Mom, 555-Pound Son Found In Baltimore

When did it become the governments job to save people from themselves? This is a violation of inalienable rights in my opinion, It doesn't matter if the kid will die any earlier or not the mother is not holding him down and stuffing spoonfuls of food into his mouth he is making a choice to overeat. If people want to smoke, not wear a seat belt, take lots of drugs, eat bacon, or jump out of a plane or bungee off a bridge, mind your own business and let them IT IS THEIR LIFE. What happens when this kid is 18 and is still fat, should we lock him in prison? It seriously angers me when people think they know better than everyone else and try to control others, it will never be enough control until we are all slaves. Which is worse letting someone be unhealthy or stealing someone away from their family and loved ones, I know which one I consider to be the true crime.

reply to post by silo13


I like this attitude. The mindset of people who would rather see a terrible parent kill their own child than let anyone, much less the government, step in to try to help the kid.

You, my friend, are a large portion of what's wrong with our nation.

Originally posted by miraclerock
When did it become the governments job to save people from themselves?

It's not

However, it is the governments job to save children from their parents if they're being neglectful. Whether or not this is neglect, is another question entirely. The point remains, however, that government intervention is lawful in cases of child neglect or abuse.

reply to post by miraclerock


There is no inalienable right to feed your children to death. Lethal Narcissism is not a human right, a parental right, or a civil right.

It does border on being a crime though.

It's extremely hard to draw the lines, nothing is ever black and white. On one hand the government can't rule how people live their lives and in this case how they raise their children. On the other hand, there are a lot of people that shouldn't be allowed to raise children. I might catch some heat for that comment but with no sugar coating what so ever I don't think some people should be allowed to raise children. At this point in my life I am not ready for children financially and that's why I don't have any.

If your son weighs 555lbs it's time to do something regardless of what your child wants. I am not going to say that this child's mother has failed, she could have taught her son many other great thing, I don't know them it's not my call. 555lbs is seriously unhealthy and at some point the government needs to step in just like in a case of child neglect.

Basically, I don't think they government should step in a take a child away from people. It's your child and you should be able to raise him or her as you see fit. I also don't think people should put the government in a position where they need to make that choice.

When you willing stand aside and watch someone destroy another person, because you believe that one of them OWNS the other particularly, you are destroying part of your own soul.

Parents do not own their children that they should be "allowed" to do horrible things to them because you are too weak willed and not human enough to stand for what it right in the face that it might make someone angry.

I will not hand away my humanity because it inconveniences some sociopath masquerading as a citizen, politician or parent.

This mother deserves to be slapped. She is sick. This is child abuse pure and simple. Her intention may not have been to hurt or to kill her son, but she is. She is probably a pushover and gives the kids what he wants, and because she has spoiled him badly, she probably can't bear to hear him upset when he doesn't get all the food he is demanding, so she gives in and gives it to him. It is a common thing someone does when they are caring for someone as obese, they don't have the guts just just feed them a low calorie diet with water. I don't know why, it's not like they can get up and beat you up. But she is not only sending this kid to an early grave, but is also making him miss out on his teenage years. They are awkward enough, but he won't be able to develop friendships, date, get into trouble that all teens have done in their lives. It's just sad. This kid needs to get healthy, and lose all that weight fast before he eventually makes it to over a 1000 pounds, or die even before that.

I remember reading not too long ago a megathread here about Obese people and aeroplane seats.
There wasn't much support for the Obese in that thread.
In fact, most Obesity threads very rarely get support for the Obese.

What if you had to sit next to this kid on an aeroplane tomorrow?
I'm sure you would be cursing this mother and silently saying to yourself...someone should take this kid off this woman and get him help.
This kid in a few years time will be a person who you will have to share a plane with, a train, a bus, etc.
If someone could step in, get this kid fit now, wouldn't it save a whole pile of humiliation and lost self esteem and social problems later down the line?

Why is it that this woman has the right to do what she will with this kid and yet, an Obese adult SHOULD go on a diet, get off their bums and exercise etc etc......Knowing full well that Obesity and long term eating disorders begin in childhood?

There is a known psychological condition that is commonly called Feeders.
They don't force food down your throat but they do strongly associate food with love, affection, approval. The more you eat of their prepared/offered food, the more you love them.
Denying offered food can result in abuse, withdrawal of love and affection and raging tempers.
Weird , but true but it's a known condition that is totally psychotic.

If an adult has trouble handling a relationship with someone with this condition, what hope does a young child have when that person is it's mother??

How does a mother allow her child to get this big anyway?
If she is the one who is in control of his diet from birth?

I don't know if I'd take the kid away but the mother definately has deep issues that need to be sorted and this kid should offered help if he wants it too.

