200-lb, 8-Year-Old Taken From Mother and Placed in Foster Care

November 29th, 2011 - By Brande Victorian

An 8-year-old third-grader in Cleveland Heights, OH, who weighs more than 200 pounds was taken from his family and placed in foster care.

According to The Huffington Post, the case is the first state officials can recall of a child being placed in foster care strictly for a weight-related issue. It also renews debate over whether parents should lose custody of a child who is severely obese.

Despite the fact that most 8-year-old boys weigh about 60 pounds, lawyers for the boy’s mother say the county overstepped their bounds by removing the boy from the home, charging that the medical problems he is at risk for do not yet pose an imminent danger. Perhaps they haven’t heard of juvenile diabetes.

A spokeswoman for the county, on the other hand, sees the mother’s inability to reduce her son’s weight as medical neglect.

The county is certainly right about neglect. Even if the boy’s medical risks aren’t immediately present, his mother is setting him up to have health complications within the next several years. A light bulb should’ve gone off when the boy reached 100 pounds, which is still 40 pounds heavier than the normal weight for his age. The fact that this young child weighs more than 200 pounds suggests the mother wasn’t doing anything to stop him from gaining even more.  The only thing I’m torn about is the child being placed in foster care. This situation could be very traumatizing for the boy, particularly if he were to get caught up in the system. It would be better to see him placed with a family member who can monitor his health and weight.

What do you think about this case? Did the county overstep their bounds by removing the boy from his home? Should it be considered medical neglect if a parent allows their child to become severely obese?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • Netwriterm

    Get your facts straight.

    The child was in a home with other children who are not obese. How does the same food environment yield different results?

    If you had read the news articles, you would know that the mother had sought medical care and taken steps to change nutrition. The child was subverting the program, manipulating people to get food. All this information was in print media, if you have an editor both you and the editor were irresponsible in posting this piece.

    FYI in foster care, it’s illegal to deny a child access to food, so how is foster care going to improve things?

    The first foster family couldn’t keep up with the kid’s medical schedule, but the single mom is punished for struggling because she has to be perfect.

    The real tragedy is not that the kid is obese, it’s how little we know about obesity and our approach to situations like this.

    And yes I agree with whoever suggested an eval for Prader Willi. That was the only intelligent comment on this thread.

  • Britt

    The county did the right thing by taking putting that child into foster care. Hopefully he’ll grow to become a healthy adult. The fact that he is severely obese is proof that she is not a good mother. Its sad that some parents today won’t even encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables instead of stuffing anything fattening down their throats. One rule whenever my mother cooked: there had to be at least one vegetable on that plate, most times there were two and not only that, physical activity was encouraged. When I was little I had to beg my mother to go outside and play with the other kids, nowadays, all they do is sit in the house watching t.v. and playing video games. In case these parents haven’t noticed, playing sports on your wii isn’t the same as actually going outside and doing it.

  • Bhfkjhfjhwjhsa

    Thank God! Obesity is child abuse just the same.

  • IJS

    I think they should have stepped in and MADE the mother take classes and force him into some sort of physical activity. Then if she did not abide by that then yes, take him out of the home because his health is being neglected. We can no longer go on ignoring the fact that our children are overweight.

    I knew a child just like this and foster care was the best thing that could have happened to her. I saw her about 6 mos ago after about 10yrs of her being away and I had no idea who she was! She’s still a little chunky but she’s happy, healthy and in college doing well for herself.

  • http://twitter.com/VitaChats VitalChats

    Yes, it is medical neglect. While the foster care idea is radical,  I am not sure what other “punishment” would’ve been suitable. Forcing her to put him on a diet? Right – then she would’ve done it long ago. What is a bigger threat than your kid dying because you are shoving food down his throat all day? I am mortally obese and I don’t even weigh 200lbs!!! It makes me feel horrid. How must that poor child feel? Of course, the more you feed a child the more he/she will eat – they will always be hungry! Of course he’d rather eat than go play outside!  I know parents of a 4 year old who eats 5 hot dogs a day – every day. The child is very short for his age too and wheezes all the time. How must his heart carry that weight? And as you say – what about diabetes and cancer and all the other issues that come with obesity??? It’s disgusting if you ask me!

  • Andela

    Did anyone check for Prader Willi Syndrome?

  • NunnyaBeexwax

    Yes! The state overstepped their boundaries! It cost money to place a child in foster care, why not spend that money on classes to educate the mother on healthy eating or exercise programs for the kid. Just because they place the kid in foster care doesn’t mean he is going to loose weight. The foster parents also need to be educated on health, especially if this child is genetically predisposed to being obese. A obese child can eat the same amounts as other normal weight children their age and still be obese due to genetics. If he is not being abused, why put him in a home that may be worse without finding out the underlining reason this child’s metabolism is at a halt!

    • Ricky_and_melissa

      I think they should of ask why is he obese his medical background and put him with family not strangers

    • Guess

      The county should NOT have taken the child away from the mother.  Agreed. 
      However, Im over people expecting the government to educate them. When this concern was brought to the mother’s attention, she shouldn’t EDUCATED HERSELF in order to reduce her son’s weight; including doing research and consulting physicians. Parents have to stop relying on others to ensure their children are productive in every way, including health.
      Most people know what is considered an unhealthy diet.  Many just choose to feed their children unhealthy meals for whatever reason.  Even if that reason is a financial one, as parents, we have to sacrifice to make sure their future is positive and fruitful. And we can start by serving smaller meals, reducing snacks, and turning off the television and computer.
      I don’t have the answer, but in my opinion, mom should’ve taken the steps to improve her son’s health. That’s what parents do!