Wanting Your Opinion

English mom retains custody of obese boy:

The case has set off a debate over child obesity and raised questions about whether genetics, junk food or bad parenting is to blame. The debate grew so heated, so widespread, that a local government called a child protection hearing to consider the case of 8-year-old Connor McCreaddie, who weighs 218 pounds -- more than three times the weight of a healthy child his age.

His mother, Nicola McKeown, 35, feared she would lose custody of her son. But when it was over, McKeown, of Wallsend in northeastern England, retained custody Tuesday after striking a deal with social workers to ensure Connor's welfare. Before the hearing began, McKeown, a single mother of two, said she hoped she would not lose custody of her son."I'm not too good, and I'm very nervous about the meeting. I'm hoping for the best," she said.

Afterward, the Local Safeguarding Children Board issued a statement saying "its hope and ambition is to enable this child to remain with his family. In order to move this matter forward, we have made a formal agreement with the family to safeguard and promote the child's welfare."The agency provided no details about what Connor or his mother would have to do to fight his obesity.

The hearing was held under the Children Act, which places a duty on the local authority to conduct an inquiry if it has reasonable cause to suspect that a child "is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm."

Do you think it appropriate, as some papers as suggested, to consider this a case of child abuse? Should a child's parents have the right to raise them, even if they are passing on unhealthy lifestyle habits?

Comments

[kenju]

I've been ambivalent about this. I thought it was a good idea to leave him with his mother, but then I saw on TV where he eats snacks every 20 minutes, in between large meals (more than 3 per day). He needs behavior modification and apparently his mom is not the one to do it.

[rosemary]

There are 2 problems...the first is the mother and the second is the child. Not abuse perhaps in a true sense, but medical neglect. Yes, she has a right to raise him, but in a way that is most beneficial to the child and as has been shown obese children grow into obese adults that have shortened lives. Children can suffer from a whole host of medical problems because of obesity and to sacrifice a child's health because she says she can't control him...well, she has a problem that needs to be addressed along with the child's obesity.

[Tracey]

Yes I think it could be a case of child abuse. No, I don't think the parents should raise him.
I am very healthy, I have always eaten healthy, exercised etc but because of my parents.... they were very cautious on what they fed us and monitored what we ate every day. Parents need to have more control over their kids. Unhealthy lifestyles is just one area where parents have lost control.

[Mark McDonald]

Connor McCreaddie has a genetic syndrome which causes him to be both abnormally tall as well as abnormally heavy. If you pay attention to his statistics stated in the story, you might notice that as well as being heavy, he is nearly a foot taller than an average child his age. There are plenty of diets that can cause someone to be overweight. There is no diet in the world that can cause a child to grow a foot taller than normal by age eight.
How do I know that he has a genetic disorder and is not just a glutton? I have a child that is just a few months younger than him that could be his twin. Other than hair color, they look identical. He was born right at average length and weight, but by his two month check-up he was off the charts and has stayed that way. A two month old cannot overeat without force feeding, which did not happen.
After taking him to numerous doctors who had no idea what was wrong with him, we finally ended up at the genetics department of Children's Hospital of San Diego. The doctor ran many tests and concluded that he has a genetic disorder. Unfortunately, it is not a common enough disorder to have been named or studied, much less a cure or treatment to have been found.
His mother and I been have been married and together all of his life, and have worked constantly on his weight issues all of his life to no avail.
I cannot speak for Connor but my son has mild Autism and it is very difficult to change his habits. We have been working very hard to add foods to his diet, but have had very little success. He does dislike new foods, he is afraid of them.
If you will notice from the story, Connor does not eat large amounts of sweets and treats, but large amounts of meats. This is not something that a self indulgent glutton does. His mother also states that he is constantly hungry. Again, this is not consistant with the glutton. Gluttons eat when they are bored or anxious, not when they are hungry. (This has been shown in scientific studies.) There are gluttons around who are overweight because of personal habits, but if you look carefully, Connor does not seem to be among them.

Scincerely,
Scintor@aol.com

[Bruce Small]

Among other things, he eats 3 bags of chips and 4 bags of cookies a day.

Q: What moron would buy the kid 3 bags of chips and 4 bags of cookies a day.

[monique]

the conclusion i've come to is that it's not child *abuse* but actually more a case of *neglect* as parents we have a duty to raise our children to be healthy, happy and productive. by giving in and feeding him whatever he wants (garbage) she isn't providing the proper upbringing. even if he has a legitimate medical issue... there's better ways for her to be handling it.

