A 200 Pound Third Grader Is Taken From Mom And Put In Foster Care

Now I know that it is the social workers job to make sure children are taken care of, but I also know that it is their job to try and keep families together.  So I was shocked when I read that the State of Ohio took a third grader out of his home for being obese.

Growing up we always had foster kids in our home.  It is the most rewarding, yet toughest thing to do.  The hardest thing is knowing that these children want nothing more than to be at home with their parents.  That is what all children want.  To know that if they are scared, their mother is there to comfort them.

Imagine being 8 years old and being ripped away from your mom.  That is exactly what happened to a little boy in Ohio.  The third grader was placed in foster care for being overweight.  The county social workers said his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight.

While I understand that being a 200 pound eight year old is very dangerous to his health, I also understand that there are better ways of helping him lose weight than to take him away from his family.  The case worker claims medical neglect.  This is, however, the first case that Ohio state officials have seen of a child being put in foster care just because of weight.

In my opinion, the caseworker has over stepped their authority.  Try helping the mother by offering exercise classes or send her to a W.I.C. program to learn healthy eating habits.  Don't rip the child away.  Can you imagine how scared that poor boy is?

It is very important to teach kids good eating habits and exercise, but it is also important for kids to grow up with their own family.  Maybe its just me, but I think this was a poor decision for the casework to make.  What do you think?