Should Fat Kid Be Taken From Parent?
Nick Gillespie | February 27, 2007, 11:04am
Via AOL News and from Jolly Olde Englande comes our libertarian ethics question of the day: Should an 8-year-old boy who tips the scales at 218 pounds (and god knows how many stones and kilos?) be taken away from his mother?
Some details:
Authorities are considering taking an 8-year-old boy who weighs 218 pounds into protective custody unless his mother improves his diet, officials said Monday. Social service officials will meet with family members Tuesday to discuss the health of Connor McCreaddie, who weighs more than three times the average for his age....
A spokeswoman for health officials in Wallsend, North Tyneside, 300 miles north of London, said the hearing was part of a process that could eventually lead to Connor being taken into protective care. She declined to comment further....
An unidentified health official was quoted as telling The Sunday Times that taking custody of Connor would be a last resort, but said the family had repeatedly failed to attend appointments with nurses, nutritionists and social workers.
"Child abuse is not just about hitting your children or sexually abusing them, it is also about neglect," the official was quoted as saying....
Connor's mother said he steals and hides food, frustrating her efforts to help him. He eats double or triple what a normal seven-year-old would have, she said.
Read the whole story here.
While I suspect that most Reason regulars will agree that the size your butt is not the government's business, at what exact tipping point does the size of a child's butt become same?
VM | February 27, 2007, 1:03pm | #
High#:
WHITE SOX WHITE SOX GO-GO WHITE SOX
LET'S GO GO-GO WHITE SOX
WE'RE WITH YOU ALL THE WAY
THEY'RE ALWAYS IN THERE FIGHTING
AND YOU DO YOUR BEST
WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YOU OUT HERE
IN THE MIDDLE WEST
WE'RE GONNA ROOT ROOT ROOT ROOT WHITE SOX
AND CHEER YOU OUT TO VICTORY
WHEN WE'RE IN THE STANDS
WE'LL MAKE THOSE RAFTERS RING
ALL THROUGH THE SEASON
YOU WILL HEAR US SING
LET'S GO GO-GO WHITE SOX
CHICAGO'S PROUD OF YOU
WHITE SOX WHITE SOX GO-GO WHITE SOX
ROOT ROOT ROOT FOR THE WHITE SOX
WE'LL CHEER YO OUT TO VICTORY
WHEN WE'RE IN THE STANDS
WE'LL MAKE THOSE RAFTERS RING
ALL THROUGH THE SEASON
YOU WILL HEAR US SING
LET'S GO GO-GO WHITE SOX
CHICAGO'S PROUD OF YOU
PLAY BALL!!!
WHITE SOX WHITE SOX GO-GO WHITE SOX
LET'S GO GO-GO WHITE SOX
CHICAGO IS PROUD OF YOU
(was really cool when they won. I grew up in Ohio and am a residual Indians fan, but am terribly disappointed in the fans when they booed Jim Thome. He should have been cheered and honored. Otherwise, I confess that the White Sox aren't usually on my radar, unless they're playing my least favorite team from my least favorite part of the country, the Redsux)
Was raised a Cubbies fan, but strangely enough, St. Louis was always a second favorite - best fans in beisbol. That contradiction explains quite a lot, I think. :)
Timothy: grin. Your compassion for young kids knows no bounds :)
VM | February 27, 2007, 1:32pm | #
"Booing Thome was low class."
Very. It was disappointing.
Funny about Red S. experiences you had - we were at the Friday game at Comisky last summer against them, and the boston fans (with those fucking accents) were the rudest group I've ever seen at a baseball game. Spitting on South Siders - one girl swung at a guy, even! It made the acrimony between OSU and U of M seem mellow!
(It was more unpleasant than sitting in Wrigley with a bunch of trixies who don't know the game and talk on their phones the whole time)
Apologies if this has been mentioned already - re: topic of parenting and neglect, abuse, and bad decisions: (when life imitates South Park)
Mom Taught Children to Fake Retardation
--------------------
By Associated Press
February 27, 2007, 2:32 AM CST
TACOMA, Wash. -- A woman admitted Monday that she coached her two children to
fake retardation starting when they were 4 and 8 years old so she could collect
Social Security benefits on their behalf.
Rosie Costello, 46, admitted in U.S. District Court that she collected more than
$280,000 in benefits, beginning in the mid-1980s. Most was from Social Security,
but the state social services agency paid $53,000.
Costello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government and Social
Security fraud. Her son, Pete, 26, pleaded guilty earlier this month. Federal
prosecutors in Seattle said Monday authorities had not yet located her daughter,
Marie.
According to the plea agreement, Costello began coaching her daughter at age 4,
and later used the same ruse with her son. He feigned retardation into his
mid-20s -- picking at his face, slouching and appearing uncommunicative in
meetings with Social Security officials.
Social Security workers became suspicious and uncovered a video of Pete Costello
ably contesting a traffic ticket in a Vancouver courtroom.
Pete Costello is scheduled to be sentenced May 11 and faces from six months to a
year in prison, as well as $59,000 in restitution.
Rosie Costello is scheduled for sentencing May 17. Her standard sentencing range
was not immediately available, but in the plea agreement she agreed to repay the
government.
Copyright (c) 2007, The Associated Press
Mark McDonald | February 28, 2007, 7:08pm | #
Connor McCreaddie has a genetic syndrome which causes him to be both abnormally tall as well as abnormally heavy. If you pay attention to his statistics stated in the story, you might notice that as well as being heavy, he is nearly a foot taller than an average child his age. There are plenty of diets that can cause someone to be overweight. There is no diet in the world that can cause a child to grow a foot taller than normal by age eight.
How do I know that he has a genetic disorder and is not just a glutton? I have a child that is just a few months younger than him that could be his twin. Other than hair color, they look identical. He was born right at average length and weight, but by his two month check-up he was off the charts and has stayed that way.
After taking him to numerous doctors who had no idea what was wrong with him, we finally ended up at the genetics department of Children's Hospital of San Diego. The doctor ran many tests and concluded that he has a genetic disorder. Unfortunately, it is not a common enough disorder to have been named or studied, much less a cure or treatment to have been found.
His mother and I been have been married and together all of his life, and have worked constantly on his weight issues all of his life to no avail.
I cannot speak for Connor but my son has mild Autism and it is very difficult to change his habits. We have been working very hard to add foods to his diet, but have had very little success. He does dislike new foods, he is afraid of them.
If you will notice from the story, Connor does not eat large amounts of sweets and treats, but large amounts of meats. This is not something that a self indulgent glutton does. His mother also states that he is constantly hungry. Again, this is not consistant with the glutton. Gluttons eat when they are bored or anxious, not when they are hungry. (This has been shown in scientific studies.) There are gluttons around who are overweight because of personal habits, but if you look carefully, Connor does not seem to be among them.
Scincerely,
Scintor
