Obese children...my rant

[Gently.me]

Ok so child comes in with laceration to the hand. 12 years old, about 5'5'' and weighs 260lbs. Big boy. The MD who was suturing was not his PCP, just there to take care of the urgent task. As she wassuturing, the child keeps talking about how his "back always hurts" and how he is "so tired all the time". The MD, whom I love for her bluntness, looked him in the eye and said "it's because you are overweight". She did not say it in a mean way at all, just a fact.

At this time, mom jumps in and talks about how she has had two MI's before she turned 35, and cardiac problems run in the family. She wasnt just talking, it seemed like she was...bragging. The doc politely stated that if the family didnt get their act together and their health straighted out, they would not live to a healthy old age. Doc, finishes sutures, and I get to clean up.

The child states that he is hungry, and how he wants a salad (maybe the doc teaching hit home......). Mom freaks out and states "There is no way in h*ll I am paying for a salad at McDonalds!". I looked at her with mouth opened, and left the room.

I understand that many children are obese due to health issues, and I understand that obesity is a tough matter to discuss. In my opinion however, this mother is killing her child and I am so sick and tired of this BS!!!

Sorry about the rant.... but I am so mad about this!!!

[leslie :-D]

i too, find it incredibly sad and preventable.

but along with a child losing weight, the entire family needs to jump in and do it together.

from my personal experience, i haven't found many families willing to sacrifice their diets, so the child can succeed with his/her physical and mental health.

it truly is a family project.

it seems many don't get that.

leslie

[NICU_babyRN, BSN, RN]

You are not alone! I can't stand fast food mostly because in the rare times I go into a fast food establishment I see more than the number one can handle of fat families who LOVE fast food and it's ALL they eat.

The kicker is when I see kids who can barely walk already eating canned bads and french fries....

It's so preventable but many fail to accept their wrong-doings. It's NOT that hard to cook homemade meals the are healthy and affordable.

That's my rant

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Wow. The fact that McDonald's was the first restaurant that came to her mind is a bit telling. He didn't say, "Hey Mom? On the way back home, can we please stop at McDonald's and get a salad?"

A head of lettuce, an onion and a few tomatoes aren't expensive. Yes, she would have to actually get out of the car to walk into the grocery store...so maybe convenience is what she was after, I don't know.

It is really sad, isn't it?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

i too, find it incredibly sad and preventable.

but along with a child losing weight, the entire family needs to jump in and do it together.

from my personal experience, i haven't found many families willing to sacrifice their diets, so the child can succeed with his/her physical and mental health.

it truly is a family project.

it seems many don't get that.

leslie

I saw this on a blog for a diet which attempts to limit refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, and other "junk" from the diet in exchange for primarily whole foods, healthy fats, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.

" My doctor recommended that I try (this) diet... My problem is my husband is... a VERY picky eater. All carbs for him. And my daughter won't eat anything other then pasta and chicken nuggets.

So my question is, how do I make (this) diet work for me, but still meet all of my families nutritional needs?"

Okay, so giving in to a child's refusal to eat nothing but "junk" is "meeting her families' nutritional needs?"

I'm baffled by this and other evidence that parents will not take charge of providing healthy, nutritious meals for their families because their families "refuse" healthy food and thus dictate the content of the meals that parents pay for and provide. Just boggles the mind...and later, when their kids are overweight and showing signs of early metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes, they are shocked, simply shocked.

Doctor Phil did a show on this very subject last week and it was just amazing how parents would give in to their obese child's DEMANDS for junk food as though the parent had no say in the subject. Because it requires work to say NO and mean it to a child (and have them be mad at Mom or Dad), they just sacrifice their child's health and well being in order to avoid any kind of confrontation. This frustrates me to no end.

