Government

Should 200 LB Child Have Been Taken From Mother for ‘Medical Neglect?’

It’s becoming a more and more popular question: Is a child’s unhealthy weight grounds for removing him or her from a household? It was enough for county officials to place a Cleveland third grader who weighed 200 pounds into foster care, according to The Plain Dealer.

Morbildly obese child taken from mother over ground of medical neglect

This case has enlivened debate on the issue if there reaches a point when obesity could be considered child neglect.

The Plain Dealer reports that the 8-year-old was taken from school by social workers in October and his mother, who adamantly claims she had been trying to help him lose weight, only sees him for two hours every week. It calls this the first case of a child being taken from a parent over a weight-related issue in Cuyahoga County and it marks a stronger national debate on the topic:

Cuyahoga County does not have a specific policy on dealing with obese children. It removed the boy because case workers considered this mother‘s inability to get her son’s weight down a form of medical neglect, said Mary Louise Madigan, a spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Family Services.

They said that the child‘s weight gain was caused by his environment and that the mother wasn’t following doctor’s orders — which she disputes.

“This child’s problem was so severe that we had to take custody,” Madigan said. The agency worked with the mother for more than a year before asking Juvenile Court for custody of the child, she said.

Lawyers for the mother, a substitute elementary school teacher who is also taking vocational school classes, think the county has overreached in this case by arguing that medical conditions the boy is at risk for — but doesn’t yet have — pose an imminent danger to his health.

The Plain Dealer reports that as of right now, the child’s only medical problem resulting from excess weigh is sleep apnea and that he has a machine to monitor his breathing each night. In addition to trying to monitor what her son ate, the mother is reported as saying some other family members may have been sneaking him food but she did enroll her son in a local hospital program that offers eduction on proper nutrition.

But that apparently wasn’t enough. Still, even Ivy League-educated professors think taking a child away because of weight is an extreme last resort:

Earlier this year, Dr. David Ludwig, Harvard University professor and pediatric obesity expert, urged children’s services agencies to intervene in severe cases when parents have failed to address a weight problem that leads to imminent health risks.

Ludwig, the co-author of an article that appeared in the Journal of American Medical Association this summer, said other interventions should be tried first and that children should be removed only as a last resort.

[...]

Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics and medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, said that before a trend of removing children takes hold, the broader public-policy issue needs to be explored.

“A 218-pound 8-year-old is a time bomb,” Caplan acknowledged. “But the government cannot raise these children. A third of kids are fat. We aren’t going to move them all to foster care. We can’t afford it, and I’m not sure there are enough foster parents to do it. ”

He said he is worried that the families with the fewest resources, which are often minorities, will end up being ones with their children removed.

This news report covering Ludwig’s editorial in JAMA earlier this year, cites a case — the first of its kind more than a decade ago — where a New Mexico toddler was taken from her parents over obesity issues and was later returned after doctors diagnosed her with a disease that causes weight-related issues:

For now, county officials are reported as saying at least temporary removal from the family could help the boy become healthier. But the mother‘s lawyers are reporting that even the foster mother is showing signs of having trouble keeping up with the boy’s many appointments. The lawyers have said that they heard talk of getting the foster mother extra help or perhaps the boy a personal trainer, causing them to wonder why the boy‘s biological mother wasn’t offered such help.

Check out the debate from Fox & Friends:



This article as been updated since its original posting.


Comments (183)

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  • grannyjojo
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 10:10am

    Ridiculous. I agree that this child is obese, why? I don’t care why, its NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS. There are fat kids, skinny kids, kids who learn to walk late, kids who learn to talk late, smart kids, not so smart kids, mean kids, sweet kids, kids who watch too much tv, kids who read late, kids who’s spelling and math are lacking, kids who sleep too much, kids who go to bed late, kids who wear hand me downs, kids who…take your pick….in other words, WHERE DOES IT END? Stop the government from interfering!!!!

    Report Post »  
    • I support God's Israel!
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 4:28pm

      Geez. Once again GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES. The Republic (people of the USA) should stand up and scream to their politicians.

