[HPforGrownups] Re: FAT

[Meredith Wilson]

No: HPFGUIDX 20387


>Someone mentioned that Dudley's upbringing is really the issue with 
>his weight.  I completely agree.  Petunia and Vernon Dursley are, IMO, 
>not very good parents.  As mean as they are to Harry, they spoil 
>Dudley even more.  He has been given no limits, no consequences, and 
>no real guidance of any kind for his behavior.  I think parents who 
>allow their children to eat endlessly are abusive.  It's a form of 
>neglect, because anyone as obese as Dudley is unhealthy and any normal 
>parent should see that.  Insisting that "my child is not like that!" 
>when all evidence points to the contrary is doing an injustice to 
>one's child.

I think this is true for his behaviour, but my parents were excellent
parents and I certainly had limits, etc, and I'm fat.  I'm not spoiled or
gluttonous.  And then there's the question about his diet.  His mother is
making him diet (which is just as abusive as letting a child eat non-stop,
if you ask me.  Dieting for kids is a sure-fire way to make sure they stay
fat their entire lives.)  Maybe we'll get a better glimpse in OotP of where
JKR was going with that.  It's incredibly clear that the Dursleys are bad
parents, but there are a zillion ways to show that without making so much of
a statement on his weight.

Mer