[Alma31449]

Why do the parents of obese children refuse to help the kids address the emotional and social issues that contribute to their obesity? Every time I see a heavy child, I see a spoiled rotten behavior to go with it. The parents blame the schools, the doctors, the resturants, the other kids, you name it. Why do parents refuse to help kids take responsibility for their own health by establishing rules for healthy eating (and sticking to them)?

User Detail :  

Name : Alma31449, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Disability : na, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 51, City : Kempner, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : NA, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jessica]

It's McDonald's fault - or at least we can say it is and then sue for billions of dollars and get lots of money to buy burgers from Burger King. I recently heard of a man in New York suing the top three fast-food chains for causing his obesity. The suit was ultimately thrown out of court. I also read that the parents of several obese New York kids are suing McDonald's for causing their children to be fat, because these children ate burgers 5 out of 7 days a week for three years. If you ask me, that's not McDonald's fault. Everyone knows that burgers, fries and a soft drink are bad for you. The parents of these children should be ashamed of themselves for allowing their children to be as gluttonous as they've been, for reinforcing in their children's minds the idea that it's not their fault, and for wanting to sue the large corporate conglomorate. We all know the only reason they're doing so is because they want money.

User Detail :  

Name : Jessica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White and Arab, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : San Diego, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : student, lifeguard, swim instructor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[T.C.]

While I think that both the fast-food industry and parents are at fault, maybe we should consider the actions of the French division of McDonald's, which recently ran ads suggesting that children shouldn't eat at McDonald's more than once a week. Maybe if America's citizens and companies acted as responsibly we wouldn't have this pandemic of obesity in our nation.

User Detail :  

Name : T.C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 32, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Web Developer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Cyndi]

I couldn't have said it better. Maybe the kids should sue their parents for buying them the hamburgers, fries and onion rings!! If the parents would spend more time fixing healthy foods for their children, maybe they wouldn't have any reason to eat at McDonalds.

User Detail :  

Name : Cyndi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Southern Baptist, Age : 40, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : property manager, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Biggs]

I'm the parent of a child with a weight problem. I admit that to some degree it is my fault. I don't really cook for reasons and issues that most of the time find themselves spilling over to my children. However, when I do cook, my meals are very healthy. Since my children could eat solid foods, I have had the darnedest time trying to get them to eat vegetables. I've done everything in the book except be my father (they will eat his vegetables all day long). In my state, making a child sit at the table until they have finished all of their food is considered a form of child abuse. Trust me, if someone doesn't like you, they will call and get immediate action. You will get your children taken out of your home that same day. Getting them back, in my state, is not easy. The law doesn't care if it was a false report. So I would say that location has something to do with it.

However, to stereotype each child's health as the fault of the parents is unfair. My daughter has gained 80 pounds since August. I have changed her diet and put her in some after-school programs that are exercised based. Yet she is still gaining weight like crazy. She doesn't eat a lot. She's been tested for problems with her thyroid, which is a little up, but not enough of a concern for the specialist. But her blood pressure keeps rising, and they think she may have diabetes.

Now I have to watch my daughter suffer because of my DNA - my heritage, mind you. It decided to skip me and pass to her. I have to live with that and teach her how to endure people's first impressions. So don't think that most children are in the same category and that the parents are not trying to find out what's wrong. In some cases, they may be in the testing phase. In that phase, with every pound, you don't know if your child is going to live another day. You don't know what's wrong. Your biggest fear is that you won't find out until she has undergone an autopsy. No parent wants to lose a child because they were in the midst of trying to save them.

User Detail :  

Name : Biggs, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 29, City : Ottumwa, State : IA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Roger-D29607]

To Jessica: I disagree. McDonalds and the rest of the fast-food chains spend millions of dollars per year on advertising specifically targeted to getting families into their restaurants and EATING, and they'd like nothing more than for everyone to do just that -- 24/7. They spend zip on educating the public about the calories, fat, etc., being ingested. It's analogous to the tobacco companies pushing cigarettes. It's only recently come out that the companies knew full well the extent of nicotine addiction. Yes, parents must take ultimate responsibility for their families' eating habits, but the fast-food industry must also carry some of that responsibililty.

User Detail :  

Name : Roger-D29607, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : na, Disability : na, Race : na, Religion : na, Age : 49, City : Brooklyn, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : na, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Linda]

I saw on Good Morning America parents and their children who were suing McDonalds. This was about the dumbest thing I've seen lately. It's not Ronald McDonald's fault these children were overweight. I think one of the kids was 400 pounds. Hello moms, if your kid tips the scale at a couple of hundred pounds, don't you notice? I hope the court system throws this out and stops such silliness. Many of these moms are too lazy to cook up a decent meal, so they run off to fast foods. One other thing: part of the problem with overweight children is that kids can't run off and play or ride bikes here, there and everywhere, like kids did years ago. Now we are afraid to let them out of our sight because they might be grabbed by some sex fiend. So they sit home and watch square boxes and eat.

