Is childhood obesity a form of abuse?

El_Barto.

El_Barto.

Active member
Is allowing a child to become fat because of the shitty lifestyle the parents provide a form of child abuse?

Im torn on this. The act of allowing your child to become fat is not malicious. It is however neglectful. Neglect at a certain level is abuse, is it not?

if neglecting to feed a child until the child becomes ill is child abuse and punishable by law, why is it not the same for making them fat and ill?

Is it because they wont die from being fat right away like they will from malnourishment?
 
Dude, just say your parents touch you, point at your butt, and start crying. The cops will take your parents away. Cartman is always right.
 
13332691:iFlip said:
Dude, just say your parents touch you, point at your butt, and start crying. The cops will take your parents away. Cartman is always right.
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Just make sure to say it was bad touch
 
How many healthy parents do you see with fat kids? Very little. Usually over weight parents will produce over weight kids. So for them it's the norm. They don't see it as neglect, they see it as feeding their kids. Additionally, higher rates if obesity occur in lower socio-economic areas so they can't afford good fruit and vegetables.
 
i dont see how you could blame the parents for "letting" a child become fat. Even if they stop at mcdonalds every day on the way home from school or buy nothing but junk food the child doesn't HAVE to eat the stuff. The child doesn't HAVE to stay inside and sit on their ass all day. They have their own capabilities of going outside and playing/ choosing healthier alternatives when picking out what they eat.
 
I think it is a form of child abuse.

In this scenario I think as a parent you have a few obligations:

1) You will provide your child with enough food since they aren't able to get food themselves.

2) You will monitor the child's diet since they don't have a sense of what is healthy and what is not.

It really comes down to the neglect aspect that you brought up. There is no doubt that the failure to fulfill obligation #1 is considered child abuse and will have serious repercussions. Since the child doesn't fully understand the concept of a balanced diet I think it is your job as a parent to fill that gap. If you do fail to provide a healthy diet for your child there are going to be negative effects in the future. Apart from the basics like diabetes, heart problems, and CHD that occur from obesity there will negative effects in their social life. I know I am reaching a bit here but children (grade 1-7) are mean to their peers that are overweight. How do I know this? Well from personal experience, I used to be a complete douchebag towards kids that were overweight just because they were different then I was. Looking back and reflecting on it I know it was wrong and I regret it but as I child I didn't really consider if it was right or wrong.
 
13332694:AT-AT said:
Why is the government involved in how I raise "my" kids?
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What the fuck are you talking about the government has so many laws about raising your kids. If you really think it's a ridiculous request to say not to have your kids be obese, and you don't think you can fulfill that requirement you shouldn't have kids.
 
13332704:Chubz. said:
i dont see how you could blame the parents for "letting" a child become fat. Even if they stop at mcdonalds every day on the way home from school or buy nothing but junk food the child doesn't HAVE to eat the stuff. The child doesn't HAVE to stay inside and sit on their ass all day. They have their own capabilities of going outside and playing/ choosing healthier alternatives when picking out what they eat.
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But at the same time children usually base their decisions off their parents. So i dont know. When i first clicked on this thread i felt like this was a really stupid topic but now that i'm putting some more thought into this it's actually a pretty interesting subject. Kudos to you barto, got me thinkin here.
 
13332691:iFlip said:
Dude, just say your parents touch you, point at your butt, and start crying. The cops will take your parents away. Cartman is always right.
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meehhhhmmmm?

Yes hun?

Can we go out to dinnerrrrrr? Because I like to be wined and dined before I GET FUCKED
 
13332725:Chubz. said:
But at the same time children usually base their decisions off their parents. So i dont know. When i first clicked on this thread i felt like this was a really stupid topic but now that i'm putting some more thought into this it's actually a pretty interesting subject. Kudos to you barto, got me thinkin here.
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Its certainly a good topic to discuss. I fully believe that the logic behind my stance is sound. Its just a matter of how far, and to which aspects, the government should reach into our lives.

I used to think the large soda ban in NYC was retarded. I still dont agree with the ban but i do support the idea behind it. Instead i would tax the shit out of it.

We tax cigarettes a lot because they are unhealthy. Why dont we treat excess sugar the same way?
 