      Report Post » I support God's Israel!  
    • I support God's Israel!
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 4:31pm

      What I want to know is:
      1. Will the government give the parents visitation rights?
      2. Will the government pay for the child’s full care, including healthcare, schooling, etc.?
      3. Can the parents continue to take the child as a dependent on their taxes in April?
      4. Can the child CHOOSE who they want to live with, like in child custody cases?
      5. Can the parents SUE (ACLU) for damages, including Attorney fees?

      Report Post » I support God's Israel!  
    • paintbrushbright
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 6:46pm

      If this child is examined and found to have a thyroid gland infraction that is causing obesity the parents should sue social services to the max.

      Report Post » paintbrushbright  
    • Marine25
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 8:49pm

      Children do not die or lead lives in physical misery because they are poor spellers.
      No one seems to think obesity is a problem in this country.
      Perhaps if you knew it is considered the number one reason health care costs have risen so dramatically since 1970. Perhaps you “patriots” would pay attention if you knew obesity is the number one reason our armed services reject candidates to serve.

      Report Post »  
    • donbrending
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:51am

      Grannyjojo, I think a more appropriate question would be “Where do you start?” I investigated reports of abuse and or neglect for 7 long years. (the ave. is about 18 months). Believe me when I say there are plenty of reasons to remove helpless children from their terrible homes. I’m glad you have lived in Mayberry all you sheltered life.

      Report Post »  
    • ArmedPrincess
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:44am

      Marine25,

      I would like to start off by saying that I have nothing but the utmost respect for the military, and those who serve this nation. My father was a green beret, and I come from a family with a long line of military service. I don’t however see a difference between the government mandating what and how the people can feed their children, or ordering you to go door to door disarming them, because the average American citizen can’t handle the responsibility. Where do you draw the line? We are either a free society, or we aren’t. What happened to death before dishonor?

      Give me liberty, or give me death!

      Ron Paul 2012

      Report Post » ArmedPrincess  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 6:45am

      A 218 pound 8 year old is a very serious problem with a very simple solution. Don’t feed him so much. A fit parent would not need a doctor to tell them this. If there are parents so weak and stupid they still can’t do the right thing after the necessity is pointed out to them, the government is absolutely right to step in.

      Report Post »  
    • justneedaname
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 8:44am

      Chet,
      I would argue that if you’re so stupid as to support government intervention micromanaging families, then government should likewise intervene and prohibit someone like yourself from posting such irresponsible rubbish. After all, government is the final authority on every aspect of American life.

      Report Post »  
    • old white guy
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 9:05am

      i guess the state will now have to feed him.

      Report Post »  
    • bsat23
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:43pm

      I do think in some cases it is child abuse,It is the parents responsability to protect a child from every thing they can,even what they eat and how they eat. The said thing is that anybody at any age or any fool can be a parent. And there are alot of fools out there.

      Report Post » bsat23  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 9:10pm

      justneedaname
      Intervening against parents who let their kid get 30 or 40 pounds overweight would be micromanagement. Intervening to save a kid who is over a hundred pounds overweight at the age of 8 is the government doing its duty to protect a child from the criminal stupidity of people who aren’t fit to raise goldfish let alone children.

      Report Post »  
    • Marine25
      Posted on November 30, 2011 at 7:51pm

      Armed Princess
      Leave a kid at 300% obesity and you’ll give new meaning to death before dishonor. What honor is
      there in letting a child remain neglected and abused? Would you rescue a starving child whose family couldn‘t or wouldn’t save him. I would, and have, in 2 countries, in the name of my own. Apparently, to many, American children deserve no such consideration. I am sickened by most of the sentiments shared here. A child needed someone to stand up for them when no one would. Someone finally did, and most people here defend the abuse, defend the acute obesity, and one took the time to wonder whether the mother will “still be able to claim the child as a dependent on a tax return”. Sickening and shameless.

      Report Post »  
    • scotts
      Posted on November 30, 2011 at 9:37pm

      This is a bunch of junk.The fact is you see obese children all the time.It is a problem and I take great care to make sure that my kids eat right,and it is not easy,they’re kids and they would eat candy all day if they could.Give this woman her kid back.That is her kid no one elses and she has a right to raise her kid and be with her kid and love her kid and where is the father?Fathers need to be with their children possibly more than the mothers.Where is he?Get the government out,we don’t need anymore experts telling us what to do,what to wear,where to go,what to think.United States of America,let freedom ring.Dads,do your jobs and stop having sex with a woman then take off when it’s time to take care of the kid.I think marriage is the best way to go because that is what God wants but at least be there for your kid.Amen!

