Child Obesity Persuasive Essay

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Parents Should be Blamed for Their Child's Obesity?
Pro: My opinion is that parents should be blamed for their child's obesity, whether it be partially or fully, they do influence their child's weight. The parents of children are the ones who provide food for them, so they have direct control of what their child is consuming, so they should be able to help their child maintain a healthy weight. Parents also have control over what their children do, resulting in the fact that parents could enroll their child in an excersize program or at least stop them from sitting around inside all day.

This debate is not focused on those who gain weight due to disease; it is focusing on children becoming obese due to food consumption.
Con: I really disagree that parents should be blamed for their child's obesity. It's not like the parents are shoving the food down their child's throats. Kids are soley responsible for what they consume. Kids dont just eat at home.
They can eat at school, with their friends at McDonalds, ect. So childrens parents arent the main influences in what thier children eat.
Pro: "It's not like the parents are shoving the food down their child's throats"

The parents are, however, buying the majority of food that their children eat.

"Kids are soley responsible for what they consume."

Their parents are the ones who buy the food that is available at home, so how could the children be 'soley responsibe'?

"They can eat at school"

The majority of schools have supplied healthy foods for students due to rapidly increasing rates of obesity; also, have you considered the many students who bring food from home?
Con: Yes some schools do supply healthy food choices but that is only as far as i know for 1/3 of the schools population. And have you considered that schools have alternatives to just a tray lunch such as, as it's referred to at my school Ale Cart. Which includes fries, burgers, nachos, everything you can find on the McDonald's Menu. So the parents buy what the kids eat at home but parents do pay attention to what they do buy their kids for food. not every parent buys their kids Fruit by the Foot, Tootsie Pops, and all that other junk that causes childhood obesity. So the parents can and do enforce healthy eating habits!!!!!!!!!
Pro: "not every parent buys their kids Fruit by the Foot, Tootsie Pops, and all that other junk that causes childhood obesity."

Then again, not every child is obese. The parents who carelessly buy fattening foods and leave it in the house already influence what their children will eat, because why choose to eat vegetables when junk food is lying there? Children do not understand this, and therefore will eat the food that is bought by their parents. The majority of children do not eat their food outside of home except for at school, and at school, I know that many countries are opting for a change in food, and this will probably happen.

Also, once again, parents could urge their children to excersize or play outside instead of sitting around all day
Con: Okay many countries are opting for healthy food but that hasn't happened yet so as of now it's not there. And how can parents urge their kids to play outside or whatever when their busy buying food thats not good for their kids as you previously stated!!!! And I know you said we aren't debating with diseases and stuff but it is an inevitable fact that obesity is in the gene pool. So like it's already in the genes and the parent has no controll over that. So how is it the parents fault?!?!?!?!?
And this is off the subject but do you have any idea where i can find decent Values and Value Criterion for school debate cases!?!?!?!?!
And how can kids play outside when they have homework!?!?!?!?! Where I go to school there is alot to be tackled; like the debate case I have to have done by 4th period tommorow for instance..........

Pro: "And I know you said we aren't debating with diseases and stuff"

Then why bring it up? I clearly stated in my opening statement that we are not debating about diseases and such, but food consumption. Therefore, for everything mentioned about diseases, I will call it out as invalid.

"And how can kids play outside when they have homework!?!?!?!?!"

How do people do extra curricular activites? Homework, on average, takes up thirty minutes to two hours for an elementary school, and perhaps one hour to two hours for gifted. Most schools release children from school around 3:00. This leaves them with four hours at the LEAST with the maximum amount of
homework.

"And how can parents urge their kids to play outside or whatever when their busy buying food thats not good for their kids as you previously stated!!!!"

Parents do not spend their lives in grocery stores; they could at least mention excersize OR allow them to do extracurricular activities after school. However, when parents notice that their child is obese, they should at least try to change their lifestyle a bit, because a family's lifestyle really does make a difference for a child's weight. Who directs the family's way of life? The parents.

"Where I go to school there is alot to be tackled"

Based on your profile, it says that you are in highschool. Highschool is VERY different than elementary school in the amount of work and such people get.

Parents are at fault for their child's obesity because they buy the food. They are in charge of what their children do, and they lead the lifestyle of their children. Children need excerize and healthy food. Parents are responsible for both areas. Lack of these things will cause obesity. Parents have control over this, and can stop it. Children's schools are not guilty, because the majority are changing their menu to stop the rapid growth rate of obesity. Fast food places do hold a bit of the blame, but like my opponent has said before, "its not like they're shoving food down the kid's throats".

My opponent has failed to prove any clear points as to why parents should NOT be blamed for obesity; he has only provided counter-arguments. Hopefully he will state many points in the final round.