Does anyone else find it very sad and depressing that this op is now being considered for kids?

Yes I saw this earlier on and find it incredible :(

Why is it they cannot prosecute the parents as IMHO in alot of cases it is abuse :(

Most of these chidren need proper counselling and support rather than having their stomachs stapled :rolleyes:

They did say on the TV this morning that it would only be for post-pubescent children and also only those who it would be life-saving

Daisy

Yes.

I find it very depressing that parents allow their children to get so overweight in the first place. A cousin on my ex husbands side has 2 very big children and still allows them to scoff food and take no exercise

If kids are fat, it is always the parents fault IMHO!

It isnt always the parents fault.  My sister used to hide what she ate - would use dinner money, bus fares any money she could from her saturday job and used to spend it on sweets and cakes and hide all the evidence.  She is 44 now and still does it - you go to visit and she hides packets of sweets down the back of the cushions and every now and again you see her hand go round the back and grab a sweet and pop it in her mouth.

I still think that stomach stapling should not be done on children - would they really understand the implications of eating too much and how much they could hurt themselves...

Maxine

It's a very sad situation where yet again we are treating the symptoms and not the cause.  A girl was on TV this morning who had the band op to reduce the size of her stomach and yet her mother sat there and said they had kept food diairies and couldn't find anything to indicate that she was eating anything wrong.  The girl started putting on weight very quickly from the age of 8 which is too young to be trotting off to the shops on her own so her mother knew of everything she was eating.  I couldn't understand how the mother thought the daughter wasn't eating too much and yet accepted that the operation would help her lose weight, which it is.  Obviously the mother wasn't feeding her properly or didn't know what she was eating.

In reply to Maxine.......If your sister had a Saturday Job, she wasn't a 'kid'!  :)  As I said, "if kids are fat, it is their parents' fault"  :)

Children can legally work from the age of 13 and work 12 hours per week during term time and upto 25 hours per week during holidays so in theory they are still kids :)

It's that old thing called responsibility again here isn't it?
Karen

If kids are fat, it is always the parents fault IMHO!

I honestly think that comment is very narrow minded indeed.

People are over weight including kids for far more reasons than greed or poor parenting.

Parents are responsible for their kids 100% but life isn't always just cut and dry..

I am for one against the ops but I would never out right blame someone for everything.

I do think its important that parents take responsibility for the size of their children though... if kids are fed a balanced diet, and get plenty of exercise and are still overweight - then they should be take to the docs to for appropriate tests IMO.

Parents are responsible for their childrens' well-being which, amongst other things, includes feeding them a well balanced, healthy, diet and seeing that they take regular exercise.  If they are doing that and their children are still getting fat, they should check the reason for it before they get to the 'obese' stage..........that is what 'being a responsible parent' is!  :) 

>If kids are fat, it is always the parents fault IMHO!

At home it is but there are situations where parents have no control.  Schools have to take some responsibility and I don't mean the teachers I mean the department that runs the catering and the Councils who keep selling off playing fields.  When my kids were at primary school I had a couple of stand ups with the Head Teacher who didn't believe in competitive sport, he banned tag games because he thought they were dangerous and in the latter years my kids were there he banned football at playtimes.  I asked him if thought there was a connection in banning the sports stuff and the increased incidences of bullying?  Grrr! When he employed a male teacher (hurrah) and made him head of sport, the guy had been there a few months and remarked on trying to get some goal posts for the sports lessons.  It took my son and his friend to pipe up and tell him where the goals posts were (locked up in a garage behind the school and brought out for sports day only) Grrr

hang on my soap box is under the desk

When my daughter started secondary school and I gave her money for dinner I had no idea that the schools had sweets vending machines.  Here is a child who sees eating as a necessary evil and who suddenly thought that all her Christmases had come at once.  As for the dinners at school my kids thought they were rubbish and from they told me they were and from we know from Jamie Oliver they definitely were.  My kids had the choice of taking sandwiches and even if they just had a snack they always had a proper dinner when they came home and no picking in between.  However, for kids whose families are on low incomes the school dinners might be the only dinner they get that day and so responsibility of providing a healthy diet is all but taken away from the parents.

