Do parents have a moral responsibility to ensure their children keep to a health

1. 61

   Hannah David Ciniposted 9 years ago

   Do parents have a moral responsibility to ensure their children keep to a healthy and balanced diet?
   
   With the large increase in child obesity do parents have a moral responsibility to ensure their kids eat healthy meals or is junk food just the norm now?  Is it for the child not the parent to decide?  If parents do have a responsibility should it be formalised (intervention by professional bodies if their child has a bad diet) and what form could that take?

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2. 81

   peachpurpleposted 9 years ago

   yes, have to , had to because kids and teens are becoming balloons in the near future

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3. 67

   Tusitala Tomposted 9 years ago

   Parents have a moral responsibility towards ALL aspects of their children's lives until those kids reach maturity.  This does include a policing of the food they eat.  After all, that food will turn into their growing bodies.
   
   This does not mean parents cannot allow their children to eat sweets and ice cream and cakes et cetera.   It does mean that they should view these as treats, not as routine, everyday food.   You could even use these as a reward for certain duties undertaken.
   
   If you're allowing a child to drink factory-produced soft drinks, and recognized 'take away junk food' just about every day, you're preparing them for a life of troubles health-wise.    By 'giving in' to their wails of protest for such food, you maybe are getting over an awkward present moment. But in the long run both you and those kids will be the worse off for it.

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4. 0

   CrimeTravellerposted 9 years ago

   Absolutely yes.  For a child it is their parents who feed them when they are at such a young age they cannot feed themselves, therefore their attitude towards food comes from this.  As they get older they should explore more in terms of what they like and don't like and be able to make their own choices, but if it is only junk food on offer or that is the only food they are used to, they will stay within those boundaries.
   
   It is very difficult to say whether intervention should be taken where it is thought that parents are not supporting their child to eat a healthy diet.  I think part of the problem is by the time the child is old enough to feed themselves, their habits, tastes and preferences have already been established which can make them much harder to break.  Also that area where professionals step in overruling the parents is a grey one.  However, the concern is if action is not taken, the levels of child obesity and associated health problems due to such bad diets is going to continue to increase with parents continuing to shake their heads seemingly unaware of how it reached that stage.

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