The parents of children who suffer from obesity should receive punishment for allowing their children to become overweight. This essay disagrees with this statement because obesity can be caused by genetics and children often eat unhealthy food outside of the home.
Parents are not to blame because Obesity can be caused by genetics. The DNA which is passed from parent to child can trigger a slow metabolism which results in the child burning their calories than normal. Despite going the child a balanced diet and opportunities to exercise they may still not be able to maintain a healthy weight, despite the best intentions of their mother and father. A recent study found that 70% of all morbidly obese Children also have at least 1 parent who is also seriously overweight and more than half have 2.
Parents are not present when children consume most of their food. When children are at school they eat snacks and have lunch and the adults have no control over their dietary intake during this time. A child could consume the vast majority of their calories during these unsupervised periods, without their mother and father’s knowledge or permission, and much of this intake could take the form of junk food. A recent study found that primary school students consume an average of 75% of their daily recommended calorific allowance during school hours.
In conclusion, parents should not be sanctioned if their sons or daughters are too heavy because they are unable to supervise their diet for most of the day and genes play a role in determining the weight of a human being.