      Report Post » scotts  
    • AnitaDenise
      Posted on December 3, 2011 at 6:55pm

      You are right. I remember my grandmother saying, “Sweep off your own door step before you sweep off someone else’s.” Notice the spokesman needed to loose a good 50 pounds?

      We have such unbridled prejudice against weight in this country, that we should really be ashamed of ourselves.

      Report Post »  
  • packets
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 10:07am

    Hmm…What if obesity is a sign of malnutrition or undernutrition and not overnutrition as is suggested suggested?
    Malnutrition: Lack of adequate nutrition resulting from insufficient food, unbalanced diet, or defective assimilation
    Undernutrition: deficient bodily nutrition due to inadequate food intake or faulty assimilation called also hyponutrition
    Overnutrition: Excessive food intake especially when viewed as a factor in pathology

    Report Post »  
    • The10thAmendment
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 3:31pm

      Blaze, is this a legitimate question? The government has no business sticking it’s ugly face into the private lives of citizens.

      Thomas Jefferson again has it right.

      “Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now.”

      “The policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither restraining nor aiding them in their pursuits.”

      Report Post » The10thAmendment  
    • Rowgue
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 5:34pm

      Obesity does not result from malnutrition. Obeisity and malnutrition are both results, malnutrition is not a cause of anything it’s a result. You can be both obese and malnurished in certain ways at the same time but it’s all the result of not eating properly.

      The mother should be ashamed of herself for sure, but taking her kid away? Ridiculous.

      Report Post »  
  • markgl
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 10:01am

    You know, they take kids from families who have starved malnourished children. Same could be said for the other end of the spectrum too. If a kid is starved, overfed, abused, etc. So I think it would be a last resort to take the kid, but if it is the only thing that will save the child maybe we have to.

    Report Post » markgl  
    • Shiroi Raion
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 12:03pm

      We can’t take all the children from all the bad parents. We have too many bad parents. We have to take them away from pedophiles, child abusers and drug addicted parents, but we can‘t take children who aren’t in immediate danger. Think of it the same way with the prisons. We have filled the prisons with non-violent offenders and are setting the violent criminals free in California because the system is overburdened.
      The government simply cannot make right everything that is wrong. By the way, who decides what is morbidly obese? What would be next? Children that don’t get enough exercise? Children that watch too much television? Children that play too many video games? Children who are allowed to play violent video games meant for young adults? Children that eat too much candy and chips? Where does it end? The parents are at fault for most of these things most of the time, but what we need is personal responsibility, an end to the tolerance of (even the glorification) of bad and hedonistic behavior, etc… not more government intervention, but the restoration of what made America great, as Glenn would say, because the American people were good.

      Report Post » Shiroi Raion  
    • symphonic
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 12:29pm

      “maybe we have to?”

      The first question that comes to mind is who do you think you are? That is HUGE to take away a kid from its parents. Fat kids everywhere are raiding the refrigerator at every turn. Its not the parents fault. This is a condition the boy has, and the opposite means SADNESS and DEPRESSION, and those are serious things too. Its not that simple that government can come in there and “fix” this. They won’t.

      Report Post » symphonic  
    • Mtroom
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 1:28pm

      The last resort?…The foster parents have the same issue, and the “oh so caring” case worker sent in some expert help to assist the FOSTER PARENTS….You see nothing wrong with that?…That wasn’t last resort in my book..To claim this as neglect, and not say that the case worker neglected to apply all options at her disposal, is double talk…An eating disorder needs a lot of education, that’s not something that will happen over night.Get the kid back to his mother and send THEM the help…my god.

      Report Post » Mtroom  
    • hortik
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 2:15pm

      Mark,
      I doubt the parents were force-feading the kid. When a kid wants to overeat… he’s going to find a way. The parents weren’t forcing him to do it. I think this was an over-reach by the government plain and simple.