What about tge fat kids that are just big boned? Or the ones that cant help it, its genetics.... lol
 
As a social worker, I'm busy enough dealing with parents who don't feed their kids enough (not to mention all the other forms of abuse and neglect). If we starting going after the parents of fat kids, my workload would probably double, if not more.

That aside, I absolutely believe that childhood obesity is a serious issue, but like all things, there are a number of causes. Some are easy to deal with (stop letting your kids play COD for 5 hours a day and tell them to go outside for a while) and some are more complicated.

For example, one of the complicating factors that often comes with living in poverty is access to healthy food. Lots of low income neighbourhoods don't have grocery stores nearby. If you have next to no money to live on, deciding between walking to the local 7-11 and getting some snacks becomes much more realistic than finding someone to watch the kids, getting on a bus, going to the nearest grocery store and still not having enough money to get fresh fruits/veggies, actual meat, etc. If the option is crap from 7-11 or nothing at all, 7-11 wins every time.

That's just one of (of many) real world example I've encountered at work.
 
13332794:saskskier said:
As a social worker, I'm busy enough dealing with parents who don't feed their kids enough (not to mention all the other forms of abuse and neglect). If we starting going after the parents of fat kids, my workload would probably double, if not more.

That aside, I absolutely believe that childhood obesity is a serious issue, but like all things, there are a number of causes. Some are easy to deal with (stop letting your kids play COD for 5 hours a day and tell them to go outside for a while) and some are more complicated.

For example, one of the complicating factors that often comes with living in poverty is access to healthy food. Lots of low income neighbourhoods don't have grocery stores nearby. If you have next to no money to live on, deciding between walking to the local 7-11 and getting some snacks becomes much more realistic than finding someone to watch the kids, getting on a bus, going to the nearest grocery store and still not having enough money to get fresh fruits/veggies, actual meat, etc. If the option is crap from 7-11 or nothing at all, 7-11 wins every time.

That's just one of (of many) real world example I've encountered at work.
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It's obvious that the socioeconomic status of a parent does play a huge role in what they can provide their children. It's an intriguing dynamic because it seems like a never ending loop for the people that have a lower status since they have bad habits that they pass on. Those children grow up with a terrible diet and it becomes pretty hard to change the mindset of someone who considers 7-11 snacks to be normal food. I would love to hear more stories, obviously without breaking confidentiality, that you have encountered during your time as a social worker.
 
13332794:saskskier said:
As a social worker, I'm busy enough dealing with parents who don't feed their kids enough (not to mention all the other forms of abuse and neglect). If we starting going after the parents of fat kids, my workload would probably double, if not more.

That aside, I absolutely believe that childhood obesity is a serious issue, but like all things, there are a number of causes. Some are easy to deal with (stop letting your kids play COD for 5 hours a day and tell them to go outside for a while) and some are more complicated.

For example, one of the complicating factors that often comes with living in poverty is access to healthy food. Lots of low income neighbourhoods don't have grocery stores nearby. If you have next to no money to live on, deciding between walking to the local 7-11 and getting some snacks becomes much more realistic than finding someone to watch the kids, getting on a bus, going to the nearest grocery store and still not having enough money to get fresh fruits/veggies, actual meat, etc. If the option is crap from 7-11 or nothing at all, 7-11 wins every time.

That's just one of (of many) real world example I've encountered at work.
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Have you read the book 'Turning Stones' by Marc Parent?
 
13332828:soHarsh said:
It's obvious that the socioeconomic status of a parent does play a huge role in what they can provide their children. It's an intriguing dynamic because it seems like a never ending loop for the people that have a lower status since they have bad habits that they pass on. Those children grow up with a terrible diet and it becomes pretty hard to change the mindset of someone who considers 7-11 snacks to be normal food. I would love to hear more stories, obviously without breaking confidentiality, that you have encountered during your time as a social worker.
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It's a pretty terrible cycle that people get stuck in. There is also the complicating factors that often come with poverty such as mental health issues, substance abuse, historical trauma (physical/sexual/emotional abuse), etc.

Honestly, most of my current work is with families who are trying to get better and just need some extra supports. When I first started, I was more in the intake/investigation side of things which was definitely more exciting.

