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Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

General health

OBESE 8 YEAR OLD ON PANORMA

36 replies

chocolatekimmy · 26/02/2007 20:29

Incredible - poor boy.

The mum needs serious education about his health, she is an unfit mother in terms of his nutrition/general health.

And the smoking, the least she could do is smoke outside. She even had a fag in her mouth whilst cooking - Filthy.

OP posts:

Report

brandy7 · 27/02/2007 22:59

thanks lizziemum

starj · 27/02/2007 20:40

On BBC breakfast this morning they said that the mother claimed they had a family intolerance to fruit and vegetables!!!

lisad123 · 27/02/2007 20:20

I dont think 5foot 1 is too tall for a 8 year old. Im 5foot and the kids I used to work with loved saying they were nearly as, or were taller than me. It is a little on tal side, but not off scale.

Lisa

quietmouse · 27/02/2007 20:15

that's probably the best outcome atm for everybody. Lets hope the family can now get their act together for Connor's sake

gemmiegoatlegs · 27/02/2007 20:06

i didn't think they would remove him from his family as the focus is always on keeping families together, however dysfunctional they are. As for the eating, i totally agree with everyone who has said STOP BUYING THE CRISPS AND LARD. Of course you can't control every bit of food that passes your child's lips but we are the adults. We do the shopping. We have the money. An 8 year old can't realistically pop out for a kebab every night unless someone else permits and pays for it. As parents we have a duty to do our best for our kids in every respect.

lizziemun · 27/02/2007 19:58

brandy7

Have read bbc text tonight that they have decided that he will stay with the family for now, but is under a child protection order.

Sugarmagnolia · 27/02/2007 18:51

I felt sorry for the mum and the boy and a lot of admiration for the granmda for doing what she can for them - I can't imagine what things would be like if she wasn't around. I wonder how long the mum's been like that because the older sister was quite articulate and sensible. And although I was disgusted by what she fed him (and by house being full of crips and chocolate and by the state of the house...) I did wonder if there was something medically wrong with him as well. Did you not hear them say he's 5'1"? That's taller than me! Yes, he's grossly overweight but surely 5'1" is also off the scale for an 8 year old?

BLWisbest · 27/02/2007 16:15

The mum definatley has her own issues and was very obviously struggling.
It didnt really touch on what help she was recieving but she must have admitted that she had depression or they wouldn't have said so.
Really she should be offered some sort of help at home.

However
she isnt helping her son one bit. They said they won't put locks on the fridges, which to me seems ridiculous. The programme said he would steal food like biscuits and chocolate and hoard it. Why is it being bought to start with?
And the sister commented later about how his favourite food atm is curries. WHY BUY THEM!

They must know how big he was getting and that it wasnt right for him to be like that.

quietmouse · 27/02/2007 16:12

and her telling all the world, he has trouble washing his 'little bits'

DizzyBint · 27/02/2007 16:10

is this family being paid for all these interviews and tv shows they keep doing? i think it's awful how they're parading him about like this. they didn't need to to get help for him surely? i saw him on one show in nothing but his underpants with his gran struggling to get his socks on him. i just think what a poor boy, how incredibly degrading for him.

Nemo2007 · 27/02/2007 16:06

is this the family who were on the news about boy possibly going into care?

brandy7 · 27/02/2007 15:58

i wonder if theres any way of finding out what happened at the meeting today with the family and social workers etc. very sad story. the mum came across very well when interviewed even though she looked rough.

frances5 · 27/02/2007 14:25

I feel sorry for the mother. She is extremely ill and probably should be in hospital. It is called "care in the community".

Would you feel sympathy with some who couldnt cope with motherhood because they had cancer? Severe clinical depression can be as such a killer illness as cancer.

It is clear that the family are not coping, but it would be sad for the little boy to be taken into care. However I think that some kind of temporary shared care might benefit everyone including the mum.

quietmouse · 26/02/2007 21:32

the woman knew where she was going wrong. That was the thing. She was just to bloody lazy to change her ways.

Can't get over her laying in her bed with a fag whilst her child struggles out of bed and to get down the stairs

maybe he would be better living with the nan? Her place looked in a better state and at least she actually spoke to him and put some effort in with him.

The amount of food that child was eating is disgusting and not one healthy thing in sight.

brandy7 · 26/02/2007 21:29

counto10, what a lovely story and glad it had a happy ending,

hopefully when the family have the meeting tomorow they might give the mother the support to turn her life around and stop her feeding the poor boy into an early grave

CountTo10 · 26/02/2007 21:08

I didn't watch it but have heard about this. Dp's little bro had an obesity problem when he was younger. He was bullied and had a learning difficulty which led to insecurities and shutting himself away. This was not helped by the fact his mum was having a small nervous breakdown and his dad just used to spoil him rotten. I would go round and he'd be sat on the sofa with an 18 multipack of crisps that he'd sit and eat through the night. He was rude and withdrawn and used to suffer with panic attacks. Then he went to the doctors and was told that he had the heart/cholesterol etc of a middle aged man and he was only 13. This shocked his parents into getting a fitness trainer and he became home schooled and in the last 5 years the transformation has been amazing. He's in great shape, is so confident and sociable and now part of the Navy. I often wonder how he would have ended up if they hadn't been given that wake up call. It used to drive me mad but dp he used to say things all the time and he was ignored. Hopefully this boy will be saved in time otherwise this could be something that impacts the rest of his life.

chocolatekimmy · 26/02/2007 21:04

Sorry for the confusing title - it wasn't panorama was it - doh!

OP posts:

lisad123 · 26/02/2007 21:00

House was terrible mess, and so dirty. I saw his dinner, its what my hubby eats and his 6 foot tall and lifts weights (he does weigh 15 stone too)

Sorry I know she depressed but started a few years ago, looking at the pics that child has been overweight for atleast 6 years

Lisa

suejonez · 26/02/2007 20:59

I thought exactly the same MB - when thay said "he will be tested for hormone imbalance" - its the chips with everything thats causing it not any convenient hormone imbalance

Blandmum · 26/02/2007 20:57

I'll bet next months money it isn't hormonal. The kid is eating way too much crap. that is the source of the prolems

Blandmum · 26/02/2007 20:56

I can understand why the kid wouldn't wqnt to go to school, but as the amazingly sensible sister said, school is better for him because he can't eat crap there all day.

Mother is obviously ill, and needs support. There was writing on the walls, place was is quite a mess (over and above the normal mess that comes with having kids) all signs of depression.

Aloveheart · 26/02/2007 20:55

guess i missed that damn it

quietmouse · 26/02/2007 20:55

she's left it a bit bloody late to seek help, stupid, ignorant woman. Sorry if I sound heartless, I know she has depression but her house was a shit hole and her child obviously has problems, whether emotional or physical, I don't know.

Wouldn't you think she, one of her family, or someone involved with them, like HV, GP would have checked for a bloody hormone imbalance by now?

This makes me so angry and really sad for that boy.

suejonez · 26/02/2007 20:54

thought his sister seemed most sensible of the lot of them. Don;t think bunking off school is a symptom of PWS either. Many problems to be solved in that family not just eating.

fireflyfairy2 · 26/02/2007 20:53

Stupid party political broadcast here meant Trevor Mc Donald wasn't on

Hoping it will be shown at a later date!!

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