[geoff]

In this case, the parent is poisoning the child with food. The boy should be removed from the home until the parent is able to create a safer environment for him. If this drastic measure is not employed there is an excellent chance that the child will die in short order.

[Goldie]

I'd like to hear one of our resident lawyers on this issue. Obviously something is not right here since the boy is 5 feet tall at the age of eight.
Since everybody has a different opinion on what constitutes healthy food, I would be very leary of putting this child in foster care because of his (actual or perceived) bad eating habits. Besides, what do they feed kids in foster care anyway, all-organic? Didn't think so.

[Paula]

I agree with Goldie and Mark. And, really, WHAT are you supposed to do with a kid who is constantly hungry? If he refuses to eat fruit and carrot sticks? If he cries all night for something to eat? If she didn't feed him snacks, and he complained to his teachers, people would criticize her for that. IMO we need to tackle the obesity problem as a society and stop blaming one individual. There are tons of overweight kids now.

[skerrib]

Medical condition? Unlikely, but possible. Bad food choices? Yep. Abuse? No. OK, she may be ignorant about how to best feed her kid...but I know a lot of kiddos who are growing up on the same type of crap-food. The only difference is that they lucked out on their metabolism, so it's not as visible to everyone. Get them to a doctor, and a nutritionist, perhaps. Educate them and then let them make their choices and live with the consequences.

[utenzi]

I found Mark's comments very illuminating. I wasn't aware of those points--and what he stated makes a lot of sense.

[AOC]

I would not call it child abuse and do not think that he should be taken away from his family. He should be checked for a medical problem. But just being abnormally tall or heavy for ones age just might be genetics. My 8 year old is almost 4’11 (the size of an average 11 year old). He weighs 70 lbs (a little above normal for his age) both my wife and I are tall (like really tall)

The bigger problem is that in the US (I don’t know about the UK) 30% of kids are obese. This is not due to medical problems, but due to bad food choices. Every overweight kid I know eats fast food a couple times a week or more and play video game like it was a job. I think this is why the story strikes a nerve.

[Mamacita]

If this child is truly genuinely HUNGRY, he'll eat fruit and carrot sticks. Holding out for candy and junk? He's not hungry, he's just craving what he WANTS, and he wants it when he wants it. He's calling the shots and it's not his place to do that. The mother is probably not a bad mother, but she certainly isn't a knowledgeable mother. I wouldn't remove him from her home, but I would make regular home visits that would include checking out the contents of the refrigerator and cabinets to make sure they're not stocked with junk and candy. His condition is probably beyond anyone's control: a medical issue, but the catering to his junk and candy whims is unacceptable. The kid sounds like a spoiled brat to me, with the parents jumping when he says jump, and catering to his whims. Nuh uh, not in my house.

[Goldie]

Mamacita, allow me to invite you over for some Russian food. We'll start with jellied cow tongue and it'll be downhill from there. If you're really truly hungry, you will eat everything!
Don't worry, I'd really love to have you over and I would serve the foods you like, just wanted to point something out ;)

[Mamacita]

Goldie, I'll be there in about an hour. (I wish.)

And whatever you gave me would be wonderful, I know. Because YOU are.

[Karen O'Donnell]

Clearly, the child needs to be seen by a genetics expert. All of the picture perfect people that have left their opinion concerning what they as professionals think the problem is with this child, should take a good hard look at what the government can do to you and yours if you don't conform to their standards. The true reason that this is happening at all is that this child and others like him will be made examples of to make others obey, they could care less for his well being. The government does not want to pay for these kids when they are adults. Cost of health care you know. [Check the cupboards for food] wait don't stop there, let's make people stop smoking in their homes,or drinking alcohol in their homes, maybe something that you or your family are doing that is not socially acceptable. You hypocrites.Did you know that excessive exercise is bad for you. Maybe some well meaning people should come in your home and stop you or should limit your exercise. Strangers can come into your home and go through you personal things for anything that's bad in their opinion.Where do you live and what year? Nazi Germany did the same thing. In these times, when parents are baking their babies in microwaves,starving them, putting them in garbage bags,selling them for cars, why don't you leave this woman alone. People should keep their petty opinions to themselves.The child in question has many features of a genetic disorder. Frontal bossing for one. Doctors simply don't care to find out or there is not enough of these kinds of children to warrant any medical tests to see if this child has a condition. Does he have advanced bone age? Are his endocrine tests normal? Does he have any urinalysis abnormalities.What is his bone age? These questions and more need to be answered in order to help him. Not your statements. Have we as people lost all of our rights? He who curses his own house, shall inherit the wind.