We do have a guy who calls our office on a fairly regular basis trying to report his ex-wife for feeding their kids hot-dogs. It's an issue for him, because he's Muslim, but she isn't. Stuff like that gives us a pretty good laugh, because it's not a child protection concern (the kids are getting food) and really a custody and access issue.

13332840:El_Barto. said:
Have you read the book 'Turning Stones' by Marc Parent?
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I haven't, but it looks interesting. The author sounds familiar, but can't think of where I've heard him from (maybe somewhere in school). I'll have to check it out.
 
lold and kayngbang

and sasskier...its about his time working as social worker in NY and all the at risk children he encountered. Its pretty powerful stuff
 
I feel like if the parents cant provide their children with the right nutrition to live a healthy life and have no ambition to do anything to change that it could be considered abuse. But at the same time i dont think it should be something to call CPS over.. Hmm. I really don't know. I dont want to say its abuse but i guess you could call it that.
 
How fat you want your kid to be should be your own issue, now force feeding is abuse but not slipping in a few unneeded Twinkies. But I hate fat people it should be illegal to be fat if your over 18 and have the power to diet and not eat shit food.
 
13332794:saskskier said:
As a social worker, I'm busy enough dealing with parents who don't feed their kids enough (not to mention all the other forms of abuse and neglect). If we starting going after the parents of fat kids, my workload would probably double, if not more.

That aside, I absolutely believe that childhood obesity is a serious issue, but like all things, there are a number of causes. Some are easy to deal with (stop letting your kids play COD for 5 hours a day and tell them to go outside for a while) and some are more complicated.

For example, one of the complicating factors that often comes with living in poverty is access to healthy food. Lots of low income neighbourhoods don't have grocery stores nearby. If you have next to no money to live on, deciding between walking to the local 7-11 and getting some snacks becomes much more realistic than finding someone to watch the kids, getting on a bus, going to the nearest grocery store and still not having enough money to get fresh fruits/veggies, actual meat, etc. If the option is crap from 7-11 or nothing at all, 7-11 wins every time.

That's just one of (of many) real world example I've encountered at work.
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I used to work in a school in the poorest borough of London where 75% of the kids were living under the poverty line and access to healthy food was a real issue. Most of the kids survived on junk food for the reasons that you state however, obesity wasn't an issue.

On the flip side, I now work in a private school in the richest country in the world (Qatar). The average household income of the kids at my school is $250k+ p/a and obesity is a massive problem. I teach phys ed and the youngest age group I work with are pre-schoolers. I see 3 year olds that are already morbidly obese and can't play games for 30 mins without getting tired complaining that their legs hurt. These kids are coming from families where for 2 and 3 generations obesity is all they've known. All this money has brought about a junk food culture - it's seen as 'normal' to park up outside a McDonalds/Hardys etc and honk your horn and wait whilst someone brings your order. It's easier to order take out every night instead of cook. Walking is a strange concept and in the height of summer even 50m journeys are taken by car. So in a country where money and healthy food are in abundance obesity is seen as normal - something like 70% of the population are obese.

Personally, I don't see it as child abuse but I do see it as neglectful. It's a massive issue which has led to an unhealthy nation but here education as opposed to poverty is the mitigating factor.

13332704:Chubz. said:
i dont see how you could blame the parents for "letting" a child become fat. Even if they stop at mcdonalds every day on the way home from school or buy nothing but junk food the child doesn't HAVE to eat the stuff. The child doesn't HAVE to stay inside and sit on their ass all day. They have their own capabilities of going outside and playing/ choosing healthier alternatives when picking out what they eat.
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Not sure how many young kids you know but 3 year olds can't make educated choices about what they eat. Neither can 10 year olds. If you're a kid and hungry and your parents say to you 'eat your Happy Meal or you get nothing' you're going to eat the happy meal. 5 year olds don't think 'Oh, I'm getting a bit chubby I'll eat a salad and go out and run around and burn some calories' they don't know what calories are. They don't understand the concept of weight loss/gain or the different nutritional content of a burger vs salad. It's not something you understand until you are much older by which time it's too late, the precedent has been set. So yes, the parents are to blame. They might not see it as a problem or understand why it's an issue but the blame does not lie with the child.
 
