From Jayden, Child's Age 16 - 11/23/21 - IP#: 180.149.231.xxx Click here to reply
Hello everyone, My 16-year-old son lived with his mother (my ex-wife) up until last year since he was 5 years old. My ex-wife has always had full custody of him since we broke up and hadn't seen him last year. My ex-wife died from a heart issue, she asked me to take care of my son. I couldn't say no, and I didn't want him to end up in foster care. When I first saw my son in such a long time, I was rather shocked by how big he was. I didn't say anything for about 12 months, as it wasn't appropriate due to him recently surfing a loss. When first mentioned it to him, he started crying, I knew there was an issue. So I left it for a while. After a few weeks, he wanted to talk about his weight issues. He told me that he had been bullied for being fat at school for years, I didn't know this. We decided that we take him to the doctor for a check-up, his weight was 426lbs. The doctor told us that he need to lose weight. I don't know what I should do now?
Reply from Jesse, Child's Age 13 - 11/24/21 - IP#: 174.202.2.xxx Suggest you sit down with your son and have a talk. Find out if he really is serious about losing weight. Tell him you will do all you can to support him. Evaluate his eating habits (fast food, snacks, extra servings at meals). Does he get a lot of exercise? (He may not now if he weighs over 400 pounds). If not, can you exercise with him (start out by going for walks, joining the Y, swimming. It's really easy to put on weight but very hard to take it off. Tell him that, but add that you're with him and will do whatever he wants you to to support him. Be prepared for him to be discouraged sometimes but always be positive and supportive. This is a great way for you two to become closer.
