A severely obese 8-year-old has been taken from his mother and put into foster care after authorities said the child’s mother was negligent about controlling the his weight. The mother believes the social workers overstepped their boundaries.
From the Huffington Post:
CLEVELAND “” An Ohio third-grader who weighs more than 200 pounds has been taken from his family and placed into foster care after county social workers said his mother wasn’t doing enough to control his weight.
The Cleveland 8-year-old is considered severely obese and at risk for such diseases as diabetes and hypertension.
“They are trying to make it seem like I am unfit, like I don’t love my child,” the boy’s mother said. “Of course I love him. Of course I want him to lose weight. It is very hard, but I am trying.”
Records show the child’s only current medical problem, sleep apnea, is being treated and that he wears a machine nightly that helps and monitors his breathing.
A spokeswoman says the county removed the child because caseworkers saw his mother’s inability to reduce his weight as medical neglect. The boy is currently living in a foster home. AP
BMWK, what’s your take? Do you think child services overreacted or was it the right call?
Loretta Webb says
FIRST OF ALL THEY SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO GET HER SOME HELP BEFORE REMOVING THIS POOR 8 YEAR OLD. I HAVE A 9 Y.O. AND I KNOW I WOULD BE DEVESTATED IF HE WAS EVER TAKEN FROM ME. I WILL BE PRAYING FOR THIS FAMILY.
Jasminejazelle says
soooo… how is that gonna help him lose weight??? weight lost is very hard. you can monitor what ur child eats when they’re with you. but as much as my nephew stills candy out of my sister’s purse… ijs…
Niambi says
I think the authorities were wrong about taking this child away from his mother. I think a better way of handling this situation was to require the mother to see a nutritionist to show her how to help her and her son eat healthier alternatives. I also think that if she lived in an urban neighboorhood, she may not have had access to fresh vegetables. This is one of the reasons why First Lady Obama is addressing the issue of obesity and the lack of access to fresh vegestables in urban communities and in schools. As far as exercise goes, it is not always safe for children to run around and play in urban neighboorhoods. I know this might not be the case for all neighborhoods but I am from NY and its hard to be active outdoors when you are worried about safety. I’ve seen for myself and know first hand from others who have experienced things that I can’t even mention being raised in NY and I think times are alot different then when I was growing up.
Aaron Noplaysoff Briggs says
I would like to know 1) was this the case workers first visit to this home or has this been occurring over a span of time and 2) is this a single parent household, before I can make any conclusions. One visit isn’t enough to make a decision such as this. However, I wonder what it was the case worker saw in the parent and environment that made her think this was right.
Pamela says
I think they just added fire to the situation and more trauma to that child and families life. How about getting the mother and child the support they need to flourish together?!
Kellyjamespro says
Not enough information to know if they were right or wrong. I remember seeing a special on television where the mother would feed her child 6 to 10,000 calories per day or he would cry. She had no control. In this case there definitely needs to be some type of intervention. Taking the child would of course be a last resort.
Jay Koldest Mille says
They should not have taken him out the home. Now he is going to eat more because he is depressed and misses his mom…. They should have helped her get him on a diet and exercise plan and if she was not doing it then thats neglect but she said she was trying. everyone knows its easier to put the weight on than it is to take it of
Shyreeta Mouzone Harris says
I think that taking the child should only have been done if the social worker felt that the mother did not care about the situation or did not see a problem. If the mother was doing all that she could and complying with the advice of medical personnel, why traumatize the family more by removing the child? And what if the child does not show weight loss progress while living with the foster family? Could they still conclude that being with the mother was the main contributing factor to the child’s problem?
No amount of apologies can make up for the loss of time together and the horrible experience the agency will have put the family through! As others have posted, I think a better response for a receptive and cooperative parent is to help them in any way possible, while keeping the family intact!
Katherine Phillips says
I think they should try to help her and the child before just removing him from the home. I can understand them taking him away if the mom had been told constantly to take him to the doctor and she hadn’t done it. To me there just isn’t enough information to go on. I want to know what steps they took to help this family.
statlab4 says
That is so wrong, what if the child suffered from some other medical condition, such as thyroidism? Does anyone care if the mother suffers from this and has a nervous breakdown? I feel sorry for our judicial system it has members sitting there with nothing else to do but ruin and traumatize young people minds. Keep it Moving and Keep Prayer forward.
Statlab4 says
so not right!!!!!!!!!!
a mother who ia concerned says
How did she let her 8 year old get that heavy without asking for some type of help? I have a child as well and I am very concerned about all aspects of her health so when I take her to the doctor I talk to him about things that concern me. If the mother had some type of documentation showing she at least tried to get some type of help for her child then maybe they wouldn’t have been taken away.
With that being said, I don’t think a child being removed from their home should be the first answer. She needs help understanding how her feeding habits and the child’s exercise habits are contributing to his health and then see what she does. If nothing is done then I completely agree that she is unfit.
Aprildishon says
Don’t they know that stressful situation and trumatic experiences (like being snatched away from your mother and school and family, etc)causes those who deal with overeating to EAT MORE! Idiotic!
Deborah says
I am a mother of 5 and I think it was very unfair for them to take him from his mother. I think it also was no reason for it. As a mother and a person that is always around kids I see that my kids and ther friends eat more then me but I am the one with love handles or alittle extra meat,lol … I just think they should help her gave a hand on it now that little boy wont want to eat and will be under weight because he is going to think eating is making him lose the ones he loves.