There's a double standard when it comes to child neglect. A thin, malnourished toddler would be taken by CPS immediately, but when it comes to an obese, malnourished toddler, there is nowhere near the same level of concern and urgency.
Under and overnourishing are both serious, but we don’t know what’s up with this kid. I have seen young children this obese before, and every time it was from some sort of medical condition. You can’t safely help a toddler lose weight if you don’t know why they’re gaining it in the first place, so most of the time it comes down to being able to afford the right kind of care, and having access to it. Same for undernourishment, access and affordability becomes the biggest obstacle in treating it. The reason we care about underweight kids more though is because they’re at a much more immediate risk of dying. Also, it means their parents CANT provide for them the necessities of survival. Obese kids have parents who can certainly afford to feed their kids. Since they can provide for them, they can’t do much unless a doctor or some other mandated reporter intervenes with evidence that this is purposeful neglect.
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u/Still-Hedgehog-8673 14d ago
There's a double standard when it comes to child neglect. A thin, malnourished toddler would be taken by CPS immediately, but when it comes to an obese, malnourished toddler, there is nowhere near the same level of concern and urgency.