13332959:BoogieWoman said:
On the flip side, I now work in a private school in the richest country in the world (Qatar). The average household income of the kids at my school is $250k+ p/a and obesity is a massive problem.
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i'm not sure about Qatar, but i know in some countries (Mexico, or certain parts of Mexico) weight is used to gauge your status and success. if you're well off and "healthy" you are big and fat. you are generally considered to have less wealth or be unhealthy (sick) if you're skinny. it's possible this may still be a thing in some cultures
 
13332694:AT-AT said:
Why is the government involved in how I raise "my" kids?
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13332722:zzzskizzz said:
What the fuck are you talking about the government has so many laws about raising your kids. If you really think it's a ridiculous request to say not to have your kids be obese, and you don't think you can fulfill that requirement you shouldn't have kids.
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Yeah, and AT AT's post still stands. Why is the government involved in how people raise their kids?

It is hard to say if it is child abuse. There is so much info out there on how to eat right and help build a strong healthy kid, instead they feed their kids dog shit fast food. How do people expect kids not to be fat and dumb when they're eating the nastiest food possible? But, I do not believe we should force parents to have their kids eat better. They can do what they want and i'll just shake my head while they feed their kid cheap, shitty food to ensure they save enough money for an 84" TV and the cable bill.
 
I was 160 pounds when I was around 5 feet tall in 2nd grade. Now i'm still 160 pounds as a 6'2 Junior. Should my parents be arrested for child abuse in 2006?
 
13333005:Dobber said:
I was 160 pounds when I was around 5 feet tall in 2nd grade. Now i'm still 160 pounds as a 6'2 Junior. Should my parents be arrested for child abuse in 2006?
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yes
 
13333009:Lucas said:
You can't actually be this stupid
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oh yeah, because my opinion differs from you, I am stupid. And the government never fucks anything up so they should be in charge of every aspect of our lives.

So, tell us Lucas, what should the government force us to do with our kids? Stopping child abuse and getting kids out of crack houses is one thing. Forcing parents to feed their kids certain foods is another. I for one buy quality food before buying luxuries. What people choose to do with their money is up to them. If the kid is in a safe environment then that is good enough. The less government interference the better. However, we're getting further away from true freedom...
 
13332704:Chubz. said:
i dont see how you could blame the parents for "letting" a child become fat. Even if they stop at mcdonalds every day on the way home from school or buy nothing but junk food the child doesn't HAVE to eat the stuff. The child doesn't HAVE to stay inside and sit on their ass all day. They have their own capabilities of going outside and playing/ choosing healthier alternatives when picking out what they eat.
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From birth till maybe 13 you really don't have a choice. What's a 5 year old gonna do? What does a 5 year old really know about nutrition? They don't know better. If their parents make them some fattening meal, they have to eat it. Even at 10 kids aren't fully aware of how eating can affect them. They also don't have many options other than what their parents give them. And some kids might not be allowed to leave their house for whatever reason and can't get outside and do stuff. Some parents are weird now. I rarely see kids out playing street hockey and all those neighborhood games we used to play back in the day. When kids are so young their parents are the ones buying them video games,tablets and shit. So when a kid ultimately chooses those things over other activities it's the parents who enabled that in the first place.
 
13333017:Mingg said:
From birth till maybe 13 you really don't have a choice. What's a 5 year old gonna do? What does a 5 year old really know about nutrition? They don't know better. If their parents make them some fattening meal, they have to eat it. Even at 10 kids aren't fully aware of how eating can affect them. They also don't have many options other than what their parents give them. And some kids might not be allowed to leave their house for whatever reason and can't get outside and do stuff. Some parents are weird now. I rarely see kids out playing street hockey and all those neighborhood games we used to play back in the day. When kids are so young their parents are the ones buying them video games,tablets and shit. So when a kid ultimately chooses those things over other activities it's the parents who enabled that in the first place.
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you're right but good luck telling a 5 year old who just saw a commercial with flashing lights and happy kids that he doesn't want the toy in a happy meal. Or trying telling a kid that he is going to eat eggs and kale for breakfast even though when he was at his friends house they were allowed to have the sugar cereal with the cartoons on the front.
 