      If his health is adversely affected by his bad eating habits, and the state was so concerned about his mental and physical health… they wouldn’t take him from his parents. Stress also has an adverse affect on the child’s health, and I can’t think of ANYTHING that would be more stressful to a child than to be forcefully taken away from your parents who want you, and placing them in a foster-home against your will.

      Until the kid wants to lose weight… you can’t FORCE him to. Even if you give him a personal trainer, if there‘s something I’ve learned it‘s that people with an addiction don’t change their behavior until THEY want to change. They don’t change because you force them to, or because someone ELSE wants them to do it. The government taking him from his parents won’t make the child whole, He will just grow up with resentment and anger.

      Report Post »  
    • mdlwoods
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 2:27pm

      True but malnourishment and starvation are an immediate health (life or death) issue.

      Report Post » mdlwoods  
    • deeberj
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 3:03pm

      Shiroi – amen. You are so right. We cannot fix everything.

      Report Post » deeberj  
    • kjunme
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 5:01pm

      I can remember back in the early 90′s when my wife had another person made at her, The lady called the child welfare office on us and said we were raising our children in a filththy house and didn’t have any food for them to eat. So, on Friday afternoon I got a call and a lady indentafied herself and proceeded to make an appionment to inspect my house next week to see if the allogations were true. I told her if she wanted to inspect my house she had beter be here within 30 minutes or don’t come at all. I didn’t need 3 days to get my house in order. Well she came and found a few toys on the floor and a load of clean loundry on the couch waiting to be folded and put up. Then we went into the kitchen where she saw that I had meat in the Big chest freezer and the pantry was full. Then , and this what really got my goat, she told me that I needed to have snacks for the children when they get home from school. I pionted to the counter at the big bowl of oranges, apples, bannas, and plums and she looked at me and said real food like cookies and debbie snakes. Well I just told her it was time to leave before I do somthing to make the officer beside her has to arrest me. My piont is their are millions of parents and millions of veiws as to how to raise a child. You raise yours and I’ll raise mind.

      Report Post » kjunme  
    • ArmedPrincess
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:15am

      And once more Liberty is thrown under the bus. It is no one else’s business how a parent feeds their child. Not Yours, Not the Governments, Not anyone’s. Day after day our government sticks its nose into our lives, tells us no you can’t do that, and keeps you safe from yourself. This is getting to the point of lunacy. Welcome to Totalitarian control people. Name one aspect of your life that the government does not regulate? You are not free, and more than likely you never will be again. Unless we all wake up, and take back the rights our fore fathers gave us.

      Give me Liberty, Or give me death!

      Report Post » ArmedPrincess  
  • Unix
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:58am

    The nanny state gone wild. Does the child have a thyroid issue? Who knows, but the liberal safety nazi’s just have to step in and mandate everything. We don‘t have to shrink our current gov’t, we have to get rid of it – vote 2012, vote twice if you can (LOL), this current gov‘t will have us in chains or in a ditch before it’s all over.

    Report Post » Unix  
    • Sibyl
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 10:19am

      There is a serious condition called Prader-Willi syndrome, (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002572/) in which a child cannot stop eating. There is no inner mechanism to signal ‘enough’ and stop the child from eating all the food in the house. This condition requires constant supervision and all food must be locked up, even refrigerators, so the child cannot eat him/herself to death. Most of these children end up living in group homes sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently.

      The article does not mention Prader-Willi, but it is a possibility.

      The other problem or issue with the child may be the environment and modeling. Chronic overeaters create children who are chronic habitual overeaters and this is categorized as an eating disorder.

      Feeding a child wrongly and having them watch you constantly eat the wrong things, using food as a substitute for love, as a drug to numb pain, etc. is wrong, but it is not (yet) illegal as is giving drug and alcohol to children. Not treating Prader-Willi properly, which is a bona fide illness may be illegal.

      Report Post »  
  • DeeDeeBear
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:58am

    Okay, so they going to start taking away your kids if you drink, smoke, are on welfare, are a single parent??? See where I am going here? This is getting way to scarey. A nightmare come true. WAKE UP FROM THE NIGHTMARE PEOPLE!!!

