This Halloween a woman in Fargo, North Dakota sent a letter to some of her neighbors informing them that she wouldn’t be giving their children candy this year because they were “moderately obese”. After the letter garnered a lot of attention she did an interview with the local Fargo radio station where she defend her actions by saying “I just want to send a message to the parents of kids that are really overweight. I think it’s just really irresponsible of parents to send them out looking for free candy just ’cause all the other kids are doing it.” 8C9532816-2417481-halloween-letter.blocks_desktop_medium As many of you are aware, childhood obesity has become a major topic in the United States. The NFL has a program called Play 60, which encourages children to play/exercise for an hour a day. The first lady, Michelle Obama has also been very vocal about how much exercise children get at school and the importance of healthy eating. My personal theory on why obesity amongst children is on the rise is because of parents having to work long hours or multiple jobs and don’t have much  time to prepare a proper meal for their children. Schools also provide children with unhealthy choices for lunch, which consists of cheap fried foods and sugary snacks. The major issue I have with this woman’s letter is the fact that she is allowed to play parent to a neighborhood full of children she knows nothing about. You shouldn’t and cannot judge a person’s body by the way it looks. Not every overweight person is overweight because they are lazy and eat all day. I suffer from autoimmune hepatitis which requires me to be on steroids. The steroids have caused me to gain weight and after being on them for 10 years my metabolism doesn’t work properly. I can work out 3 days a week for an hour and eat nothing but vegetables and not lose a pound. This woman shouldn’t judge these children and discriminate against them for their weight. She also shouldn’t be calling their parent’s out on the issue. Some overweight children suffer from diseases that cause weight gain. To punish a child for the way they look is wrong. I feel that this behavior encourages poor eating habits and may effect a child later in life. Not to mention the fact that other children in the neighborhood will find out about the letter and tease the “moderately obese” children about it. In my opinion this woman is a bully, she’s picking on children she doesn’t know anything about based on their weight, and picking on their parents who she also doesn’t know. Source: Today

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