To have felt sad about this

[suniskissingmyface]

I work on Sunday mornings and I stopped at the BP garage to get petrol, it is one of those big supermarkets/subway stations as well as petrol.

There was a woman and toddler and I couldn't believe what she was buying, bear in mind this was before 8 on a Sunday. 3 packets of haring, a big cinema style packet of crisps and chocolate and a 2 litre bottle of Pepsi.

Both mum and daughter were obese, the little girl was only 3 or so.

I just felt sad, that little girl should have been enjoying a healthy breakfast instead of being am dragged out. The mum obviously had an addiction.

Yesterday I saw an obese mum and daughter (aged about 4). The obese kid was eating a huge bag of crisps as she walked along and the mum kept handing her a can of coke to swig.

I have also seen quite a few slim parents who have slim children doing the same thing.

Just out of curiousity, do you notice when it's slim people doing it? Or is it just when they're overweight that it's picked up on?

Do you eat everything you buy at a shop immediately? Just because it was early doesn't mean they were eating it early.

How pleasant of you to make judgement over other peoples bodies and then post on a forum about it.

It is sad seeing obese kids and my cousin was one of them. Thankfully her parents turned around all their eating habits before they all died a slow painful death. What people choose to feed their kids though is none of your business and it's not really fair to attack them like this. Everyone is well aware of the obesity problem across the UK

I kind of agree with you OP- although yes, usual disclaimers about not judging from a snapshot blah blah blah.

There are some extremely overweight children at the DDs school. It was quite frankly a bit upsetting to watch them struggle on Sports Day. I feel sad for them, and quite angry at the parents. I see it as a form of child neglect, and I don't think society should be shrugging it off.

all that junk food isn't good for anyone overweight or not.

But would people still be judging them (if they'd even noticed them at all) if they weren't overweight?

Also wondering whether haring is a typo for Haribo or something else altogether.

It doesn't sound like a healthy purchase, but the assumption that mum and daughter are off home to eat it all themselves isn't necessarily accurate. They could be taking it to a party to be shared among 30 people for all anyone knows.

If you'd actually seen the child being fed all that outside the petrol station then I'd agree you've got a point.

Out of interest, would it have made you feel sad if the mum and child were thin?

A parent once had a go at me on sports day regarding the weight that ds was apparently piling on. The headteacher dragged her away and showed her his medication list, whilst explaining all the side effects, so feel sad that they may be ill, feel sad that there may be health problems that you know nothing about. Don't judge.
The woman didn't apologise, in fact, she never spoke to me again. Strange.

Even if they were going to the cinema why can't people watch a film without eating a days worth of calories?

Poor child, imo it's abuse. Letting your child get fat in this day where we are educated and have choice. No excuse

But yes, they were maybe for a party or something, not necessarily for breakfast

So many 'obesity specialists' on MN, who'd've thunk it? I feel quite a minority only working for NASA as their top astronaut.

Being judgey only every makes those of pursed-lips feel better. It achieves nothing other than that. It may not be ignorant to judge but it is so very, very pointless.

The fact that this lady and her child are obese makes it a different story to whether people would judge her shopping basket.

Didn't you say that all that junk food would be bad for you regardless of whether you're overweight or not?

Well I wonder if the OP is getting the sort of replies they wanted.....

Yes Toads I do also judge if they are slim. I am extra sad if they are obese though because the child is being condemned to a lifetime of weight issues.

And just for clarity LyingWitch, I lecture on childhood obesity and hold advanced qualifications in Obesity and Weight management so yes, I can call myself an obesity specialist.

Perhaps, Sally but then again you might be an astronaut too. Anybody can be anything online, can't they? I'm not saying that you're not but I personally think that specialists in this field wouldn't attempt to professionally engage with a goady thread. I'd never declare my specialisms because they're not relevant on a chatboard where everybody is unverified beyond typing in a password and picking a username.

its pretty hard to see obese people eating crappy food like this

Really? You have no idea why people are fat!

You know when I see the usual alcoholics down my high street drinking cans of cider at 8am, I feel sorry for them! I wonder what could have gone wrong in their lives to make drinking alcohol at that time seem so appealing.

I'm a fat fuck, and have been since having dd1 12 years ago. I've tried so many fricking diets that I'm sick to the back teeth of them. I've decided to embrace who I am now. I'm sick and tired of being made to feel like less of a person because I don't conform to society's idea of what it is to be "normal". I eat loads of crap some days, and other days I'll eat hardly anything, then some days I'll eat really well it depends on my appetite that day. And FWIW I've not long had a shit load of blood tests and I'm as healthy as they come.

My kids are skinny as anything. They just seem to have their dad's skinny genes. Both have huge appetites, but I limit the amount of crap they eat. DD1 has been on a health kick for months now and hasn't been anywhere near sugar or fatty carbs at all, wish I had her willpower. DD2 has a sweet tooth and has to be limited in her sugar intake.

I wasn't specifically picking up on you being a specialist in obesity, Sally, actually. It was more the pile-in judgemental posters that I was doing a little 'point and laugh' at.

I once got judged and tutted at because DH and I were eating McDonald's breakfasts and baby DS was happily chomping away at bits of hash brown and muffin. "That's all that poor baby is having for his breakfast". That poor baby had been roundly stuffed with porridge some hour or so earlier, of course - never met a baby yet who could wait until after 9 for breakfast! Well, it made them feel superior.

red it's pretty obvious why a 3year old is fat.... Honestly, mumsnet would have you believe that 99% of obesity is medication related!

Thanks LyingWitch. I understand and wouldn't normally engage with a thread like this but it is something close to my heart.

Has the OP just started this thread then gone to work?