13333019:louie.mirags said:
you're right but good luck telling a 5 year old who just saw a commercial with flashing lights and happy kids that he doesn't want the toy in a happy meal. Or trying telling a kid that he is going to eat eggs and kale for breakfast even though when he was at his friends house they were allowed to have the sugar cereal with the cartoons on the front.
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When I was a kid, I could beg for happy meals with toys or complain about what my parents made for dinner. It didn't matter, because my parents made that decision. Maybe if parents stopped giving in to every whim and desire their kids have, things would look a little different.
 
13333081:CaptainObvious. said:
Oh....it would more than double.

View attachment 684133
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Why is jaden smith in the background? lol

13333088:saskskier said:
When I was a kid, I could beg for happy meals with toys or complain about what my parents made for dinner. It didn't matter, because my parents made that decision. Maybe if parents stopped giving in to every whim and desire their kids have, things would look a little different.
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This so damn much. Parents nowadays are too damn soft.
 
13333019:louie.mirags said:
you're right but good luck telling a 5 year old who just saw a commercial with flashing lights and happy kids that he doesn't want the toy in a happy meal. Or trying telling a kid that he is going to eat eggs and kale for breakfast even though when he was at his friends house they were allowed to have the sugar cereal with the cartoons on the front.
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you nailed it. Marketing to kids is such a huge factor. Make the kids want it and bank on the neglectful parents who dont want to deal with any drama from their kids.
 
13333102:El_Barto. said:
you nailed it. Marketing to kids is such a huge factor. Make the kids want it and bank on the neglectful parents who dont want to deal with any drama from their kids.
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This so much. Marketing towards kids is fucked. You can't market cigarettes anymore so why is it any different to marketing towards kids? McDonalds gives away toys for christ sake.

I personally think that it should be illegal to market product deemed unhealthy by an independent board towards a children market.
 
So I have a friend who was a straight chubby little fat fellah in elementary school. Now we are both juniors and he's more "husky" or "big boned". His parents weren't really neglective at all and he played sports and his family did a lot of stuff together like skiing, boating, atv, all that stuff.

Would you say it's child abuse just case this kid was fat from age 0-12?
 
13333145:.lencon said:
So I have a friend who was a straight chubby little fat fellah in elementary school. Now we are both juniors and he's more "husky" or "big boned". His parents weren't really neglective at all and he played sports and his family did a lot of stuff together like skiing, boating, atv, all that stuff.

Would you say it's child abuse just case this kid was fat from age 0-12?
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Nah man. I was a fatass until I was 12 or 13. My parents are huge health freaks.
 
13333145:.lencon said:
So I have a friend who was a straight chubby little fat fellah in elementary school. Now we are both juniors and he's more "husky" or "big boned". His parents weren't really neglective at all and he played sports and his family did a lot of stuff together like skiing, boating, atv, all that stuff.

Would you say it's child abuse just case this kid was fat from age 0-12?
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No doesn't mean child abuse. Nowadays even shit that is labeled "non-gmo" or "sugar-free" does not mean shit! For example, obviously diet soda is horrible and people lose weight when they quit it. Regular soda is horrible. Even white bread, which older generations were taught that they can't live without it, is not great for you. Pizza is not a healthy meal for the family. In order to be really healthy it takes some research and knowing what to look for. If parents rely on labels without checking the ingredients, that can be a problem. But these days parents are busy (and after work people are lazy) and I do not expect them to put in the time to research what their kids should be eating. It is a great thought though that parents would do some research, but most wont. Doesn't mean their abusive, it means they may lazy, broke, don't know better or a combo of all of them.
 
13333145:.lencon said:
So I have a friend who was a straight chubby little fat fellah in elementary school. Now we are both juniors and he's more "husky" or "big boned". His parents weren't really neglective at all and he played sports and his family did a lot of stuff together like skiing, boating, atv, all that stuff.

Would you say it's child abuse just case this kid was fat from age 0-12?
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again being overweight is not a crime, but then being so obese to the point you have medical problems. That's bad parenting, somebody has to be making you and buying you all that food to become that fat.
 