If these people are getting state aid (Didn't say either way) then the state owns their lives and if it saves the taxpayer money to make the kid healthy then I'm all for it. 550 lbs will never be able to work.

I say leave the kid alone

He'll be dead soon enough anyway.. all with the 'loving support' from his mother

This isn't really something I would normally post about but, Couldn't the government provided education, counseling, and medical help, without removing the child from the parent? It seems like that would be the better way to go and alleviate the stress of removing the child from the parent. It would definitely be less detrimental to both.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

I don't know why you all keep blaming the mother the boy is 14 that is old enough to know what he is doing by overeating so much. If it was a young kid I could see it being abuse or neglect, but he is absolutely old enough to know why he is fat and it is his own fault for eating so much not the mother. It doesn't matter what house hold you put him in he will find ways to sneak food between meals or whatever, he has to make his own choice to lose weight or he will stay fat for the rest of his life.

Originally posted by miraclerock
I don't know why you all keep blaming the mother the boy is 14 that is old enough to know what he is doing by overeating so much. If it was a young kid I could see it being abuse or neglect, but he is absolutely old enough to know why he is fat and it is his own fault for eating so much not the mother. It doesn't matter what house hold you put him in he will find ways to sneak food between meals or whatever, he has to make his own choice to lose weight or he will stay fat for the rest of his life.

While the kid is under 18 and living with his mother, she is responsible for him. Plus being that heavy, he can barely move, which means she is feeding him,I highly doubt this kid is cooking and preparing his own food. so no the mother is to blame! Right now food is an addiction and he cannot just stop even if inside, he really wants too.

the boy is 555lbs and still alive at the age of 14

i thought this kid would be 6 ft under but i guess not.

they should be on maury discussing this!

Originally posted by miraclerock
I don't know why you all keep blaming the mother the boy is 14 that is old enough to know what he is doing by overeating so much. If it was a young kid I could see it being abuse or neglect, but he is absolutely old enough to know why he is fat and it is his own fault for eating so much not the mother. It doesn't matter what house hold you put him in he will find ways to sneak food between meals or whatever, he has to make his own choice to lose weight or he will stay fat for the rest of his life.

I find it hard to believe that this kid put on 350 lbs in 1, 2 or even 3 years.
Which would've put him at 10 and even then at 200lbs.
So if you agree that it is abuse if he was younger, then yes, this child was abused and neglected by his mother.
As common sense would tell us that his weight has been creeping on over the span of quite a few years, when he was too young to be in control of his own diet.

I think this family needs help ASAP.
But I do think taking him off his mother and putting him into state care immediately is OTT.
Not unless this woman has constantly ignored warnings to get her child help.
Which we don't know of course.

Originally posted by AntiConspirator
They shouldnt be allowed to stop this child from eating. How is it bothering the government? If the child's own mother doesnt want to do anythnig about it, then the gov. shoudnt. It should up to the child and the mother.

Just like that poor kid who is forced to get chemo. What kind of junk is that? Some people die from chemo.

That's find but then they should sign a form that states they cant get state assistance for medical care or food or..... anything.

This is bad parenting, would you say that parents that beat their kids and the kids want to stay with them should also be left alone by the state?

reply to post by drwizardphd


Thats a really good answer to this question.

Listen guys, the kid is BASICALLY GOING TO DIE SOON if he doesnt get medical help.

I bet his mom is the same way, or she could have a mental problem of sorts..

No one knows the full story, and if you think kids should be allowed to weigh 550 pounds, thats not really living life anyways, thats just a short painful existence..

Forget about this .gov intervention stepping on my rights nonsense, this is why the USA is great, b/c we give a **** about people, and we aren't performing acts of genocide.

[edit on 31-5-2009 by GreenBicMan]

Is it just me,or does it seem like these children cases where the government is trying to step in for the welfare of the child are being brought out via media to start legislation allowing the government more and more control over our children?

they present a case, that we can a agree on. yes the kid is too fat, yes his mother should be doing something o get him treatment. PLEASE BIG GOVERNMENT! MAKE A LAW TO GET THIS KID SOME HELP!!!

Same thing with chemo boy.

anyone? anyone?

Well it really all started with passive smoking and the effects on children.
So, yes, they are trying legislate parents who aren't being responsible.
I don't think any parent who is doing the right thing need feel concern though.

If passive smoking is bad for kids, surely to hell THIS is a hell of a lot of worse.
And yet, where is the outrage?

People seem to pick and choose depending on what might involve THEIR parental rights at some point.

How can anyone who thinks smoking around kids is dangerous not think the same about feeding your kid to death? Hypocracy at it's finest.


[edit on 31-5-2009 by Flighty]

how about forcibly making parents have dangerous vaccines injected into their children? and when the parents refuse?