The number of overweight children is at an all time high and the numbers are increasing. Strategies to reverse this disturbing trend must be created and put into action. One strategy would be to imprison the parents of overweight children, as you would the parent of any child being abused.
Overweight Children are Victims of Child Abuse
Child abuse can be broken down into four distinct groups: child neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. The most dangerous and the most reported of the four is child neglect. According to the MedTerms Medical Dictionary, child neglect is defined as the failure to provide for the shelter, safety, supervision and nutritional needs of the child.
Parents of overweight children fail to provide:
- Nutritional needs - Children need to not eat too many calories, grams of "bad" fats, or grams of "bad" carbohydrates.
- Supervision - What and when a child is eating should be supervised.
What types and how much physical activity a child is getting should also be supervised.
- Safety - Not controlling the habits of a child can have multiple health consequences in the present and in the future.
But it's Not Malicious
Allowing a 3 year-old to play outside alone is not the same as hitting them with a car. However, if they run into the middle of the street and are hit by a car, the parent should still be blamed. The parent did not have bad intentions, but they were irresponsible. Parents have control over what and how much their children eat. Allowing a child to become and stay overweight is just as bad as force-feeding them unhealthy foods.
But The Parents Don't Know Any Better
Many of the parents of overweight children are overweight themselves. They do not understand the health consequences of being overweight, or do not know how to lose weight themselves. Ignorance is not an excuse.
Is it acceptable for a smoker to allow their under-age child to smoke?
Maybe They Deserve Parole
Allowing a child to become and stay overweight is child abuse. However, I do not feel these parents should be jailed. I was an overweight child and I do not think my parents should have been placed in prison. However, something should be done to make parents accountable, because the children cannot help themselves.
