Written by Jane Tucker | Wednesday, 01 July 2009 | There are 8 comments
the mother is possibly in need of more help and advice than her son
A woman in South Carolina has been arrested and charged with child neglect after her son continued to put on weight. The boy who was fourteen years old now weighs 555lb. and according to health care professionals and social workers he is in danger of serious health problems unless something is done quickly.
Ms. Jerri Gray had apparently been given a number of warnings and had even been offered obesity treatment to help the boy lose weight but none of these initiatives have been followed up. She claims that she was not able to afford the treatments that were recommended for her son. She has now been released from prison after a $50,000 bond was put up for her and said that she wanted her son back because he would need her at this time. The emotional anguish she is going through must be terrible.
This case will shock many parents who feel that it is completely wrong for children to be taken away from their parents because of obesity, however others will argue that parents have responsibilities and should therefore be held accountable before their children become dangerously obese.
At Ukmedix News we feel that in this case the mother is possibly in need of more help and advice than her son because she is obviously unable to cope with getting him to eat healthily. She said that because of her work she was not able to be at home and could not monitor his eating which led him to consume an unhealthy fast food diet.
Research has shown that parents who instill healthy eating habits into their children when they are very young are more successful at keeping them slim when they reach their teenage years. It is very difficult to modify teenage eating habits if they get used to them at an early age.
There are 8 comments on this article.
Annie said:
What total rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!! If you think you can control a fourteen year old child's eating you are wrong. I have an obese child we live in the USA and I cook healthy food and keep the refridgerator stocked up with good things for him to eat. HE GETS HIS EXTRA FOOD FROM HIS FRIENDS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO FEEL SORRY FOR HIM.
Larry said:
Just keep carrot sticks and celery in there.
Right, freinds and others spend hundreds feeding him.
Give me a break!
It's the parents fault plain and simple!
Linda said:
My daughter (and I...) are obese and we ONLY eat healthy foods! We just eat too much of them I guess, but we DON'T HAVE HEALTH ISSUES! Drs do not differentiate between being obes on healthy foods and being obese on junk foods. Its the latter that cause health issues like diabetes!
Shelly said:
The wrong sort of dieting also causes health issues. Lets get our perspective right, yes, parents are responsible however what do you do if people feel sorry for your children being 'deprived', they think, of what is wrongly considered normal food! My son went to school with healthy food in his lunch box and I later found out he used to trade it with friends for junk!! Are you Larry trying to say that that was my fault? You don't know what you are talking about.
Jenni said:
If your son's food was so healthy, why would other kids want it? If you and your child are obese but eat healthy, then exercise. This article is very good. Over 300,000 deaths each year are caused by obesity. If your child is obese and you're not doing anything about it, shame on you. If you're child is obese but you're only feeding him/her healthy foods they need to see a doctor.
Thanks for the great acticle!
Dr Jack said:
No thanks to you Jenni, condeming people is not the way to help them. Maybe you should take on a couple of obese children and see how you get on. Learn first and then give us your wise remarks!
Jenni said:
Thanks Dr. Jack. Actually my step daughter died last year from weight problems. She suffered from weight issues all of her life and finally diabetes took over. Her real mom also died from diabetes. When Kelsey (my step daughter) moved into my house I had her on every weightloss program I could think of. I spent thousands of dollars trying to get the weight off of her. I was an obese adolesent myself. I struggled all my life trying to fit in with the "popular, cute" girls. I know what it's like to be obese, and I know what it's like for a parent to have an obese child. I think I have learned. Dr. Jack, tell me how you're helping people with your snobish remarks?
Dr Jack said:
I am sorry Jenni that you have suffered so much. Anyone with obesity in the family will understand the pain the whole family go through. However I still mantain that encouraging and not condemming is the way forward.
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