Annetta, my adopted daughter, is very overweight. I’m also heavy, but most of my children are very thin. Annetta is only 9yrs old, but in pictures from 2-3 years ago, she is very thin. The weight started literally piling on this child over the last year or year and a half. It was so much, so sudden that we went straight to the pediatrician. He found nothing wrong, so I’ve been looking at other reasons. Meanwhile, she continues to gain and I continue to look for ways to help her be healthy.

First of all, it’s a good idea to check with the pediatrician first. He can rule out a thyroid problem or a metabolic dysfunction. These are easy to do with a simple blood test that your pediatrician can order. For my daughter, we did these tests first. Because I also do not like to bring up her weight as a big deal in a negative way (not that I promote it, but I want her to know that we accept her for who she is), I spoke with the nurse about this test before we went back to the office. This allowed the doctor to bring it up as an issue between himself and my daughter. He did this in a very professional manner, showing her the height/growth charts and discussing what those meant. The way it was handled allowed my daughter to keep her dignity in tact.

If there is no medical reason for the weight issue, it’s important to really make some effort to differentiate what might be other causes and contributors to the problem.

Could genetics be a key in understanding your child’s weight issue? Knowing the background including parents, grandparents and siblings can help you understand some weight issues with your child. For example, if her birth mother was very overweight, or siblings, or grandma, etc. then you are able to understand that your child’s issue might be genetic in nature. If there are two or more relatives, probability of a genetic component doubles. Just because there are other overweight family members does not destine your child to remain overweight. However, knowing the genetics may give you some clue as to where his/her particular problem stems from and how to help your child. Of course, this knowledge isn’t something that’s available to all adoptive parents!

There are several other reasons to consider before making health decisions for your child. Look at Part II for those! Part III will list several actual tips and ideas to implement.