    Report Post »  
    • cherylfun1
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 11:07am

      They took my kids away for a full year because “they” decided that my 2 children’s disabilities were made up. When they sent them to all new doctors and the doctors agreed with their diagnosis-es, and even diagnosed them with more problems, then they filed charges on me for neglect…although they never were able to prove neglect. I was in my last year of college on a duel major of Elementary Education and Special Education. I had to quit school and my substitute teaching job because of the neglect charge. These people are sick and something needs to be done. Everything they did was illegal but you cannot hold them responsible because this agency doesn’t have to adhere to the law….that is what my state Atty General told me. I have no recourse and now my children have lifelong emotional and mental problems for being pulled from me for a year.

      Report Post »  
    • OniKaze
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 11:36am

      @cherylfun1

      You must just be a horrible parent then….. Sorry, I couldn’t help but feed ridiculousness with more.. But in all seriousness, I’m sorry they put you through the wringer the way they did. And I hope in the future things get easier for you and your family… After all, Not a single person in the world will care more for your children then you can.. Do your best, and hang in there… It may not get any easier anytime soon, but don’t lose hope…

      In the end, as long as your children and you know that you are (and have been) trying your best, who cares what anyone else thinks…

      Report Post » OniKaze  
    • cherylfun1
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 11:47am

      Thank you for your support ONIKAZE. I‘m a single mom and I believe it was God’s will that I fell out of a semi at work right before I got my children back and was permanently disabled. I pulled my children out of school and am now homeschooling them. At least now, they have to come to my house and speak to me instead of taking my children from school and I don’t even get to see them for 2 weeks (by law they have 24 hours to go to court…they went way past that). They sent them to their father…within 2 months, he sent them back because he couldn’t cope with their disabilities. They then spent 6 months in a foster home and would not allow any of my family to take them. My mom is a registered nurse (retired). They finally let my oldest daughter have them AFTER she had gone through the entire foster care program and become a foster parent. This made no sense! I hope that someday, they can take this experience and use it to help others who are in or have been in foster care. Just pray for us because right now, the 11 year old has intense anger issues and she will not speak about it.

      Report Post »  
    • pamela kay
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:19am

      DEEDEEBEAR, I absolutely agree, it opens the door for more regulations from the government. I can only imagine how this poor kid feels. I came from a family of five girls, I was the only one without a weight problem. I ate more than the other four did but I was more active. This child is taken away from family and home, put on a strict diet and is probably very frightened. Yes, it is wrong to let your child be this obese, but to take the child from the parents is wrong.

      Report Post » pamela kay  
  • sweathog1948
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:55am

    When I was a child my parents fought a lot. The subdivision we lived in the houses were close together so when my parent argued our next door neighbor could here it. She tried to have me taken way from my mom since my dad was gone most of the time. The courts ruled in favor of my mom and I stayed with my mother.

    With a child that is so over weight I do not rule in her being taken from her parents. I believe the parents should be required to go with their child to somf place that will help the child eat properly, if at this point the parents fail to do what is required to help the child lose weight then I would vote to have the child taken away. First give the parents a chance to right the wrong that has been done.

    Report Post »  
    • dukestreet
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:58am

      I have worked with kids all my life and seen kids who desperately needed to be taken away left in a very dangerous situation while others were taken for no apparent reason. A lot of the time it is the individual worker who is at fault. They just let their power go to their heads. It’s the kids who are in actual danger that need intervention not those who have the potential to become endangered.

      If the state could provide the assistance to the foster parent why didn’t they provide that same assistance to the actual parent. They couldn’t be bothered! It was just when their own judgement could be called into question that they acted to help the foster parent. Don’t want their program of removal to fail.

      Report Post »  
  • JLGunner
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:54am

    We call this thinning the herd.

    Report Post » JLGunner  
  • mamabearCali
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:54am

    Sure 200 lbs on an 8 year old is a bit nuts. However, this is reason to call an MD and order tests/if nothing is found then a nutritionist, not CPS.

    This has got to stop–gov‘t intrusion and gov’t break up of parents from children. There needs to be clear cut abusive behavior present to , not possible–maybe–well I am not sure it could happen so we have to take the kid out just in case. The foster care system in this country does not have the best reputation (if they were held to the same standards as a whole that we are as parents–it would not be permitted to take care of children) so destroying families and causing terrible pain to parents and children without proof of serious abuse is unacceptable. 200 lbs at 8 might be abuse—it might also be a medical condition.

