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AIBU?

cricket-playing girl (11) and 'fat letter'

97 replies

morningtoncrescent62 · 12/02/2018 11:43

This morning's BBC Breakfast featured an item where sad-faced Daisy and her mother talked about receiving a letter from the school saying she was overweight. Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of these letters, AIBU to think it's horrendous to see a girl of this age being asked to talk about her distress about her body image on national TV? These are really sensitive issues, and I can't imagine it's helping her to be in the media spotlight. The presenters were as kind to her as they could be, but she was monosyllabic, head down, throughout. Surely there are better ways that this issue could have been brought to media attention without the public shaming of an 11-year-old?

I can't find the BBC Breakfast item but here she is on her local news.

OP posts:

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Ummmmgogo · 12/02/2018 11:44

poor thing has fame hungry parents bless her

Musicalstatues · 12/02/2018 11:48

I hold the mother entirely responsible!! Her daughter is overweight. Why she felt the need to share what was in the letter with her in the first place rather than just trying to do something about it is beyond me. And then presumably she has contacted the press re this. Entirely down to her. Poor child.

Cheby · 12/02/2018 11:49

This is entirely the fault of her parents! They showed her the damned letter, and they allowed her to become overweightnin the first place. FFS, what did they think was going to happen?

They could have seen then letyer as a wake up call, quietly binned it, and started making some diet and lifestyles adjustments. But no, humiliate your kid, shatter her self esteem and plaster her on tv. Bloody awful behaviour.

LemonBreeland · 12/02/2018 11:53

Agree with everyone else. She is overweight! Her parents should not have showed her the letter, and they should be trying to do something about it.

upsideup · 12/02/2018 11:56

100%, I will not be consenting for any of my children to be weighed at school. The mum could of dealt with this so much better, poor girl.

athingthateveryoneneeds · 12/02/2018 11:56

There's no way I would ever subject my child to national scrutiny. What idiots!!

MaisyPops · 12/02/2018 11:57

Child is overweight. The parents could have taken the letter as a prompt to look at the habits they are teaching their child, maybe try to make some dietary changes to the benefit of all and never mention the letter.

Sadly, the poor child has fame hungry parents who are probably the same types who'll be in the local press with thwir best compo face/sad face (preferably holding a letter or some other offending item) if/when they don't like something at school in due course.

kyrenialady · 12/02/2018 11:58

I agree dd had a letter saying she was overweight, she doesn't look it but hey ho. I never told her, didn't feel the need to tell the bbc. I encouraged her to sign up to the cross country club at school that she fancied going to and she now does that a few days a week.

Rebeccaslicker · 12/02/2018 12:04

Her mum must be in some serious denial. Poor kid. Her mum should have taken it as a warning sign and quietly changed her diet to up protein and veg and reduce any treats and encouraged more exercise.

Lots of kids are overweight and it sets them up for a lifetime of poor health. Don't be offended by it; accept that it's happened and try to remedy it! Parents are notoriously poor at noticing their kids are overweight, apparently.

SweetMoon · 12/02/2018 12:06

Poor kid, she is a bit overweight and I agree her parents should be addressing this instead of taking her on tv, poor thing. What were they thinking?

floriad · 12/02/2018 12:09

Why did they tell her about the letter? Instead of trying to change her (and most likely the whole family's...) lifestyle? Encouraging her to play more cricket (instead of making her feel so horrible that she stopped playing cricket...?)

Exposing her to this kind of scrutiny is horrible!!

KayaG · 12/02/2018 12:10

Awful mother.

BlindLemonAlley · 12/02/2018 12:11

Such caring and thoughtful parents to take their child on national tv to discuss a personal health matter. The poor girl will be lucky if she’s not bullied as a result. It’s not the letter that’s the problem, it’s the parents.

Dagnabit · 12/02/2018 12:11

I said the exact same thing to my husband this morning - that poor girl. I don't necessarily agree with the letters, my own ds was deemed overweight it was less than a pound, he pooed it out but that girl is clearly overweight and I'm not sure parading her on tv is particularly helpful in this case. The mother obviously wants her 15 minutes of fame regardless of the effects on her daughter.

paxillin · 12/02/2018 12:15

Good grief, poor child is going to start secondary having been on BBC with this!

HollyBayTree · 12/02/2018 12:18

I dont understand parents signing the consent form for their child to be weighed. I didn't. My children are not a part of any Blarite government drive.

WreckTangled · 12/02/2018 12:23

Yeah six height and weight is opt out rather than signing consent. The mother would have received a letter with a form allowing he to opt out.

The mother is awful, poor girl.

kaitlinktm · 12/02/2018 12:24

I feel sometimes that subjecting your child to this sort of media scrutiny is a form of abuse.

Trailedanderror · 12/02/2018 12:26

I haven't watched the programme, but why on earth did they show her the letter or drag her on TV?

Queuejumper · 12/02/2018 12:26

People have lost sight of what kids are meant to look like.

Fucking stupid parents, telling her and then the rest of the country.

gillybeanz · 12/02/2018 12:31

Poor child, the parents and media are wrong in this.
I think the school are right to inform parents if their children are overweight. At 11 it's likely to be puppy fat anyway, but no harm in telling parents so they'll make sure they are eating healthily.

UnimaginativeUsername · 12/02/2018 12:32

I have no problem with my children being weighed. Neither is overweight but, if they were and I hadn’t realised, I’d like to know so that I could make some changes to what I feed them and how much exercise they’re getting.

IHATEPeppaPig · 12/02/2018 12:32

Poor girl, I entirely blame the parents in this instance:

Why even tell her that thy received a letter, let alone show her. THIS is the reason for the loss in confidence.

She is clearly overweight and the parents need to manage that.

I don't agree with weighing in school and letters home such as these( and my children certainly won't be) but in this case the parents are fully to blame for this poor girls issues.

UnimaginativeUsername · 12/02/2018 12:33

I can’t think why you’d show the child and call it a ‘fat letter’ though. Thats never going to be helpful.

GrannyGrissle · 12/02/2018 12:33

Oh well she's pretty much guaranteed an eating disorder now. Marvellous parenting right there.

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