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

I guess the dad and the kid can learn to cook if they don't like what she's making, huh? I refuse to let our kids' tastes dictate what we eat. Pockspouse and I make good food from good ingredients and our kids eat it. If they don't, they don't get dinner. It's not hard to get them to change their nugget-y tune when their bellies are rumbling.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

i guess the dad and the kid can learn to cook if they don't like what she's making, huh? i refuse to let our kids' tastes dictate what we eat. pockspouse and i make good food from good ingredients and our kids eat it. if they don't, they don't get dinner. it's not hard to get them to change their nugget-y tune when their bellies are rumbling.

that has always been my philosophy. i'm not a short order cook.

i read somewhere recently that in countries where food is not so plentiful, there is no such thing as a child who is a "picky eater."

[Gently.me]

Ugh guys I am so glad you all agree. I felt so helpless walking out of that room, when all I wanted to do is slap that woman across the face!!

By not being the adults, these parents are not only subjecting their children to countless health problems, they are also just asking for ridicule and teasing in school (not to mention the habit of being spoiled brats!!)

Parenting is not about friendships but being a good role model. Everyone knows McDonalds is not good for you..... and I am sure with this mothers cardiac history she has been told about a proper diet....

I wanted to call CPS on this lady out of pure principal.....

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Although I do not have any children, my close friend is the single mother to a seven-year-old boy who is obese. He had always been a small child of normal body weight, but he started becoming larger about two years ago.

His mother is overweight and his maternal grandmother is morbidly obese. His grandmother eats out at local restaurants and fast food joints on a daily basis, and he frequently accompanies her because she does not want to dine in at these places alone. This boy does not engage in any physical activity whatsoever. He watches plenty of television, plays video games, and is asking for his next meal or snack item less than 30 minutes after he last ate. His mother enrolled him in little league baseball last year, but he quit after a couple of games because it involved too much running for him. He was recently enrolled in karate lessons, but the kicking and jumping was too much for him.

Although his mother exercises four times weekly at a local gym, she also eats out at restaurants at least four times weekly, and her boy often comes along. She has difficulty finding clothes that fit him, especially jeans. Most stores do not carry his pant size (14 Husky), and if she is lucky enough to find pants in this size, she must get them professionally hemmed at the bottom because he is way too short for them.

I've gently told my friend that her son is going to experience teasing, emotional turmoil, and a world of pain by the time he reaches the middle school years, and she agrees with me. He is a laid-back child with low self-esteem and the inability to respond defensively to teasing and verbal quips. He cries at the drop of a hat. He is in second grade, but only because his mother refused to allow him to be held back into the first grade. His first grade teacher had recommended that he be held back from progressing into the second grade because his reading skills are not at grade level. He also has been diagnosed with ADD.

In a nutshell, this boy is obese because he is modeling the horrendous eating habits of his mother and grandmother. He is not burning off any excess calories due to his sedentary lifestyle of watching TV and playing Nintendo games. He has no interest in physical activities such as sports, playing outside with friends, etc. It is so sad that his life expectancy will be cut short due to the lack of foresight on the part of the adults in his life.

[JDZ344]

I guess the dad and the kid can learn to cook if they don't like what she's making, huh? I refuse to let our kids' tastes dictate what we eat. Pockspouse and I make good food from good ingredients and our kids eat it. If they don't, they don't get dinner. It's not hard to get them to change their nugget-y tune when their bellies are rumbling.

That was my mothers rule- eat what she cooked, otherwise a bowl of cereal made a fine dinner.

[leslie :-D]

It is so sad that his life expectancy will be cut short due to the lack of foresight on the part of the adults in his life.

sad? i truly believe it's devastating, with many being totally selfish, and others being ignorant.

your story is the protype for all the adults in a child/children's life.

if they have health insurance, perhaps mandated classes about living healthy.

it could include (but not ltd to) guidelines to healthy eating, tips, recipes, resources...all inclusive info.

i'm desperate here, but it's important/critical we discuss these issues (esp w/children).

i really don't want another thread shut down, because some who become defensive.

it needs to be discussed.

leslie

[JDZ344]

That has always been my philosophy. I'm not a short order cook.

I read somewhere recently that in countries where food is not so plentiful, there is no such thing as a child who is a "picky eater."

I also read that they also do not have the problems with food disorders we have in our first world countries.