13333199:zzzskizzz said:
again being overweight is not a crime, but then being so obese to the point you have medical problems. That's bad parenting, somebody has to be making you and buying you all that food to become that fat.
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Yeah somebody needs to be buying it for you but nowadays the poorer demographic tends to be more fat. And that is because the quality of the food they eat is SHIT. So, a parent could be buying very little food for their kids, but what they do buy is so horrible that their little bodies just become bloated. Mix that with cable TV and never going outside and we have ourselves a fatty!
 
13333203:louie.mirags said:
Yeah somebody needs to be buying it for you but nowadays the poorer demographic tends to be more fat. And that is because the quality of the food they eat is SHIT. So, a parent could be buying very little food for their kids, but what they do buy is so horrible that their little bodies just become bloated. Mix that with cable TV and never going outside and we have ourselves a fatty!
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So turn off the cable, and have them go outside 2 times a week.
 
13333014:louie.mirags said:
oh yeah, because my opinion differs from you, I am stupid. And the government never fucks anything up so they should be in charge of every aspect of our lives.

So, tell us Lucas, what should the government force us to do with our kids? Stopping child abuse and getting kids out of crack houses is one thing. Forcing parents to feed their kids certain foods is another. I for one buy quality food before buying luxuries. What people choose to do with their money is up to them. If the kid is in a safe environment then that is good enough. The less government interference the better. However, we're getting further away from true freedom...
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really, you honestly think government setting laws on what we can and can't do with our kids is unjust and a destruction of freedom?

What people choose to do with their money is up to them, so if the parent chooses not to buy food for the kids that is okay, because enforcing it would be a destruction of liberty?

As as long as they are in a safe environment, here I must ask what is your definition of a safe environment in this context, because personally I would consider access to healthy foods a necessary condition for a safe envirment for a child.

you should be ashamed to call yourself a libertarian, because you completly disregard the very fundamental itself, people should be free to do what they want except when those actions infringe on another's rights. every child has the right to safe home and by not offering that to the child as theit care giver you are destroy that basic right of life
 
13333414:cool_name said:
really, you honestly think government setting laws on what we can and can't do with our kids is unjust and a destruction of freedom?

What people choose to do with their money is up to them, so if the parent chooses not to buy food for the kids that is okay, because enforcing it would be a destruction of liberty?

As as long as they are in a safe environment, here I must ask what is your definition of a safe environment in this context, because personally I would consider access to healthy foods a necessary condition for a safe envirment for a child.

you should be ashamed to call yourself a libertarian, because you completly disregard the very fundamental itself, people should be free to do what they want except when those actions infringe on another's rights. every child has the right to safe home and by not offering that to the child as theit care giver you are destroy that basic right of life
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woah man... I am not calling myself a full blown libertarian by any means. I do believe people should be able to do what they want as long as it doesn't affect anybody else's ability to do the same. But, I don't agree with all of their thinking. A definition of a safe environment is one where the kid is in no danger. You know what I mean. I agree parents should be giving their child healthy foods. It doesn't mean a parent who buys sugar cereal is a horrible person. Who is going to define healthy though? The government? The food pyramid is so out of date it is crazy. Not to mention McDonalds seems to fit the food pyramid pretty well. And who is going to pay for all of this healthy food? I really feel you are trying really hard to twist my words around. Of course every child has the right to a safe home.

And what are you trying to say that a "child has the right to a safe home and by not offering that... you are destroying that basic right of life". I never said anything that disagreed with that.

Growing up when my mom was off from work we ate great meals. When she was working my pops would make us microwave specials. It was hot pockets, potato skins and pizza bagels. Was he purposely abusing me? Nope. He was unaware of what he was doing. Nowadays my younger brother gets kale shakes. Go figure.
 
No, obesity is not neglect. We barely understand the problem in the first place. Obesity is really hard to gauge and define. Also, obesity is not an immediate health problem in children. As long as they have a productive life and a proper development, who are we to judge their lifestyle? Abuse is when the child is in immediate danger for its present safety and development. Also, children are often checked by a pediatrician periodically to track the child's heath. A physician can find traces of abuse.

The new guidelines on obesity dropped the waistline measurement and opted for checking vitals.

Just because you are fat, does not mean your life is in danger. As long as the heart beats and the organs are doing their job, they are as productive as anyone else.
 
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