by R. Renee Bembry

Created on: October 11, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Overfeeding children could lead them to developing diabetes mellitus type II, breathing difficulties e.g. sleep apnea, shortened breath during exercise, and low self esteem due to social deprivation; the latter could lead a child to eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia in attempt to remedy a weight problem in later years.

If your child is overweight, in particular, grossly overweight, allowing him/her to remain in this unhealthy condition could reduce his or her chances of enjoying a longer lifespan healthy individuals are predicted to enjoy.

If you're a parent who believes it's wrong to allow a child to eat him or herself into a Metabolic Syndrome,[a state involving excessive abdominal fat, elevated triglycerides, increased LDL (the bad cholesterol), decreased HDL (the good cholesterol), high blood pressure, and other unhealthy conditions] you're likely to agree the answer to the child overfeeding abuse question is an emphatic YES! It is abuse to overfeed a child. Furthermore, you probably have no intentions of allowing this malady a role in furring or hardening your child's arteries or augmenting your child's chances of developing coronary heart disease by the age of thirty or forty years young.

If your child has a weight problem, or you've made up your mind to prevent her/him from developing one; remember, it took a while for his/her bad eating habits to begin, and it will take a while to rid them. While it isn't recommended that you take forever to eliminate bad eating practices, it is recommended that you wean the child into change. That you not abruptly go from one extreme to the other. Gradual change will make it easier for the child to better his/her habits which will in turn make it easier to find a happy medium that will allow foods and treats your child likes to eat in addition to the healthier choices she/he will be given.

Set a good example. If your spare tire needs a trim, give it one because if your child has or is developing a weight problem, you must bear in mind that kids learn what they live; and it would be unreasonable to expect a child to behave in ways those around him/her are not, especially when those someones are authority figures. So, if your hand is constantly in the cookie jar, or a bag of chips, or opening a chocolate bar, consider your child next time you reach for one of these or similar items. Your child is more likely to learn good eating habits if he/she sees those, especially parents, eating fruit instead of sweets, drinking water or unsweetened juice instead soda or other sugary drinks, and choosing salad with only a touch of dressing instead of fries.

Whether or not you think it is abusive to overfeed a child, to let your child eat whatever he/she desires rather than what's good for them, come ten, fifteen, twenty years from now you'll have to see the consequences of your and your child's eating practices. He/she will have to live with those consequences. Ask yourself if you think your child will grow to be a happy adult if excessive weight is a problem for him/her.

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