Comments on: Call Fat Kids Fat, Docs Say

By: The Daily Dish

The Daily Dish — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 03:40:39 +0000

[...] James Joyner sees the sense in tough love for fat kids. Megan McArdle isn't buying all the obesity hype. [...]

By: Cambel

Cambel — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:29:47 +0000

Parents, feed your children anything you want to, let them sit around the house and play video games, keep buying them larger and larger clothing.

But don't get upset when the doctor tells you they are obese. It isn't the doctor's fault that you are a lazy parent unwilling to do your job.

By: ness

ness — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:27:58 +0000

errr...mark....you actually called him "stupid"...not dumb... That's so..ummm...unfortunate. ;)

By: Gay Orbit » Fat Kids Are F-A-T

Gay Orbit » Fat Kids Are F-A-T — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:12:31 +0000

[...] them “big-bhoned” or “big for their age” is ignoring the problem and letting the kids think they’re at least somewhat normal. They’re not. They’re at risk forfrom heart disease, to diabetes, to ridicule. Doctors should deal with parents bluntly. I’m not advocating calling kids names. I’m advocating telling parents the truth about their kids.fat and it’s almost completely the parents’ fault (via James) [...]

By: mark

mark — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:10:13 +0000

It's pretty stupid to assert that children were thinner overall in your generation because of the names they were called. There, you see? I didn't coddle you by saying your entry was "perhaps not considering all the evidence." I just went and called you dumb. How advanced we are, huh?

By: just me

just me — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:15:22 +0000

I agree with you that there are more fat kids today.

When I was in grade school, there were about 50 kids in my grade, one was definitely fat, the other was kind of fatish, but not truly fat. Those were the only two, until middle school, when we maybe had 4 out of 60 kids.

I work in a second grade classroom-in our classroom of 20 there are three fat kids and a couple of more that while not really fat, are on the pudgy side. Out of a grade of 120, I would be willing to bet about 20 of them are fat, and another 15-20 would be well above average and on the pudgy side.

I think it is an epidemic-I think a few things contribute-kids spend a lot more time playing video games and watching TV than I did as a kid, and I think parents are a lot less likely to let kids have as much freedom as I did as a kid. When I was 12 my best friend and I would ride our bikes about 4 miles to the swimming pool every day during the summer, spend the day swimming and ride the 4 miles home. I don't know that I would allow my 12 year old to do that (although she is very active in other ways).

I also think we try a bit too hard to coddle kids and protect their self esteems-and while I wouldn't advocate kids picking on the fat kid (something else that is really a thing of the past in grade school-almost nobody gets bullied for their weight), I think doctors and other involved professionals should call a spade a spade when discussing concerns with parents.

By: C.Wagener

C.Wagener — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:27:52 +0000

There really are an extraordinary number of fat kids nowadays, often raised by thin parents.

I'm sure all parents out there have witnessed not just the after game snack, but the half time fruit snack. No kid could possibly survive an hour without caloric intake. Then there are kids routinely drinking "diet" products, helping to train their brain that sweet and calories aren't linked. And electronics ... and of course Bush/Cheney/Haliburton.

By: TJIT

TJIT — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:21:49 +0000

I look forward to the next health scare courtesy of the nanny state.

That will be an epidemic of anorexia caused by all of the kids responding to being called fat.

Give it a few years it will probably happen.