Twelve year old boy doesn’t eat right …?
Here's the situation -- Gertrude used to be married to my friend Sam . Sam and Gertrude are divorced and they have a twelve -- year -- old son, Ben . Ben lives with his mother . Gertrude has diabetes, and she doesn’t take care of herself . People with diabetes have to be careful about what they eat, and Gertrude eats whatever she feels like eating . She’s teaching Ben to follow her example . Ben’s overweight, and it’s affecting his health .
By the same token, Sam has high blood pressure, and being overweight and eating whatever he feels like eating won’t do Ben any good in that situation . Ben visits Sam on the weekends, and he’s all concerned about Ben’s health, but we all know eating good two days a week isn’t going to undo the damage Gertrude does . Sam believes Child Protective Services ignores everything he says, so he doesn’t think it’ll do any good to go that route .
Our friend Lacey needed a place to stay, so I let her stay with me . Ben and Lacey used to get along really well . Lacey gave Ben a lecture about eating right and good nutrition, and Ben’s feelings got hurt, so Ben and Lacey aren’t friends any more .
First, I heard that Ben’s going to get diabetes because his mother has diabetes . Next, I read that Ben isn’t necessarily at risk . A friend of Sam’s told him there’s a ninety percent chance that Ben will get diabetes because his mother has diabetes, so now I don’t know what to believe .
When Lacey gave Ben a lecture, she showed Sam what won’t work . Most twelve -- year -- old boys don’t like being lectured, and preaching at him isn’t going to turn him into a health fanatic . Ben doesn’t really seem interested in taking better care of himself .
The rules in "Yahoo ! Answers" say I have to ask at least one question . NOW -- Is Ben at risk for diabetes ? What can Sam do for Ben ? Can Sam do anything for Ben ? How can Sam deal with this situation ? Thank you in advance for your answers .
you do not say how much he weighs. but my guess is that yes he is a good candidate for diabetes. The only thing sam can do is keep trying. he cannot give up on ben, sam has to make ben understand that he needs to start eating right cause he will also be a good candidate for a stroke when he gets older,
