Change Sucks asked:


I can’t figure out where else to put this question, forgive me if it’s in the wrong place but it pertains directly to parents…
Why is it that society demonizes parents who malnurish/starve their kids BUT then at the same time we are supposed to turn a blind eye so we don’t offend parents who overfeed, causing small children to be sometimes upwards of 50 pounds or more overweight? Both are equally unhealthy, however the overweight child is more likely to just grow up and have many health problems-diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc and live with feeling like an outcast. Why do we treat either parent differently than the other? Both do severe damage to their children…
I’m just curious about your thoughts…

Thanks.
I have three children. By all means I let them have their share of “junk” foods, BUT, it’s in moderation. And yes, it’s hard to withstand the nagging of a child when they want another cookie, but I do because it’s not healthy to keep letting them have them… just saying because I think some would think I may not understand.
Also, in terms of the possibility that a child is just naturally “big boned”, that’s fine. But being a little more stocky is seperate from parents allowing their child to become overweight/obese.
As long as a parent feeds their child a predominantly healthy diet and their child gets daily activity/exercise, then there’s no beef. It’s the parents whose cart at the store is full of frozen pizzas, sodas, doritos, and fruit snacks with no sign of actual food and the parents and/or child is notably overweight.

Honestly, I’m not being insensitive, I’m genuinely curious.
I’m glad you pointed that out-not underweight in terms of being a little slim, but genuinely malnurished/starved.
Our youngest is actually VERY slim for her age/height. I actually try to feed her a little extra because it concerns me, but it’s not a medical problem. She’s just the way she is.

Both make me so sad to see/hear about. I trully believe both should be treated equally because both are equally dangerous, just in their own ways.
Pink-excellent point! Never thought of that… and it’s easier to force feed the underweight than to make drastic lifestyle changes when a person is overweight… wow, lightbulb moment!

Jessica