Maintaining a healthy body weight can be extremely difficult. Anyone attempting to lose a few extra pounds can attest to this. Being a couple of pounds overweight isn't always a problem. However, there comes a time when being unhealthyly obese becomes a serious problem.
Obesity is an epidemic in and of itself. When it comes to the percentage of people who are obese in the United States, the figures are not encouraging. While it is frequently overlooked, it is a serious health issue for millions of Americans. So, who can blame a parent for using tough love to help their child make better and healthier decisions? One well-known Hollywood figure appears to have done just that. Roseanne Barr has never been accused of being a couch potato. That's not in her blood.
The real-life "Roseanne" isn't dissimilar to the fictional character she portrayed on television. Roseanne Barr, like "Roseanne Conner," is a one-of-a-kind individual. When faced with a difficult parenting decision, Barr took an equally extraordinary approach. Now and then, it appears that Hollywood types err on the side of extravagance when telling their stories. Barr's daughter, now 45, is critical of her mother's "tough love." Jenny Pentland's new memoir, "This Will Be Funny Later: A Memoir," tells the story of her life with Barr. Pentland discusses a time in her life when she was 15 years old in one of her book's chapters. Barr and her father, Bill Pentland, divorced when she was 13 years old. Pentland claims she and her siblings were used as pawns in their parents' bitter divorce battle.
Pentland tells a strange story about her weight during this time in her life. She claims that the divorce has made her more emotionally distraught. Her weight reached 250 pounds at one point. Pentland claims her mother resorted to a harsh strategy at that point. Pentland claims she once expected her father to pick her up at the airport. Roseanne Barr's bodyguards, on the other hand, were waiting. Pentland accuses Barr's second husband, Tom Arnold, of being a part of the plot. According to Pentland, she was handcuffed and dragged away.
Barr and Arnold, the young teen believed, were plotting to keep her imprisoned for the rest of her life. While the story in the book is certainly full of pages designed to sell copies, the underlying reason Barr may have chosen such a path for her daughter is simple to explain.
It is not for us to pass judgment on how others manage their health, particularly their body weight. Nonetheless, there are times when tough love is required. Furthermore, the alternative could have serious consequences. A global pandemic has revealed the ugliness of poor health, particularly obesity. A startling percentage of COVID-19 cases with life-threatening consequences have multiple co-existing health issues. However, there is another startling and often overlooked statistic. Too many of these immunocompromised patients are clinically obese. This figure is even more concerning for young adults.
Obesity affects two-thirds of the 12 to 19-year-old age group hospitalized for COVID-19. These figures do not lie. They tell a disturbing story. Obesity is a serious issue. However, in today's crazy world of woke culture, calling someone out for bad behavior is seen as insensitive.
Being overweight is a personal choice for many people. It is, however, a poor one. Being overweight and lazy can have debilitating, even fatal, consequences. Being unnecessarily unhealthy and overweight can sap our vitality.
Some people can't help themselves. Others simply refuse to try. Who can blame a parent for applying tough love to an overweight child? There could be a lot more at stake than just a perfect body. Forcing them to skin a squirrel to satisfy their hunger, on the other hand, may be a little extreme.