Fat Kids Really Tick Me Off

I went to Quiznos today for my favorite Classic Club on Wheat and my whole dining experience was completely ruined by sudden, seething anger! Why was I angry, you say? Well, there he stood. An African-American child no older than eight years of age and I swear he looked like a real life Fat Albert! I'm not saying this to make fun, only to bring to your mind a visualization.

I'm not kidding. This child had boobs and cankles! If you're not familiar with what cankles are, let me explain. Cankles are when your legs are so fat, your calfs go straight into your fat little feet without pausing to create an ankle.

Now, I'd like to clarify that it was not the child I was angry with. It was his parents (or grandparents...they did look a little old to have a child that age) that were the target of my anger. Here stands this obese young boy and his guardians are ordering him a meal of a sandwhich, a cream based soup (fattening), Lays potato chips (not even the low-calorie baked kind) and then, he had not one but TWO sodas! The sodas alone are the equivalent of 62 packages of pure sugar!

I wanted to scream! I wanted to slap his guardians. I wanted to call social services and report child abuse! Instead, I am writing this article. I think the British have it absolutely correct to treat childhood obesity as child abuse just the same as you would treat malnourishment (starvation) as child abuse.

A child's welfare is in the hands of his/her parent(s). It is up to the parent(s) to make sure they protect that child at all costs which includes NOT putting them at risk for cardiac, respiratory, and diabetic problems. Overfeeding a child will cause just as much bodily harm as underfeeding them will and parents need to be held accountable! Now, i understand that there might be a pre-existing condition such as slow thyroid or something else going on that contributes to the child being overweight, but if you, the parent, are in a fast food restaurant ordering deep fried foods and sugary sodas for that same child, then you are NOT helping him/her, only hurting. And as a parent, you should be ashamed!

I believe that parents have grown increasingly lazy about providing proper nutrition in the home and are using fast food for convenience as well as using it as a babysitter. It's just too easy to give a child an unhealthy, pre-packaged snack and tell them to go watch T.V. rather than peel an apple for them and then make them go outside for some physical activity.

I think it should become the norm to point out this disgrace in public and not only embarrass these lazy, nutritionally uneducated parents (yes, I'm ranting and this first suggestion is merely a reflection of my anger and not something I would actually do), but to also be free to report them to social services so a professional case worker, a Pediatrition and also a professional pediatric nutritionist can visit the home of the unfortunate child and begin to set things to rights. If the problem continues to persist even after the court has stepped in to monitor and also provide nutritional education training, then the parents should face jail time same as any other form of child abuse.

Kids do not know what is good for them and what is not. They do not understand that sweets are the exception (in moderation) and not the rule. Everything a child learns is from his parents. Therefore, if a child is either malnourished or obese, the parents need to be held legally accountable and steps need to be taken to correct this abuse.

If you agree with this article, feel free to pass it along to your local congressman! Something must be done to help protect children from the physical and also the emotional, and social complications associated with obesity.