Courts Charge Mother of 555-Pound Boy

Granted, my son is not that big, but I do keep after him. There is no junk food in our house. My son just goes to town with rice and pasta. I only cook enough for 5 servings for 5 people, but he will go back and cook more. We have locked the cabinet (he finds the key or breaks the hinges), or he will ask my MIL to get him something and she gives in.

I have to give him credit though, he is trying to lose it now. He is down about 20 pounds I think in the 6 months. He is 15 and somewhere around 254. But, he's also 6'2" or so.
 
Bottesini said:
I was trying to find a picture of them but couldn't. The day old bakery supplies things very cheaply if you are poor.

And that type of empty calories makes you very hungry, so you eat even more.

I was kind of guessing the mother must be really heavy too.
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I saw the pix when I posted this thread, but I couldn't post the pix....the mother's face didn't look obese, but the son, he had a "baby face" and layers of chin fat...could tell he was grossly overweight....I feel she must be single and this being her "only child."....could be she is "spoiling" him with food!...It's terrible....
 
Well, I read a recent article featuring a study done on children whose parents work full time or two jobs. They found that kids, with folks who worked very long hours, tend to be more overweight.

Besides, if parents work long hours then they wouldn't have time to take the child to extracirrcular activities such as dancing, swimming, basketball etc also not much time to cook proper meals.
 
Berry said:
She is on a limited income and cannot always afford gas.

Food costs money.

Something here I'm not understanding.
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sallylou said:
No, Berry, you're right. This is a case of making one individual responsible for a societal problem. Both the mother and child need medical and mental health support. We have many obese people and they need our help not our blame. Blame, contempt and ridicule do not motivate people.

.
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Agreed. I can't see how sending the mother to jail can possibly benefit her, society, or the child.


netrox said:
I am sorry but when a child is 500 pounds, it's the parent's fault for letting it happen. You cannot just let the kid do whatever he wants when it's threatening his life.

It's every parent's responsibility to assure that a child is healthy.
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I would like to agree, but:


I know a person who told me they were a teenaged alcoholic. I asked, "How can this be when your parents do not drink?"

The reply was, "I chose my friends by the size of their parent's liqueur cabinets."

Parents today do not have the control I had; I never had the control my parents generation had; and in the future children may become the de facto force in the household.


Bottesini said:
I was trying to find a picture of them but couldn't. The day old bakery supplies things very cheaply if you are poor.

And that type of empty calories makes you very hungry, so you eat even more.

I was kind of guessing the mother must be really heavy too.
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Was wondering the same thing.
 
Oh, I feel sorry for that kid who might have eating disorder which he could not stop eating junk food especially if he like the comfort food. I don't know his background and his mother's background in the home as it is none of my business. John Candy (actor and comedian) had this problem of eating disorder which he could not stop and he died from it.

555 pounds 14 years old boy is a lot to take because his life will be short. It is not healthy. His mother might have tried everything to run the house and taking care of his obese son plus holding down 2 jobs. :dunno:
 
shel90 said:
Junk food is a lot cheaper than healthy food. Just a FYI..
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And it shouldn't be. It should be the other way around. Hell, if the politicians is so dead against obesity, pass a bill that forces junk food to be more expensive than healthy food.

Yiz
 
Like souggy said healthy food is plenty cheap......But you have to cook it. Can't be lazy.
 
I know there's a lot more to this story.

I'm still waiting for the other side of the coin to drop.
 
Some members are from S.C.....should be all over the news in that state....Reba??
 
Pictures from the story
ap_555pound_teen_090521_mn.jpg

Source : Courts Charge Mother of 555-Pound Boy - ABC News
 
If the people live in a poor area, there may not even be a grocery store (like in poor areas of Chicago) and they may rely on convenience stores and fast food. Healthy food like fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive when it is available. Every week the prices go up. I buy a lot of fresh fruit and often make a separate trip to Costco to buy it.

I agree that this child needs medical and mental health care. What I'm concerned about is that the child is being removed from his mother. Even if the mother has problems, the child is bonded with the mother and disrupting that relationship may not be in the child's best interests. The state only removes children in the most dangerous circumstances, usually physical/sexual abuse or parental drug addiction. There may be evidence that is not reported in the media so we may not have the whole story.
 
sallylou said:
If the people live in a poor area, there may not even be a grocery store (like in poor areas of Chicago) and they may rely on convenience stores and fast food. Healthy food like fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive when it is available. Every week the prices go up. I buy a lot of fresh fruit and often make a separate trip to Costco to buy it.

I agree that this child needs medical and mental health care. What I'm concerned about is that the child is being removed from his mother. Even if the mother has problems, the child is bonded with the mother and disrupting that relationship may not be in the child's best interests. The state only removes children in the most dangerous circumstances, usually physical/sexual abuse or parental drug addiction. There may be evidence that is not reported in the media so we may not have the whole story.
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I agree, it is never really a good idea to separate a child from his parents if they are already attach to each other. they are usually deattach if they have been emotionally and physically abused (meaning they rarely go to the abuser for comfort and other things that go with healthy parenting). The best thing for this child is a temporary stay at a relative (or temporary foster home) who can help him until the mother can get counseling on how she can help him.
 
So what's the point? Are you shaming people who are that obese?

A woman once describe how people treated her. She didn't go out to restaurants any more because people glared at her while she ate. People are so mean to her. Can you imagine how humiliating it is not to fit in a seat? Especially for women who are pressured in our society to achieve an impossible beauty standard. I'll never look like a model, unless I can find a way to add at least 6 inches to my height. lol
 
sallylou said:
So what's the point? Are you shaming people who are that obese?

A woman once describe how people treated her. She didn't go out to restaurants any more because people glared at her while she ate. People are so mean to her. Can you imagine how humiliating it is not to fit in a seat? Especially for women who are pressured in our society to achieve an impossible beauty standard. I'll never look like a model, unless I can find a way to add at least 6 inches to my height. lol
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I will never look like a model unless I cut 6 inches off my limbs and waist. I got the height but not the thin frame. LOL!
 
A, I'm strictly speaking about the legal process and the evidence required to remove a child. A judge can order a psyche evaluation for the mother and the child if she believes that it's necessary. The mental health expert's report would be relevant evidence.
 
Was I shaming anyone. I was saying if they ever decide to remove the child, it is better if they let him stay with a relative.

I don't even think he is getting the social need either because of his weight. Isolation is very hard.
 
Shel, you look fabulous just the way you are! You're a strong woman, too. Hitting the gym is the best thing that you can do for yourself as you age. Women who are chronic dieters don't age well. Osteoporosis is common in chronic dieters.
 
No, A. You posted while I was writing a response to the previous comment. I don't type fast enough.
 
sallylou said:
Shel, you look fabulous just the way you are! You're a strong woman, too. Hitting the gym is the best thing that you can do for yourself as you age. Women who are chronic dieters don't age well. Osteoporosis is common in chronic dieters.
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Thanks. No thanks to popular culture, the expectations on women being thin contributed to me to being obsessed about how thin I could be back in my 20s. I wish I didnt waste so much time and energy on it.
 
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