Moms Talk: Should Obese Children Be Placed In Foster Care Away From Natural Parents?
Tell us how you feel about today's topic and read what other parents have to say.
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Each week, Alpharetta Patch starts a discussion for parents. These discussions begin from Patch readers who email us to offer suggestions for the topics by hitting the email the author button. Then a group of moms give their opinions on the topic. We then turn around and open the discussion up to the readers. We hope that you will join us and tell us what you think by adding your thoughts to the comments section at the end of the article.
This week, we received an email from a local resident who wrote the following question.
Q: There has been much talk in the news about whether or not children who are obese should be removed from their home and put into foster care. What is your opinion on this?
A: I do not agree that any child should be removed from his/her parent. Parents must be allowed to care for their children, sometime they might need help and support to feed their children right...when help/support is needed help/support should be given.
The best place for a child to grow is under their parents’ care.- Nike Lawal, mom of 3
A: In my opinion I don't think the children should be removed, but educating the family on proper eating habits is a much better route. Unfortunately childhood obesity is a huge problem in our country, and the failing economy hasn't help us out solving this problem either. With the costs of produce being so high I feel that families are sacrificing healthy for cheap and fast which is a problem. I think instead of having the courts intervene, and removing a child maybe they could intervene and get the family help as a unit. -Lori Salata, mom of 2
A: I do not think that a child should ever be removed from a home unless he or she is being abused. I do not think this is abuse. I do think that they should be educated on nutrition and diet and help should be offered, but that is it. How traumatic would it be for a child to be removed from a loving home and placed with strangers? I can not even imagine. And all because the child is overfed. That is ridiculous and upsetting to me. Children should always be left with their parents unless the child needs to be removed and there is no other option. It frightens me to think that people really think this would be OK. It would cause long term fear and trauma to the child. Doesn't the child's psychological health matter as well? -Tammy Bester, mom of 3
TAG
8:24 am on Thursday, December 1, 2011
As a Milton resident and executive director of the TEEN ADVOCACY GROUP (TAG) I am deeply opposed to moving children to foster care for obesity. TAQ has developed programs dealing wirg body image, including obesity, and provide them to both the children and the parents. In a partnership with the City of Milton we will present these programs iat the Bethwell Community Center after the holidays. for more information contact 770-37-0662, visit TAG's website at www.go4rtag.org or email info@go4tag.org.
We are here to help.
Julie Hogg
9:44 am on Thursday, December 1, 2011
I can't believe this is even being discussed! This is horrifying! Obesity is a problem in our country and spans all age groups and certainly does not in and of itself indicate child abuse. If we were to remove obese children to foster families, what would we do with obese adults: school teachers, board members and politicians?!!! State foster care for obese children? Who could possibly think this could solve the problem of obesity? We're not seeing the forest for the trees. The obesity epidemic, I'm convinced, is due in part to our food system which has grocery stores 50-75% full of processed foods and sodas. That eating these "foods" are seen as normal is the abnormal here. The discussion has to be, "Where is the real food?" I've seen children visit our community garden who have never tasted a tomato or a strawberry. I've heard moms ask, "How do you cook a whole chicken?" That the poorest areas of our country have some of the highest obesity rates is very telling. I used to live in east Tennessee and love it dearly, but I'll be the first to tell you that if you visit Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, you'll see an obesity epidemic up close and personal. These are not child-abusers or bad people. These are people who buy what they think is food (because it fills them up and doesn't cost much) but don't understand they are sacrificing nutrition for a full belly.
No Name
5:52 pm on Thursday, December 1, 2011
"I can't believe this is even being discussed! This is horrifying!"
Agree. Unfortunately it no longer sounds that far-fetched with the trajectory our nation is on.
Murdering children in the womb is OK, even subsidized, but children weighing a few extra pounds is child abuse. Go figure.