23NLPeople Blog

Is overfeeding a child a form of abuse?

Let's face it, some parents are quite awful.  Everyone's idea of child rearing differs, and we can notice that even some of those parents who have ideas that differ wildly from our own, truly think they are doing right by their children.

Not everyone of course.  Some parents are just horrible and should not have children.

But what of parents who over feed their children to the point of obesity? 

Most do it through ignorance (they might just be a bit stupid) or are simply repeating the parenting that they had themselves.  Not always, but fat parents often have fat children.

Some parents over feed their children as a way of showing them love.  They may even say things like, "I never want my children to go without like I did."  They think they are showing a kindness.

Some parents are too much of a push-over and feel guilty saying no to their children.  They raise spoiled, gluttonous children who have no concept of the word, "no" and going without. Their every whim and desire is satiated by their ridiculous parents.

Some parents of horribly obese children express a huge degree of helplessness when it comes to their children's eating.  The child, who may be just 4 years old, appears to be put in charge of the dinner table, and the parents appear helpless in the face of a 4 year old tyranny.  They go on TV shows and talk about how helpless they are and that no one is doing anything about it.

This all makes for great victim-TV of course but the problem is that these children's bodies are being destroyed before they even reach maturity.

A short life full of health problems and limitations followed by an early death is almost inevitable.

So, should the state intervene?  Should this be a criminal-legal problem?  A problem for social workers? Something the schools should intervene with?

Since there is rarely criminal intent, is it ethical for the law to get involved?

With the obesity epidemic growing steadily at a frightening rate, just what should be done?

I have no idea.