One thing that has always bugged me is the waste of school sports equipment.  Equipment that sometimes comes out for lessons but not often enough IMO.  Big classes are resigned to group activities where taking turns in a large group means that not much exercise is taking place at all.  I would like to see kids being allowed more access to the facilities outside school hours.  Much rather see money spent of paid supervision than stomach stapling.

soap box pushed back under desk

I agree Carla that as a parent these factors are vital and important and a major part of parenting, I have to watch my daughter's weight very closely and I do   BUT I think a statement so blunt as;

If kids are fat, it is always the parents fault IMHO! 

is not only blunt but incorrect. Believe me I come from a family with eating disorders from one extreme to another and can assure you that eating problems are not solved with just good parenting.  My parents I believe were model parents but have 2 children with eating disorders.

Not something I am going to get into a debate about but the blaze comment just took me back.

Blue.......You are as entitled to your opinion as I am! :)

Eating disorders are definitely on the increase but I assume that when we discuss obesity we are talking generally about a national problem related to poor diets rather than psychological problems.  Although the two are closely linked I wouldn't say that most obese people have an eating disorder as such.

I do think that saying that parents are solely to blame is a sweeping statement and judgmental.  Unfortunately, too many people are quick to blame the parents (usually mothers) for everything child related even when there is obviously some underlying social thing going on.

I think you have pretty much hit the nail on the head CherylS on your points :)  Good post.

>I do think that saying that parents are solely to blame is a sweeping statement and judgmental

Agreed!  I think most sweeping statements show an intolerance or inability to to empathise with individuals (TBH I'd have said "ALL sweeping statements......" but then that would be one too :D )  

I'd like to comment on this thread but won't for various reasons - but totally agree that it is a very sweeping and thoughtless statement :(

Daisy

OH and I were talking about this on the way into work. We thought the money would be better spent on funding fat camps run by the NHS where severely obese children could go for a month to kick start their weight loss. Everyone can lose weight; some easier than others but in a controlled environment these kids would have a chance at success. Hopefully the success would encourage them to continue with a healthier lifestyle. Seems such a shame to do something so drastic, and so permanent, to a child. :-(

The trouble with 'fat camps' is that if the parents do not continue with the regime when the children get home, they will be back to square one within a very short time.  So, really, we are back to Parental Responsibility again!

That sounds like a really good idea Lori.  If kids could go to such places and lose weight and actually enjoy being less heavy and more active, they might change their lifestyle for the better permanently.  I think the idea of stomach stapling kids is horrific and the operation itself is very risky with lifelong implications.  It also doesn't necessarily mean that people will lose and keep off weight in the longer term as eating habits still need to change.

educashon! edjewcashun! edukaytion! education.... :) ;)

As well as agreeing with most of the above posts re the lifestyle that children live today I would also like to see a curb on teh number of  fast food establishments that literally litter our high streets. As well as all that can be done in the home to support our children and encourage healthy eating and active lives I think there should also be controls on the numbers of fast food outlets in any one area - the government have implemented smoking in public laws as a means to improving the health of the nation, they operate a licencing system to control the sale of alcohol so I can see no reason why there shouldn't be more control over fast food outlets either. Perhaps the food containers should also carry a health warning "excessive indulgence in food of this type can cause obesity and seriously damage your health".

>educashon! edjewcashun! edukaytion! education....

It is the only way.  IMO by giving a big media coverage to the stapling method for children, even a small minority of severe cases, we are sending the wrong messages to people in general. Someone I know was diagnosed with high blood pressure.  It's hardly surprising as she's been overweight for years, gets through quite a lot of alcohol each day and even though she swears she doesn't eat much her cooking contains a lot of fat in the form of full fat cream, cheese and yet more alcohol (first hand experience). On top of all that she drives everywhere and I mean everywhere door to door.  Rather than change her lifestyle she said "Oh, I jerst go to the dohcteur (she's French) and he can give me a pill".  In other words she will not take responsibility for her own health and this seems to be the attitude of many people today.

"though she swears she doesn't eat much her cooking contains a lot of fat in the form of full fat cream, cheese and yet more alcohol (first hand experience). On top of all that she drives everywhere and I mean everywhere door to door.  Rather than change her lifestyle she said "Oh, I jerst go to the dohcteur (she's French) and he can give me a pill".  In other words she will not take responsibility for her own health and this seems to be the attitude of many people today. "

Has anyone heard of the Xenical? I have been overweight for years and it was begining to affect my health. Xenical is perscribed by my doctor and it stops 1/3 of your fat intake thus you loose weight - slowly but steadyily and it teaches you to watch how much fat you eat because the fat actually passes out of you as oil and beleive me you learn not to eat fatty foods very very quickly. maybe the lady in quotes should ask her docter for this pill !!

