophy hunting of gay wolves just because they are gay. When it comes to the ones who eat farmers' chickens, I have to pause. Those aren't trophy killings. Today I got one about weighing kids in school. Apparently, many schools are sending BMI data home with kids' parents to help them keep their kids healthy. I'm sure it's partially sponsored by insurance companies, but it's not an issue I had thought about. Are kids really "traumatized" or "pathologized" by having their weights measured? I don't know. As you can see from the photo, I am a tad overweight right now. But I didn't need a BMI score to tell me that. Nor am I "traumatized" about my weight. I simply did 200 leg lifts today during nap time, and now I'm fine. Would you sign this petition? --- Horse — Kids are under a lot of pressure in school. With the added presence of social media, studies have found that 1 in 7 children are unhappy with the way they look. Almost half of American schools have a system in place that weighs their students to give them their BMI. While the CDC has set up safeguards for this practice, they are rarely followed. Miriam started her petition because she knows this practice can lead to students feeling unhappy with the way they look. She’s calling on schools to end this practice of weighing kids.
25 people like this
27 responses
@RasmaSandra (72520)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Feb 22
I am with you and I would not sign it,
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
Change.org often sends "petitions" with "incomplete information."
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (72520)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Feb 22
@TheHorse another site that has issues good and bad that I used to belong to is care2.com
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
@RasmaSandra Never heard of them. What were they all about?
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
19 Feb 22
Yeah, I'd sign it. They should spend more time teaching kids than weighing them.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (157047)
• United States
19 Feb 22
In our schools it was par of PE.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
19 Feb 22
@GardenGerty Wasn't done in any school I attended.
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
Weighing kids would come from the "outside." I don't know who "sponsors" it.
3 people like this
• United States
19 Feb 22
To tell the trouth, I never knew that schools that weighs their students. it's been many years since I've had kids in school, I now have grandkid's going, they have never said anything about having to get weighed. The only way I could see that it would be good for students to be weighed is if a student was wanting to follow a healthy diet program and wanted to keep up with their weight.
2 people like this
• United States
19 Feb 22
@TheHorse I don't think I would have ether.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
@sweetashoney My "whatever" thoughts kicked in.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
Actually, I'd never heard of such a thing either. I did not sign this one.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (56277)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Feb 22
No. I wouldn't. Obesedy is a problem in our country, always has been. Someone needs to be held accountable. And, no, I am not by any means skinny. We simply need to break the stigmas and get kids comfortable in their own skin. Stop putting so much enfenses on weight, because there's a lot of reasons for it. Weighing kids in school, shouldn't even be an issue. However, someone needs to complain. Makes them feel better.
2 people like this
@kaylachan (56277)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Feb 22
@TheHorse He wasn't wrong.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
@kaylachan I agree. I'm glad I have music to do that.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
Gives life meaning, as my psychiatrist Uncle used to say.
2 people like this
@sol_cee (38224)
• Philippines
19 Feb 22
That’s crazy. There are more serious topics to discuss than this one
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
Why I did not sign the petition.
3 people like this
@sol_cee (38224)
• Philippines
19 Feb 22
@TheHorse Is that really you in the pic?
1 person likes this
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
19 Feb 22
I'm not a petition signer myself... However, this post has reminded me of how absolutely annoyed I was when my mother decided to lecture me on my oldest son's weight when he was a young adolescent. Grrrrrrrr!!!
3 people like this
@TheHorse (203755)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Feb 22
Is he happy with his body now? I am happy with my body.
2 people like this
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
19 Feb 22
@TheHorse He's very happy and comfortable with his body. He had a growth spurt and out-grew the chubb before he turned 15. Me? I still have my mother's voice in my head telling me what to eat and that I don't eat enough of this and I eat too much of that. Mostly I ignore the voice and shake my head over the fact that I can still hear it!
@hora_fugit (5862)
• India
20 Feb 22
I love numbers, and would like to know my weight every day.... if this is a free facility, I would not sign the said petition. Otherwise, I will not sign the petition.