    Report Post » mamabearCali  
    • sawbuck
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 11:40am

      I would like to know how tall this kid is..?
      Anyone watch “the blind side”
      This child might be the best tackle in NFL History..!
      Gota love our govenrment .
      Yet another step to a U.S.S.A
      America doesn’t stand a chance.
      Better prepare for the landing ,where coming in hot.

      Report Post » sawbuck  
  • Michoel
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:46am

    It’s unconstitutional to take this child from his home! Monitor the family, instead!

    Report Post » Michoel  
    • MOLLYPITCHER
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 10:16am

      It’s unconstitutional to monitor a family for this kind of nonsense.

      Report Post »  
    • wascaly
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 3:09pm

      Actually, I’m kind of in agreement with taking the child out of the home. If the mother does not (or will not) cook healthy meals, what options does an 8 year old have? I doubt if he can cook for himself! As far as “other family members” feeding the kid on the sly, that sounds like something the mother (or father?) should take control of. I agree that he would be able to get junk food out of vending machines, etc., but he certainly cannot drive to get it. Because he’s probably teased a lot at school, I doubt if he has any friends, so they wouldn’t be able to supply him with candy bars, etc. Although a nanny state is the last thing I want our country to become, there IS a limit as what should be tolerated. Someone mentioned that you cannot take away every child who has a bad parent, and I agree, but at least give take control of the situations you might be able to change. Nutritional education for these neglectful(?) parents and the child should be mandated, at the very least.

      Report Post »  
    • V-MAN MACE
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 8:31am

      See?

      You’re one of those neighbors that would “see something” and then proceed to call CPS on your neighbor and say something.

      SNITCH SOCIETY!!!

      Be apprehensive of everyone EXCEPT the baby-snatching government CPS… the CPS who has the most extensive history of child abuse, neglect, and molestation.

      Anywhere has to be safer than in their custody. They kill kids, sexually abuse kids, neglect them, starve them, use them for revenue, etc. etc.

      Michelle Bachmann got PAID with all those 22 foster kids. I know foster parents like HER. They use your kids like casino chips, and your kids get to shop at Value City while their own biological kids get to shop at the mall. You get Payless shoes, they get Air Jordans.

      Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
    • RestoreFederalism
      Posted on December 1, 2011 at 11:02pm

      MICHOEL

      You’ve obviously never read the constitution.

      V-MAN

      You’re a nutjob if yo believe half the stuff you said.

      Report Post »  
  • V-MAN MACE
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:45am

    Whoever voted yes to this is a Statebabysnatcher apologist.

    RESIST THE NAZI POLICE STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    OR THEY’LL SNATCH YOUR BABIES!!!!!!!

    YOUR NEIGHBORS WHO VOTED YES WILL SNITCH ON YOU TO BIG SIS NAPOLITANO AND THE BABYSNATCHERS AT CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES!

    Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
    • RestoreFederalism
      Posted on December 1, 2011 at 10:36pm

      Believing that 218 pounds is to much for an 8 year old to weigh doesn’t make me a statebabysnatcher apologist or any other insult you can come up with. Now go back in your hole before they arrest you for hiding your kid in a basement for a year.

      Report Post »  
  • Michoel
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:44am

    Monitor this family; but, don’t take the child away from the parents!

    Report Post » Michoel  
  • Pendragon
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:41am