Seriously though this method would be better for the kids from a  "too much fat is bad for you" education than the stomach bands which seem so radical.

Some people are not interested in stopping their chosen eating habits though, only in an antedote for the health problems it causes. This French lady fries sausages in butter (I ask you :rolleyes:)

My son was offered this by doctor just yesterday!
He was disgusted at the idea.....
Sounds like you would recomend it?
He is 6'4 and now over 20stones...we and he knows that he simply eats too much, so following what you say i will try and persuade him to think again.
He is 20 and pleases himself now.
Karen

Trouble is, as I understand it, stomach stapling just stops you being able to eat as much as before.  However, if you continue to eat the wrong kind of food you can still put on weight, though presumably at a slower rate.  Think anyone considering this type of op needs to be fully aware of all the implications.

NOPE>>>I just wish I was a kid!

Putting my tin hat on....again
If the parents arent to blame,then who is,someones got to be at fault here??  So when i see a fat mum with her even fatter child waddling behind her,both shovelling cream cakes down their throats,it's not her fault her child is also fat?? Thats what angers me the most! When i see obese parents and their children are equally as fat and well on their way to being obese adults just like mum :(

A few years ago my son was putting on a little too much weight for mine and his liking,it was MY fault as i was the one who was buying the sweets and chips that was in our pantry,he wasnt doing the grocery shopping each week,his "parents" were.SO i started sending him to school with healthy sandwiches,substituted the junk in our cupboards for healthier food and he lost the weight and is now fit and healthy,had I continued on ignorantly he would no doubt be a porker  right now :(
Even if kids eat healthy at home and buy the junk themselves with their own money,wouldnt they need an awful lot of money to buy enough food everyday to become overweight?

It's up to the parents to educate their kids on healthy eating from day 1,and to lead by example by eating healthily and exercising themselves. My son IMHO plays too much sport,but this is what he wants as he says he needs to stay fit and in shape,his dad also is a sports nut :rolleyes:

Ask yourself these questions:

If it's soley the parents fault then why is obesity a growing national problem? 

Aren't there factors that have changed attitudes of many people in recent years? 

What are these factors and have they come about because of parents or are there outside influences not controlled by parents?

Ultimately, the parents have to adjust the children's lifestyles but I don't believe that all of a sudden a generation has decided started eating too much and not take exercise.

My children took packed lunches to school but one of them used to swap his lunch around with other kids.  My kids were lucky in that I was able to afford to ferry them about to various gym, jujitsu, swimming, dance clubs etc. (still ferrying son around for football).  Because they were encouraged to do sport it motivated them to participate at school and at home in the form of outside play.  Unfortunately, many kids only get exercise at school (nowhere near the amount it used to be) because both parents work full-time or because some parents just can't afford it or haven't got the transport. Many parents are too frightened to let their children play outside.  My neighbours are a perfect example. The 3 children are not allowed outside our cul-de-sac of 7 houses even though the park is no more than half a minute's walk and even though the oldest children are 11 and 12 years old.

Ask yourself this....What is wrong with the said parents walking to the park with their three children and playing football or ball games with them?

My children eat healthy food but they also eat junk food, I am fed up with the school telling the children they cant eat any junk food and it got to the stage where Matthew was asking if everything he was given to eat contained and fat or sugar and checking the label on everything to check the contents of everything. He is underweight but healthy as he is active all the time. Maybe instead of just telling them that they can only eat healthy food they could point out that exercise is really important. I know that there are other factors other than parent for children being fat but the amount of children at our school who dont get any exercise other than pe at school is unbelievable. I think because I exercise it is easier to get my children to. 

Looking at this from another angle - if a child was severely undernourished, the authorities would, quite rightly, be questioning the parents ability to look after him or her. And it's quite likely that such a child would be placed on a child protection register.  Are similar approaches taken in the case of very overweight children ? 

Equally we condemn people who allow their pets to become obese.  Surely we can draw a parallel here?

I do belive it is wrong for parents to allow their children to become obese I just dont belive that every obese child is as a result of bad parenting.

As the original thread mentioned stomach stapling I still cant see why that would be a good idea - the exercise option is definitely the best for their health and for their social skills.

Maxine