http://detnews.com/article/20111127/NATION/111270335

A spokeswoman says the county removed the child because caseworkers saw his mother's inability to reduce his weight as medical neglect.

so I guess this is where we are now. A 200lb 8 year old is sad but...

lol... oh America...

Didn't read article but 200 lbs at 8 is ridiculous. My boy is 12 and is 5' 6 170 and he is huge. Can't imagine him being 200lbs 4 yrs ago

guess he wont be joining me for meatless mondays

this country is barely recognizable anymore. this is pure bullshit.

 

Originally Posted by ginwilly

http://detnews.com/article/20111127/NATION/111270335

A spokeswoman says the county removed the child because caseworkers saw his mother's inability to reduce his weight as medical neglect.

so I guess this is where we are now. A 200lb 8 year old is sad but...

Saw a case like this a year ago where a state took a kid away from his parents for being grossly overweight. After a year in foster care nothing had changed and they then agreed with doctors that it was probably a medical issue, returned the kid to his family and apologized. LOL @ people who think they know best for others.

figured Dyzalot would be all over this thread like a fat kid on a blue smartie

think about how much this is fucking this kid up. he's obvi gonna be fat his whole life, with cases like this there's gotta be some type of predisposition. now he's just gonna be fat and fucked in the head.

Lol, that is one fuckin fat ass kid

parent are saving a bunch on food costs now so they an buy more crack. Should have given the kid some imo. solid way to take off a few pounds.

ya, cause taking the kid from his parents is soooo much more effective than putting in the time/effort/resources to work with the family to fix the fucking conditions that are making him fat. I'm pretty sure whoever thought this was a good idea is too stupid to be fit for parenting, and should have their kids taken away as well.

Well, several things come to mind when reading this. Like OneM said, there is very little information to go on. Frankly, I'm surprised that a county spokesperson was even able to comment on the situation due to confidentiality issues. When I worked in Child Welfare, we had numerous cases that garnered media attention, but under no circumstances were we allowed to comment. We really couldn't even acknowledge that we were involved.

Kids are not typically just removed from their parents on short notice except in cases of extreme abuse where it is unsafe for them to remain in their home for any amount of time. DSS is required by law to do everything possible to keep kids with their families. Removing a child from their home is always the last resort. Not knowing a lot of details about the case, I would venture to guess that the parents were given ample opportunity to remedy the situation. Likely, they entered into a case plan with DSS to do certain things to get their child's weight under control and did not follow through within a reasonable time period.

Keep in mind that someone has to report these things to the authorities, so I would bet that there was a professional out there (the child's pediatrician, the school maybe?) that was concerned enough that they reported this. DSS would have to have evidence to present to the judge that the child's weight is unsafe and that it is neglect on the part of the parents. My guess is that it was probably the child's pediatrician who had probably tried to work with the parents to get their child's weight under control, but did not get cooperation.

I'm not saying that DSS never makes a mistake, but most of the time, what gets reported to the public is only a very small picture of what is truly going on. It happens all the time.

 

Originally Posted by ECUgirl

Well, several things come to mind when reading this. Like OneM said, there is very little information to go on. Frankly, I'm surprised that a county spokesperson was even able to comment on the situation due to confidentiality issues. When I worked in Child Welfare, we had numerous cases that garnered media attention, but under no circumstances were we allowed to comment. We really couldn't even acknowledge that we were involved.

Kids are not typically just removed from their parents on short notice except in cases of extreme abuse where it is unsafe for them to remain in their home for any amount of time. DSS is required by law to do everything possible to keep kids with their families. Removing a child from their home is always the last resort. Not knowing a lot of details about the case, I would venture to guess that the parents were given ample opportunity to remedy the situation. Likely, they entered into a case plan with DSS to do certain things to get their child's weight under control and did not follow through within a reasonable time period.

Keep in mind that someone has to report these things to the authorities, so I would bet that there was a professional out there (the child's pediatrician, the school maybe?) that was concerned enough that they reported this. DSS would have to have evidence to present to the judge that the child's weight is unsafe and that it is neglect on the part of the parents. My guess is that it was probably the child's pediatrician who had probably tried to work with the parents to get their child's weight under control, but did not get cooperation.

I'm not saying that DSS never makes a mistake, but most of the time, what gets reported to the public is only a very small picture of what is truly going on. It happens all the time.

heather, you have to be joking. remedy what situation? remedy how?

lol @ the childs parents didnt obey the kids pediatrician. Good God, are you serious?

 

Originally Posted by ECUgirl

Yes, I'm dead serious. How does an eight-year-old kid end up weighing 200 lbs. unless the parents are feeding him inappropriately? They remedy it by putting him on a diet and ensuring that he eats a balanced diet. Instead of giving him a cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's, they give him some fruits and vegetables. Instead of allowing him to sit in front of the TV and play video games all day, they take him for a walk or have him go outside and run around. You know, be a kid. Is it really that hard to teach a child to eat healthy? Last I checked, eight-year-olds don't go out and buy their own food, the parents provide it for them. If your kid is grossly obese, whose fault is it but your own (unless the child has some kind of medical condition, which I'm sure DSS would've investigated before removing him)?

**I'm not talking about a few pounds overweight, but this kid is dangerously obese at 200 lbs/eight years old. You don't think that's a situation?

yeah, its a situation alright. its a situation where the judge needs to give me 20 laps and 100 push-ups until he is recovered from being a douchbag.

 

Originally Posted by ECUgirl

Yes, I'm dead serious. How does an eight-year-old kid end up weighing 200 lbs. unless the parents are feeding him inappropriately? They remedy it by putting him on a diet and ensuring that he eats a balanced diet. Instead of giving him a cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's, they give him some fruits and vegetables. Instead of allowing him to sit in front of the TV and play video games all day, they take him for a walk or have him go outside and run around. You know, be a kid. Is it really that hard to teach a child to eat healthy? Last I checked, eight-year-olds don't go out and buy their own food, the parents provide it for them. If your kid is grossly obese, whose fault is it but your own (unless the child has some kind of medical condition, which I'm sure DSS would've investigated before removing him)?

**I'm not talking about a few pounds overweight, but this kid is dangerously obese at 200 lbs/eight years old. You don't think that's a situation?

i think Tony Perkis said that last sentence word for word at some point