    I have lots of questions that were not answered…If this were a case of give them a box of twinkies to keep them quiet then by all means if warning and notice is done the warning become actions..By the the flip side of that coin How tall is this child?? have they done any testing for any metabolism issues??? I know 10 year olds that are 5‘10’ which 200 lbs while heavy is not morbid obese by any means.. even at 5′6″ I do not think that it is morbid obese…And then there is the Skeleton build which is also a factor..Is it the skeleton of a swimmer or weight lifter or football player??? Shoulder width also plays into this….For the Media and DFS people to say 200lbs for an 8 year old some are 4′ 5″ some are 5′ 4″ or taller.. but it makes a difference but I am not going to be shocked into placing my vision of the height and weight of an 8 year old..I would offer on the Flip Side my own personal experience..My daughter growing up ate like a horse, never had an eating disorder with purging or anorexia…I would keep her with me after we ate to make sure…She could eat 4000 calories and not gain a pound but I was reported for starving her.. When they came and saw her I showed them the Dr reports that she had a faster metabolism and still they said she was too thin till they sat down and ate with us a few times.. And Yes I did give her Cheese Burgers and Big Macs. 3 days we ate this type of meal and she had 2 bigmacs large fries and only gained 7 ounces in weight

    Report Post » Pendragon  
    • cherylfun1
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 11:39am

      my 11 year old has the same problem. she has a very high metabolism and easily eats 3,000-4,000 calories per day and only weighs 64 pounds. DCS said I was starving her because she told them she was always hungry and I wouldn’t let her eat when she wanted to (she eats 3 meals a day plus 3 snacks). You were lucky…they took my children and asked questions later..I lost them for a year.

      Report Post »  
    • sawbuck
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 12:00pm

      I can see this kid, twenty years from now.
      He’s being interviewed….After his 5th pro bowl game as a tackle.
      He’s asked, how does it feel to be the greatest tackle in NFL HISTORY.
      Saying yea the… CPS… Took me from my mom.
      They thought I was to big for my age.

      Report Post » sawbuck  
    • V-MAN MACE
      Posted on November 29, 2011 at 8:26am

      I have personal experience with CPS.

      They’re babysnatchers, child molestors, and child abusers.

      I spent an entire year in a basement, and other unmentionable things.

      Don’t let these soul vampires ever get their claws on your kids.

      Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
  • Cat
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:34am

    The only way to stop the government from interfering with our lives is to stop funding them
    Wake up America

    Report Post » Cat  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:33am

    No, the parents should have been allowed to suffer in the misery they created no matter what happened to the child. And the parents should get no government money, of course as no one should get government assistance, because it isn’t government assistance because they have to steal the money from other Americans.

    Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:36am

      Misery is a good thing even though people have been taught it is a bad thing to avoid at all costs. Do you know why all children are born with the good-wine? Babies don’t hold a grudge over misery, and they learn from it!

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:40am

      And then idiotic parents who really shouldn’t be parents (of course a nation in real Liberty would have weeded those parents out), those parents tell their young children they are miserable for every other reason except because of their own choices, and thus an ungrateful spoiled entitled society is born.

      Report Post »  
    • Pendragon
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:45am

      Kinda quick to judge aren’t you?? I think there are some fact missing what if this 8 year old is 5 ft 8 inches tall is 200 lbs morbid??What if they have a metabolic problem that is no ones fault??? Nothing mentioned if that has been looked at

      Report Post » Pendragon  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:45am

      Oh but then people will say, “I don’t tell my children those kind of things”, but you don’t have to because the heart speaks louder than the lips. Instead parents imply those things to their children through implicit teachings, which is why it doesn’t matter what is on your lips because the “Tell Tale Heart” will imply it to your children anyways.

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:54am

      Pendragon,
      I don‘t have to judge because the parent’s hearts will judge themselves, in that no matter how much they lie to themselves that it isn’t their fault, their heart knows the truth. Leave the child in the home, but instead they remove the child from the home so no one learns in the long-run. Do you think fire would have been discovered or the wheel would have been invented by ancient men, had Liberty, and the Liberty to be miserable didn’t exist? No it wouldn’t have.

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:58am

      People are so irritating that I just want to puke, with their zero understanding, really it’s because they are dead inside. People who are completely dead inside can not grasp the concept that there are things which are learned that transfer from one life to the next life, because soul has a memory.

      Report Post »  
  • Locked
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:32am

    There’s no happy solution here. This child is in serious trouble; 218 lbs at 8 years old? He’ll be dead by his mid-20s, and a drain on society’s health services until that point, unless something turns it around. But I’m not comfortable with removing a child for this reason either. I would argue that without a valid medical problem, there aren’t grounds for removal… but if authorities wait that long, it might be too late to help the child. Ugh, there really is no good solution for the kid, so instead it becomes a battle of state versus privacy, and I side with privacy any day.

