Should the mother of this obese girl be punished?

[EvianBaby]

http://www.dailymail....utdoors-6-months.html

The reports of her weight are speculative but it's obvious this girl has huge problems and she will be lucky to make it to her mid twenties. It's incredibly sad that a young girl is not able to live any kind of normal life, especially as she seems so well liked.

Of course it's the girl who choses what food to put in her mouth but reading the details and looking at photos of her younger years, this is not a new problem.

Should parents of children like this be punished for what I consider is effectively abuse?

[andy-hughes]

Do smokers lack intelligence? It depends - as i am trying to point out, this is not as simple as it sounds - child over-fed = cruelty from mother, there are nore subtle forces at work here than require a simple dismissal.

I do believe that soming suggests a similar mind-set, an unwillingness or inabilkity to see that conequences of actions. How else can you explain anyone smoking - an activity which, if completed as designed, will run a strong risk of killing you. It cannot be seen as the action of a logical mind performing fully.

But the two do not equate at all. This level of obesity is unusual, hence its newsworthiness, and i still maintain that this woman is lacking in the ability to see what she is doing, and the long term harm she is doing. To call her 'lazy' is simply to dismiss the compex issues at work here.

[China Doll]

Andy,

Neglect comes in many forms and often from loving parents. Sometimes, 'doing your best' simply isn't good enough.

[EvianBaby]

What's to say the mother is not purposely feeding the girl up so they end up reliant on one another?

How do we know that she's not thinking, 'I want my daughter with me always, if I make sure she gets everything she wants and ends up relying on me then she'll have to stay with me'.

[andy-hughes]

i would not disagree china.

The thrust of my argument is that to take the stance that the mother is simply cruel and dserves punishment is to take a simplistic view which is not appropriate in this situation.

i believe that society's inbuilt cultural dislike of obesity leads to these conclusions. it is easy to point and laugh, but the truth lies deeper and i do not believe that dismissal of this woman helps anyone, including her daughter. the underlying issues ane complex and difficult and dismissing this woman as cruel or lazy is to fail to look below the surface at the traumas that are rooted in this type of behaviour.

i am simply suggestying that what ever the reasons for this situation, and they are well beyond laziness and cruelty, deserve better than to simply be dismissed by those in society lucky enough not to find themselves living this out-of-control lifestyle.

[andy-hughes]

Evian - you may be right, but i would suggest that such behaviour is not the result of cogent logical thought, more instinct and simple ignorance. Only the social workers know what is going on here.

[tamborine]

Why didn't her GP arrange a gastric band ?

[China Doll]

No, I know. I'm not sure about the punishment route myself as I already said, I believe both girl and mother are punished enough by her life being at risk. I just do believe it's a child protection issue. Or should have been a long time ago. As I said, times change.

[woofgang]

I think the point is as with any addiction its not "simply" anything. If you haven't experienced it from the inside (and sometimes not even then) you cannot begin to understand what its like.