by joy

Created on: March 01, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

There are obviously two sides to the debate about whether or not the child should have been removed from his mother's care.

The first thought is that the child is being punished for being overweight and that people should just back off and leave them alone. After all, they can sort it out, right?

The second thought is that the child should be removed from the home and placed with people that can help him stay on his diet. After all, his physical health is more important than his emotional well being, right?

I don't claim to know the right answer. I do have few observations to which this mother should give some serious thought.

1. Children do not become so grossly overweight in a short period of time. This is a longstanding problem and will not be resolved overnight. Part of being a good parent means you have to say no to your child at times, particularly when they would prefer junk food and say no to the nutritious food being offered. As for exercise, as a parent it may be up to you to actually exercise with your child, rather than allowing him to sit and watch television and play non-active games.

2. Whether or not you think you are meeting your child's emotional needs by coddling him, the real world is not nearly as "kind" as you are. It is time to wake up to the fact your child may have an extremely shortened life span due to his weight and health. Is that worth the emotional payoff you get from feeding him what he wants?

3. When the state becomes involved in someone's family, you can disagree with their thoughts and they way they want you to do things, but you should give it some serious thought beyond just that it it "too hard" to do what they want. Follow the plans made by the dietitians and doctors.

All parents want the best for their children, love your son enough to help him get healthy.

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