I first saw this story a couple of days ago and thought that maybe health officials were being too hasty in suggesting that they may remove the child from his home.
Today the British weight (14 stone) was converted for me and I realized this family needs some counseling on weight management.
Connor McCreaddie is an 8-year boy who weighs 218 lbs, which is 3 times the weight of most children his age.
An unnamed 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.
Dr. Colin Waine, the director of the National Obesity Forum in Nottingham, England, called Connor’s lifestyle “extremely dangerous,” adding he is at risk of developing diabetes in his early teens, and cardiovascular and nervous system problems in his twenties.
“He’s really at risk of dying by the time he’s 30,” Waine said.
Pediatrician Dr. Michael Markiewicz agreed.
“I’m not saying they can’t care for him, but what they are doing is through the way they are treating him and feeding him, they are slowly killing him,” he said.
The mother allowed a film crew to video their daily activities. She says that her son steals food and hides it from her.
Connor, who lives with his mother and sister, has difficulty dressing and washing, misses school regularly because of poor health, and is targeted by bullies.
“People pick on us because of my weight. They call us fat. It makes us feel sick of the nutters always shouting at us,” Connor told ITV.
Although I know that this mother loves her little boy tremendously, she probably doesn’t realize that not being more assertive is going to kill her son early. Maybe he needs to be removed from the home and brought to a treatment center where he can learn good eating habits.
This mother doesn’t seem to have the tools to help her son. He obviously knows how to sneak around behind her back and get what he wants. I feel sorry for him because he doesn’t know any better.
