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UK Mother Sent Warning Letter for "Overweight" Child

Coeur

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1. That is the cutest kid I've ever seen.
2. I think that the mother overreacted a little. I mean, I see how it is innaccurate and offensive, but no real harm came from it. I'm sure it wasn't personal.
3. We shouldn't focus on weight, but health. Feeling inadequete leads to eating disorders. Striving for health leads to good habits.
 

Kangirl

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RSFMT (Rajah speaks for me too)!

There is actually a huge debate going on in the UK regarding this issue of schools getting involved in the issue of pupil's weight, which is probably why the Daily Mail published this article.

I'm with Rajah tho, this is simply NOT anyone's business but the kid's and the parent's. I, like some other UK parents, would refuse to allow any child of mine to be weighed at school.
 

Edgar

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I don't care if the kid really was truly overweight - why are the schools getting involved in this?

And there's no way of doing this that keeps these kids from being further marginalized. I'd even say if you think there is, you haven't actually been overweight and you don't get what these kids are feeling. These kids and these parents are well aware of the kids' differences. All this does is (further) embarrass the kids.
.
Meh.

You never seen a fat family dine in a fast food joint?
I see fat people encouraging their fat kids to gorge all the time
 

d@v3

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Oh come on guys, we all know it wasn't an "automated" letter. Edgar wrote it!


In all seriousness though, this is probably the future of world governments, I mean, them controlling our bodies. :yes: Soon there won't be any "encouragement" to be healthy, they will just FORCE you to be healthy instead. Oh well...
 

Laurie

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I have "underweight" to "average" (with a little tummy) children and they are all healthy. I would be so pissed to get a letter like this.
 

Lexicon

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I realize that particular child's case may not have merited a letter home to mom about his weight [he seemed healthy to me].. but overall, I'm not surprised schools are getting involved like this. If a child showed up to class looking increasingly thin/malnourished [& actually most overweight kids are literally malnourished as well; deficient in many nutrients essential for overall growth & development], I'm guessing the school would not hesitate to take the initiative to contact the parents. If a child came into school with any other signs of abuse or neglect, I would expect the faculty/staff to get involved. I'm sure most people would be outraged if the school did not take action if the welfare of one or several students were at risk. The child is under their care throughout the day & thus their responsibility to an extent.

It may not be that the kid actually is being overfed, neglected, etc. He may have an overactive thyroid or something. Regardless. Fact of the matter is, if the school notices a health problem, all reasons of why or how it presented itself aside, it should be addressed. It shouldn't necessarily be taken as a personal attack on the parent. It's not about the parent. It's about the kid's health. I think that's worth perhaps the error in messaging every so often. I'd prefer a hypervigilant school than an indifferent one.



As for the concept of it being damaging to a child's self image, trying to keep their health in check, it's up to the parents, I believe, to communicate these distinctions to their children, and instill those values so their kids have healthy bodies as well as minds. They'll base their self worth on their merits, not their appearance. Kids are more resilient than you think, and have a high capacity for learning, so long as you're willing and able to sufficiently teach them [all those tasty neurons whizzing about in their brains, c'mon.. capitalize on that wealth while you can]. Physical and emotional health seem to have little emphasis in many kids' developing value systems. Kids are just... distracted & pacified, in countless ways. And we wonder why they're increasingly unmotivated, overweight, and complacent or unhappy.. with a variety of mental disorders...

Personally I'd rather get a letter in the mail telling me to keep my kid's health in check, and actually do the work as a parent to adequately explain the situation to my kid. I'd prefer that, than have my kid develop Type 2 Diabetes in his 20s because I didn't want to hurt his feelings when he was little. Which is more damaging longterm? I'd rather teach my kid about objectivity, acceptance, and the importance of healthy limits, than teach him sloth, shame and denial, and allow him to continue down the more dangerous path of least resistance & excess.


No, I'm not a parent, and I'm speaking in idealistic generalities here, not definitives.
Oh, in a functional world... :rolli:
 

professor goodstain

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I think the UK has more problems with weight than any other place in Europe. I'm sure they are trying all sorts of stuff, though this instance seems like drastic overreaching.

Kinda like nationalized healthcare. This is what we are looking forward to. Who knows if that pound is muscle or fat. Looks like muscle. But hey, that's SOP with nationalized healthcare. Finding out a kid is a pound overweight immediately warrants a fictitious warning generated from an automated government message sender which made its conclusion from information of the kid being one pound over the assumed healthy weight while knowing or not knowing more context. Because that stat trumped all else. Beaurocracy at its finest. :nice: Now the poor kid thinks he's fat because a govt memo didn't consider he is a pound over weight due to being healthy. I smell a verbal abuse (via Govt letter) lawsuit in the making. This calls for sensitivity training. imo

Don't take it personal ajb. Most of that is response to OP. and a bit of Fi
 

CJ99

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Kinda like nationalized healthcare. This is what we are looking forward to. Who knows if that pound is muscle or fat. Looks like muscle. But hey, that's SOP with nationalized healthcare. Finding out a kid is a pound overweight immediately warrants a fictitious warning generated from an automated government message sender which made its conclusion from information of the kid being one pound over the assumed healthy weight while knowing or not knowing more context. Because that stat trumped all else. Beaurocracy at its finest. :nice: Now the poor kid thinks he's fat because a govt memo didn't consider he is a pound over weight due to being healthy. I smell a verbal abuse (via Govt letter) lawsuit in the making. This calls for sensitivity training. imo

Don't take it personal ajb. Most of that is response to OP. and a bit of Fi

Stop dragging your healthcare debate into this! Theres a seperate thread for that. If you really want to know why the UK are doing things like this its because everything says we are heading the way America IS and many of us are terrified by it.

And unlike the US we don't make lawsuits of everything and anything so I doubt anything will come of it other than a bit of negitive press for the goverment. Also verbal abuse is quite hard to take to court here due a thing called freedom of speach. Realistic freedom of speech that is.:rolleyes:
 
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