Parents of obese child arrested

[WildThong]

I'm not sure what I think of this. It seems they are 'known' to social services and have had previous contact about this. It must be awful for the child. For the school and doctors to have contacted social services again they must have been very concerned.
here

[AuntieStella]

There's some bad reporting going on here. BMI of 41 is healthy for a child (that bit of the BBC article was a quotation from The Sun), and the boy is 11 (so presumably still on child stats, not post-pubescent ones)

But there is bound to be a significant unreported back story.

[AuntieMaggie]

I was talking about this to dp last night - on the one hand they need to protect the child and it looks like the authorities have tried hard to deal with the issue before this but on the other hand it will be the child that suffers having been taken away. So sad.

[AuntieMaggie]

They said on the radio yesterday his bmi was 50 something

[RoganJosh]

I don't think a BMI for a child is ok to be 41.

[AuntieStella]

I've just reworked this using the NHS children's BMI centile (the one you get in the letters following the national measuring programme) and he is over 99th (I had to guess a birthdate, so it might be slightly out).

It doesn't specify how far over, as that is the maximum reading on that scale, but if you look at the charts linked to the article, to be 95kg is an intervention point for doctors until a child is at least age 15 (and so likely to be considerably taller) and even then it's high 90s weight centile.

[MrsWinnibago]

Apparently there has been ongoing issues with his parents not listening to advice and not changing things for this boy. I think in certain instances, police involvement is correct. If every avenue has been exhausted and the parents are not heeding dietary advice then it's neglect.

Instead of picking over his BMI I think it's reasonable to assume he's seriously obese.

[Sirzy]

There is obviously a lot more to this that 'just' the obesity. There has to come a point where if a family is being supported and is not taking that support and making a difference where action needs to be taken.

[MrsWinnibago]

It seems there's an astounding amount of ignorance going on. His Mother is quoted as saying

"His weight isn't that much of a big deal. I'm chubby and the whole of my husband's side of the family is big. It's genetics – you can be genetically fat."

And his Father "He's always been big. He was born with shovels for hands and spades for feet. Everyone on my side of the family is big, there's nothing we can do about it."

They apparently tried to encourage him to play active games on his Wii.

So the parents seem to have had a lack of education related to food, diet in general and exercise and also to be in denial...even though there is police involvement she thinks it's a genetic problem...and he thinks that it's hereditary and they can't do anything about it.

I suspect there are thousands of people like this...blaming their child's weight problems on "genetics" and not on what they are eating and doing. He is apparently 15 stone and "very obese". I'm sure the police wouldn't intervene if he was "on the big side" or "large boned" would they now?

[keepyourchinupdear]

There's no excuse for a child to be that obese. It's neglect - no doubt about that!

[TucsonGirl]

An 11 year old boy that is 5'1 tall cannot be 15 stone due to "genetics". His parents are obviously feeding him rubbish and not making him get enough exercise. Fuck "encouraging him to play active games on the Wii", sell the Wii, and get him playing football, cricket, rugby, or anything else that actually requires going outside and getting sweaty through physical exertion.

[MrsWinnibago]

That's their ignorance Tuscan...at best....at worst it's complacency and laziness.

[Joules68]

It's sad to see, but I notice do many overweight children.... Nearly always the parent is overweight too.

[Sirzy]

I think that's the sad thing. I was obese when I had DS and was determined I would do everything I could to stop him following the same way, that was what led me to change my habits and relationship with food. It wasn't easy but it was the best motivation possible!

[5madthings]

This family are localish to us. The boys is the same ahe as my ds2 I ccannot imagine ds2 getting to be that size!

There is obviously more to the story.

I hope the boy now gets the help he needs.

[Icimoi]

There will inevitably be a massive backstory. A relative of mine teaches in Year 5 and has a child in her class who is massive. It appears that her parents are out at a relative's house every evening leaving her in the care of her old brother who basically lets her do what she wants, and what she wants is mostly eating everything she can find in the kitchen. Because of her size she has panic attacks if she goes on something like an escalator as she can't see her feet, so special arrangements have to be made for her on school trips. No-one makes her wash and sometimes she smells very bad. There have been endless meetings with her parents, social services has been involved and has said that they may have no choice but to take her into care, but so far nothing has worked. However, the child is still in her parents' care.

So for the child in the news to be taken into care, the circumstances must have become so extreme as to amount to serious neglect, and everything possible will have been done to avoid this.

[TheFairyCaravan]

There has to be a back story it this.

However, being 15 stone at 11 can not be healthy. I hope the little boy, and hopefully his parents, get the help they need.

[Strictly1]

Icimoi I would ask for your post to be removed as you have revealed too much. What your relative has told you is confidential. I agree with what you've said - just don't want anyone getting into trouble.

[lljkk]

"Police apparently stepped in after doctors warned they were concerned about the boy's health after he was treated twice in the space of a month."

[parents] "wanted a wet room installed" by social services at cost of £2k.

"The couple had signed up to a voluntary plan to tackle the boy’s weight when they were threatened with legal action earlier this year, but it brought no improvement."

So it is affecting his health & daily life & the parents seem to be complacent. What will it take for them to change, I wonder.

Pictures here, sorry Daily M link. But also details how the parents have sabotaged the boy's supposedly strict diet. The lad also has SN, that article says.

[WildThong]

"A social services report is said to record that he fell over during a school swimming session and was unable to stand up by himself."

Poor wee soul, he must have been mortified. Really his parents need to take a long hard look at themselves.

[lljkk]

There's a widespread quote from the mother with words to the effect that his weight is no big deal. They really aren't getting it. :(

[TheFairyCaravan]

It's so sad for him.

[HermioneWeasley]

From what I can see on here, the parents are hugely neglectful. They have probably already done him significant health damage

[Icimoi]

Strictly, I have deliberately changed some details so that the information is not in any way identifiable.

[Pixel]

There's some bad reporting going on here. BMI of 41 is healthy for a child (that bit of the BBC article was a quotation from The Sun), and the boy is 11 (so presumably still on child stats, not post-pubescent one)

AuntieStella surely not? I just put the age, height and weight reported into the NHS BMI calculator and it came up with
The results suggest the child measured is obese for their age and height

According to the Mail the parents told the Sun that they 'encourage him to play sport by firing a toy gun in the garden'. In whose world does that count as sport? Poor boy, I feel so sorry for him, he's not getting much of a childhood.

[ouryve]

Aunti Stella - you appear to be confusing BMI and centiles. 15 stone is not an OK weight for anyone of any age at 5'1. It's pushing it at 6'1.