@Torunn (8609)
• Norway
19 Feb 22
BMI is for many people not a good way to say whether you're overweight, normal or underweight. Plus, doesn't kids grow a lot in periods? Over the summer they come back 15 cm taller and thin as a rod, but it's not because they're not eating. So the BMI would say underweight, but the kid is just growing. So if it's only BMI I question something else than the weighing.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (110776)
• El Paso, Texas
19 Feb 22
Oh for crying out loud, this is really beyond dingy. Growing up in the 50s and 60s over 90% of kids were picked on, made fun of, bullied and other awful things yet many raised the kids who had the kids who're the parents of these kids. We're ok cuz we growed up. Cheeeeeeeeeeeze.
2 people like this
@LeaPea2417 (36267)
• Toccoa, Georgia
20 Feb 22
I would sign it. It is not something that should happen in schools.
@DWDavis (25820)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
20 Feb 22
I consider 99,999 of every 100,000 petitions I see online to be a waste of time. The other one is just plain stupid. I feel the same way about online polls. They have no scientific basis and their results are meaningless. Don't get me started about online requests for donations.
@DWDavis (25820)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
20 Feb 22
@TheSojourner I get 5 or 6 requests a day claiming to be from Val Demings and she's not even my representative. I don't believe any of them are actually from her campaign.
@xander6464 (40718)
• Wapello, Iowa
19 Feb 22
I might sign it because a lot of kids, mostly girls, actually kill themselves because of body image issues. Others simply develop eating disorders. At the same time, the BMI thing sounds like the right thing to do. So I'm torn.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98527)
• India
19 Feb 22
There is a reason I dislike doctors. They should be called KILLJOYS not doctors. While I do see your reasoning, I would say .. we are not addressing the real issue when we try to protect the child from image issues. I would explain to children that image issues are artificially created. Otherwise, how come Kate Winslet is considered beautiful as is Cameron Diaz, but both have different physique. I am not sure BMI thing is really worth considering. It is again a question of probability. People can die of many things that are not directly related to BMI. So I would swing towards not signing.
1 person likes this
@xander6464 (40718)
• Wapello, Iowa
19 Feb 22
@vandana7 The petition is to stop the BMI thing, so wouldn't you sign? I don't have kids but I've heard that explaining things to them is difficult and the results are often unreliable.
@wolfgirl569 (93514)
• Marion, Ohio
19 Feb 22
I hadnt heard of any schools doing that
2 people like this
@vandana7 (98527)
• India
19 Feb 22
I do see the reasons for this. a. We have standard sized clothing. Therefore, if a child wanted to look good as per the going trend, then she would have to fit in those, and if she can't, she would be kinda left out in the group. b. There is a lot of drumming about what attracts girls or boys. The kids soon grow into that stage. If they find themselves getting less attention, it may give them inferiority complex. c. The most important one...it may affect health of some of them. Yet, it may not. It may benefit insurance companies, and fashion industry for sure. But hey, children have simple joys. Why deny them those? As adults they would have enough on their plates... at least childhood can be happy. And as I said elsewhere, we never know who will live how long. If anything bad happens, having hurt another person based on his or her physical appearance denying them affordable joy, would leave me with plenty of guilt. So it may sound selfish but I would not sign that petition.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323745)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Feb 22
Sometimes I think I'm on the wrong planet.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (157593)
• Boise, Idaho
19 Feb 22
I don't think I'd sign it. Kids are under enough pressure and they should be able to eat what they want within reason. I think that if they haven't learned good eating habits by the time they are in school it is simply too late. They learn that stuff very young.
@ptrikha_2 (45331)
• India
19 Feb 22
Not a bad petition. Schools should instead just mentor kids on the better diet practices, harms of too much carbs and fats rather than such a kind of tracking. It is something similar to the practice of school teachers encouraging kids here to make wonderful Powerpoint Presentations or videos whilst they themselves do not teach many subject fundamentals properly to them.
@vandana7 (98527)
• India
19 Feb 22
You kidding, right? I like to see apple cheeks...the fatter they are, cuter they are..LOL Anyway, all that weight is lost around adolescence...they find it easy to lose weight around that period onward. So what is the big deal?
@RubyHawk (99437)
• Atlanta, Georgia
20 Feb 22
I’ve never heard of schools weighing students. I know we have a lot of overweight people especially in the US but I don’t believe In shaming students that are overweight. Maybe a class on a healthier way of life would be better. Teaching kids about healthy food and to avoid junk food. Many parents let their children eat Very unhealthy food.
@thelme55 (76376)
• Germany
19 Feb 22
NNo, I won’t sign up.
• Northampton, England
19 Feb 22
A tad?