British parents will no longer get letters telling them that their children are obese. Instead, the schools will be telling parents that their kids are, um, gifted eaters:
The Department of Health is urging all primary care trusts (PCTs) to automatically tell parents their child’s height and weight as part of a national measuring programme.
But ministers do not want the word “obese” to be used in the letters home after research showed people find it “highly offensive” - instead, the heaviest children should be referred to as being “very overweight”, they said.
I don’t know if there were parents throwing a fit about their children being labeled as obese, but this seems a little bit over the top. I mean, it’s not like this is going to be a shock to the parents or the kids.
“Hey, Timmy. Got a letter from school that says you are obese. What’s that all about?”
“Um, wow. That’s harsh. Sorry about that Dad. I’ll try harder in school.”
“Right you will. I don’t want to get another letter telling me something like this. Now finish your soda, turn that Playstation off and go do your homework.”
Not so much. The kid knows. The parents know. Everyone at the pool knows. Trust me on this one.
Changing the wording on the letter home isn’t going to change anything. Just tell it like it is. If you want, offer the kid some extra help shedding the pounds. But don’t sugar coat it.