    I‘m curious if he’s been tested for some kind of genetic defect that would explain the enormous weight. If not, well, the mother has been feeding him, right? It’s really not tough to limit food; give him only 1200 calories a day, and within half a year he’ll have lost at least 100 of those pounds. Tougher to regulate at school if friends are slipping him food, but get the teachers involved and it could help. Assuming there’s no medical reason for it, the mother is definitely at fault, but until something happens, the state shouldn’t intervene. Either way the child is in trouble.

    Report Post »  
  • Darla_K
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:28am

    I wonder if this is one of the kids that eats his meals at school. Obviously not. I feel bad for him and shame on the authoriaties that have stuck their noses into other people’s business. If the mom cares about her child she should be putting him on a diet. Take the junk food away and start him on some kind of excercising regiment. I also would hope that the doctor made sure that he has no health problems that could possibly hinder him to lose weight. Good luck.

    Report Post » Darla_K  
    • sta
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 10:11am

      This child spends two waking hours with this kid. How about we look at the SCHOOL and what they are feeding him.
      My girls got “snack” twice a day when they were in school. I’m still working to get the weight off my Homeschooled daughter from her bought in public school.
      The parent is only 1/2 the problem.

      Report Post »  
  • abbygirl1994
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:25am

    Somedays I read this sort of stuff and I want to scream.. These people have done nothing but harm to this child.. when you separate parent and child you mess up the child. There are far worse things happening in the world.. God in heaven help this mother and child come back together before the damage can’t be undone. I know this child feels like he has been abandoned by his own mother and it is the fault of Social Services!

    Report Post » abbygirl1994  
  • Dahart
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:23am

    So the government can now take your kids because they are too fat or because they don’t like the name you give the child.

    Where do we draw the line……should we just start giving our Childern up to the government at birth?

    Report Post » Dahart  
  • paulusmaximus
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:21am

    This is a case of state over individual rights the mother was busy with efforts to help her child and you can be sure the state IS NOT a better parent then a mother. What is next Your child is to thin? To tall to short a nose picker, doesn’t brush his teeth right? It has nothing to do with the betterment of the child’s life it is all about the STATE! “Earlier this year, Dr. David Ludwig, Harvard University professor and pediatric obesity expert, urged children’s services agencies to intervene>”

    Report Post » paulusmaximus  
  • Detroit paperboy
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:20am

    Nothing wrong with a steady diet of twinkies, coke and moon pies…. Thats what the grocery carts are full of , then they whip out the food stamp card……

    Report Post »  
    • deeberj
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 3:05pm

      Oh please. I was on Food Stamps for a couple of years. I didn’t buy that kind of food. Being on FS doesn’t necessarily mean you eat stupidly. We ate healthily and I always had food stamps left by the end of the month. I never ran out.

      Report Post » deeberj  
  • biohazard23
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:20am

    I wonder if Moochelle would like to take this lad in to help him with his diet. After all, her diet of french fries, fried shrimp, tamales, milkshakes, and ribs should help him slim down….

    Report Post » biohazard23  
  • GeneTracy
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:19am

    Weigh in on this……

    Report Post » GeneTracy  
  • Impenitent
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:19am

    Governmental fitness camps…

    It’s not like the government is making them wear a gold star…

    oh wait…

    Report Post »  
  • suzy000
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:15am

    As parents we are constant learning…in fact when we have finished raising our children we still look back and see where we could have done better. Now the government expects perfection…they should just clone us us and program our clones…oops…be careful…can’t give them any ideas. Let’s see…if we do not feed them enough…take them away…second..if we punish them too hard…take them away…fair enough…some parents are too extreme. NOW…if we over nourish our children..take them away too. There is a path we have to follow that this government has MADE. We either follow that path or we lose our children. Did I forget to mention that this was a Free Democratic Republic?

    Report Post »  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:10am

    .
    Stop the Welfare & Food Stamps and he’ll slim down……….

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 9:26am

      THAT is something not mentioned in the article yet is a logical conclusion. Part time teacher going to school; a safe bet she is receiving gov’t “assistance”.

      Report Post » Stoic one  
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