by *Carol ~Bronx Southern Belle D.
Member since:
January 16, 2007

Should parent of 555 pound boy be charged with a felony?

July 23, 2009 02:28 AM EDT
views: 125 | rating: 10/10 (9 votes) | comments: 12

Should parent of 555 pound boy be charged with a felony?  I hate to see this.  The mother claims she fed her son fast food because she had to work so much she fed him lots of fast food.  I am against government intervention in our lives, but she's sentencing a young man to certain death, so I'm torn.  I hope the boy gets help, and his mom gets counselling.  What do you think?

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Comments: 12

Virginia M. Jul 23, 2009, 2:40am EDT
First, I think they should be helped, instead of charging the mom, and making a criminal of her. Now if she totally ignored any help, then I think further steps should be taken to separate the boy from that environment. Education, counseling, and encouraging better food choices should be tried, and someone monitoring the situation is my advice, to force the necessary change.
Solskin Iam Jul 23, 2009, 5:30am EDT
i think it is the same as putting a loaded gun next to him.........
Leslie ~ from NYC ~ R. Jul 23, 2009, 7:12am EDT
There's gotta be a better way to spend taxpayers' money! Lots of assistance - nutrition counseling, etc. Jail??? Trial??? Sounds as if the state is copping out also... not being creative.
Rebecca [Future Teacher] Jul 23, 2009, 7:39am EDT
Get counseling for the mom and get the boy help asap
Melanie S. Jul 23, 2009, 8:55am EDT
Wow! Ouch. What a harsh situation.

I looked some more information up and it appears that there have been attempts made to resolve the situation. The mother was supposed to be taking her son to Dr. appointments ordered by the court. She was failing to take him to all of them though. I don't know all of her reasons but one of the listed reasons was that she didn't have enough gas to drive him there.

I can't even come close to forming an opinion on this. The one thing I do think is that poor boy needs someone in his life that is going to get this under control!
Sandy C. Jul 23, 2009, 10:02am EDT
It sounds like she need some help instead of jail.
Elizabeth S. Jul 23, 2009, 1:12pm EDT
If ignorance becomes a crime, then who would be outside the jail? If they do prosecute her for a felony, they need to charge the child's social workers and school teachers as well. One doesn't get that weight in a year, it's been there for a while.

Isn't it interesting that if the child had committed a crime, there would be talk about charging him as an adult? But no one seems to expect the kid to have any say or ability to feed himself correctly.
Sarah (I want points) Jul 23, 2009, 1:57pm EDT
That's a hard situation. I would say she is definitely to blame for the situation, but I think the first commenter is right. Maybe she should get help for her and her son and not a criminal charge.
jadan x. Jul 23, 2009, 9:36pm EDT
I don't think she should be charged with a felony. I'm not familiar with the case and don't know how old the boy is. He does need to be in a more healthy environment for sure whether that means a foster home or some other place for him to live.
Deloris Wright Jul 23, 2009, 10:26pm EDT
Did you see the boy and his mother. It look's like they both ate a lot of fast food. But she didn't shove it in his mouth. If she was working all the time. He must have gotten some one else to get it for him. I think they both need a lot of help. To get them to eat a better diet. W How is sending her to jail going to help either one of them.
Charles Temm JR Jul 26, 2009, 2:55pm EDT
no
Piper Elizabeth J. Jul 31, 2009, 5:30pm EDT
This is an amazing situation. There is a lot of responsibility/blame to be shared by the mom, the son, family members, teachers, and social workers. The result did not happen overnight and the solution won't either. Having little time to make meals and relying on fast food can not be the only problem. One would have to eat huge quanities of fast food and not get any exercise at all in order to put on so much weight.

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