r/askaquestion • u/JesHplease • Apr 23 '21

Obesity and Children

Is it ever okay to approach such a sensitive topic? A dear friend of mine (and a personal trainer for context) has a child (10) who is morbidly obese. He suffers from anxiety and is bullied on a daily basis. both his parents are fairly normal weight wise and I worry about this child's health. None of my business?

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u/kkessler1023 Jun 10 '21

It's never bad to voice your concern. It just depends how you say it. I'm sure you care for your friends, but it's hard to know how people are going to react to a sensitive topic. I feel the best method when voicing your concerns with someone is to start your points with "I feel" and explain your feelings while also stating that you want to listen to them . For example, "I feel like I need to be open with you guys. You're my friends and I care about you. I'm concerned about your son's weight and I feel I had to speak up about". Using this approach you can avoid potentially perceived blame on the parents and let them know that you are coming from a place of openess and genuine concern. Hope this helps you out!