Fat teenagers

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16235051

A teenager thought to weigh more than 50 stone had to have part of her home dismantled because she was too big to get out of the house. A 40-strong team of doctors, paramedics, fire crews, council workers and scaffolders worked to free Georgia Davis - once known as Britain's fattest teen...

I have mixed feelings of sympathy and horror at this story. The tax burden of looking after this girl is already massive, and will only increase unless she loses weight.

But, she didn't stand much of a chance. At 15 years, she weighed 33 stone. That's child abuse.

When she returned from a Fat Camp, having lost weight, her mother greeted her with fish and chips. That's an incredibly poor parental choice, either through ignorance (I doubt it) or lack of caring.

This girl should have been taken into care a long time ago.

Any parents of chubby teenagers here? How much control can you get over what they eat? Do you think it should be construed as child abuse?

ForTheLoveOfMrsBrown:

When she returned from a Fat Camp, having lost weight, her mother greeted her with fish and chips. That's an incredibly poor parental choice, either through ignorance (I doubt it) or lack of caring.

This leaves me lost for words.

It is like the parents of the kids in the school Jamie Oliver was helping to change the menus for... feeding them McD's through the gates because they "don't like healthy food".

Tough luck, eat it or go hungry.

Mrs C:

Tough luck, eat it or go hungry.

 

This is how I was brought up.

I think you have to differentiate between "chubby" and "morbidly obese" - as this girl is.  I was a chubby teen but wouldn't say I suffered from child abuse!  I think the behaviour of this girl's parents is, however, tantamount to child abuse as she will die at a very early age as a result of her size. 

I heard this on the radio this morning, when she arrived home all her mam had in was frozen fish so she made her fish and chips.  Its simply child abuse to let her get into that state its purely over eating in this case.

I once saw a mother give her fat daughter a sharing pack of malteasers on the train to tide her over til she got in for tea. Is it a lack of education for some people or just greed?

Spangler:

I think you have to differentiate between "chubby" and "morbidly obese"

Ridiculously, in the context, I didn't want to offend any parents of obese children, so watered it down to "chubby".

BowlingBride:

I once saw a mother give her fat daughter a sharing pack of malteasers on the train to tide her over til she got in for tea. Is it a lack of education for some people or just greed?

 

I think education plays a huge part, however I see a lot of parents using food as bribery.  E.g. "If you behave, I will give you chocolate".  The child then knows how to push the parents buttons!

ForTheLoveOfMrsBrown:

Spangler:

I think you have to differentiate between "chubby" and "morbidly obese"

 

Ridiculously, in the context, I didn't want to offend any parents of obese children, so watered it down to "chubby".

 

Meh, I prefer "sturdy".

As a parent, whether you use food as bribery or whatever, when you see your child getting dangerously fat, don't you stop and think "Hang on, this is not right"?

it's disgusting!

i must admit i wasnt a great eater as a kid. In fact i was awful but my mum never ever gave my treats instead of real food!

i think that there is no real reason for a small child to be fat apart from it being the parents fault! i've seen it many a time when i'm out parents giving there kids junk food just to keep them quiet and often im like omg that 8 year old is bigger than me!! what is going on here!

this girl should never of been allowed to get this size! surely the gp should of done an intervention a long time ago......

I was chubby all through my teen years.. combination of longterm steroids and love of ice cream.  never been obese, though, woohoo!

this story horrifies me.  it's like these parents don't care about their children's wellbeing so long as they don't have to hear them complain.  Children learn that they can get what they want by kicking up a fuss because bad parents will give in, as they can't be bothered to discipline their children or put up with a tantrum.

I remember as a kid a tried to refuse to eat my peas at dinner and I had to sit at the table for after everyone got up because I hadn't cleared my plate.  There was a bit of compromise, though, as my mum eventually caved and told me I could get up if I ate just 10 more peas.  DONE!  good parenting, I say!

My stepdaughter is "chubby". This has caused her father much distress. I don't like to be judgemental (moi!) but I believe it is through a poor diet (this is the girl who didn't recognise a cauliflower) and the fact that when (if) she moves it is at the pace of an elderly (and possibly disabled) slug.

Sometimes her mum takes her to WW (as mum goes) but she never sticks at it.

I find it enormously frustrating.

I'm not sure if social services could or would get involved.  With regards to the GP - their hands are tied unless the parents/child approach them, which I highly doubt they would (especially considering she cannot leave the house).

What's also wrong and tantamount to abuse is that this girl is no longer able to move (I'm guessing) so her mother must be feeding her.

stupid computer!  Duplicate!