User Detail :  

Name : Linda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : voice box removed, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 62, City : Bridgeport, State : CT Country : United States, Occupation : general office, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Matt22019]

I believe people have the right to raise their children however they see fit. What they don't have the right to do is blame everyone and everything but themselves when problems develop and things don't go as planned. Since the 1960s, this country has cultivated a society of whiners.

User Detail :  

Name : Matt22019, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 36, City : Decatur, State : AL Country : United States, Occupation : Tattoo Artist, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mike20615]

Many Americans like to believe that weight loss is a simple matter of will power, thereby providing an instant category of people to feel superior to. By the time many obese kids reach high school, their parents will have already spent thousands on diets, doctors and anything else they think might help their child become 'normal.' My cousin was overweight from age two and almost died twice in doctor-supervised attempts to lose weight - once from a stapled stomach, and once from potassium shortage. Given the overwhelming evidence of health damage from obesity, which insurance companies ultimately pay for, why do you suppose these same companies categorically refuse to cover anything having to do with weight loss?

User Detail :  

Name : Mike20615, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 58, City : Portland, State : OR Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dennis]

Which ever one of you said the fast food industry must be held responsible is an idiot. When someone robs a bank or murders someone is the gun maker responsible? Try to show some common sense when trying not to show your stupidity.

User Detail :  

Name : Dennis, City : torrance, State : CA Country : United States, 

[Luke]

To T.C.-That's not being responsible it's called being paternalistic. You may want to look that big word up. To Roger-It's called capitalism. And like it or not is the system we have. It sort of assumes that individuals are not dumb chattel but can judge and decide for themselves. And then we spend our money where we want. I actually think that we should sue the 'Healthy Food Industry' for not saving me from those big meanies.

User Detail :  

Name : Luke, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 35, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : Nurse, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[catherine]

to RODGER:maybe you should look into things before you make a response like that.i'm a teenager and i work at McDonalds.now i'm not saying that its not fattening or anything like that, but we have pamphlets in our restaurant that specifically say whats in each item of food and the amount of fat and calories.so you cant say that we dont educate people, if they wanted to know they could pick up and read the booklet. but no business is going to willingly say whats in there food and say how many calories and fatis in the food.and second it mainly is the parents fault for having obese children. mcdonalds, burger king, A&W etc. doesnt go to the parents homes and make the kids come down and eat there food, the parents drive their kids down order the childrens food and pay for it themselve WILLINGLY. so whoever goes and tries to sue a fast food company is just being stupid, becuase they're the ones who wanted to eat and buy the greasy fatty food.

User Detail :  

Name : catherine, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, City : vancouver, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : student, Social class : Middle class, 

[Becki]

It is no one's fault but the parents'. Their children get fat when they are little because of the amount and the type of food that is fed to them. It is not the fast-food industry's fault that the parents are too lazy to make their children healthy food, and make them eat it too. My aunt let my cousin eat as much of whatever he wanted, now he is overweight at 13, and she attempts to control his eating now. He just tells her that he is fine and continues to eat more than even his father, it's ridiculous. The children of this society are going to continue to get fat, and it is becuase the parents are getting lazier and lazier. It is as simple as that.

User Detail :  

Name : Becki, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 15, City : Wyoming, State : MI Country : United States, 

[Amalia-Pena31476]

I agree with Jessica: McDonalds is not at fault. They make the fatty food, but McDonalds doesn't hold up a gun to your head and forces you to eat their food. The parents are the ones who constantly take their children to that restaurant.

User Detail :  

Name : Amalia-Pena31476, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Catholic, City : Newark, State : NJ Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Becky]

A child's obesity is directly related to one of two things: their behavior or perhaps a health problem they inherited. In a situation where behavior is the influence, the parents are at fault. Large corporations cannot be blamed. In my opinion, their founders are smart and probably very rich right now. It is up to the adult figure in their life to tell a child 'no'. In attempt to offer a possible explanation for why parents refuse to take responsibility for their child's behaviors, perhaps they were too young to have a child to begin with. Here's a tip: When you are having pizza for dinner and Chubbles runs to be the first in line, pull the boogar away for a second and let him know that he can eat however much he wants.. under one condition; he has to take ONE piece at a time. There seems to be a social stigma against leaving food on the plate (originating, perhaps during wartime).

User Detail :  

Name : Becky, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, City : E. Lansing, State : MI Country : United States, 

[Author]

Posts