I couldn’t agree with you more, Jim. What disturbs me is that you (and so many others) think your comments about eating well are in any way related to the circumstances in this essay. Parents should indeed teach kids good eating habits. And they should also respect and the sizes and shapes of their children’s bodies. Human bodies come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes and, yes, I’m with you. Eating well is a good idea for all children — even the ones who are naturally slender or whose bodies easily show muscle definition after a bit of exercise. Somehow we forget about them, and figure whatever they’re eating is just fine because at least they’re not fat. I agree that ALL children should be encouraged to eat a healthy diet and have plenty of fun exercise and good sleep and time in nature. Regardless of what they look like, children should have these things. (And then, once children become adults, we let them choose for themselves, without judgement.)

This essay is about hunger. It’s about weight stigma. It’s about body-shaming. It’s about children being told their bodies are wrong, they’re wrong and that they and their behaviors are to blame for their (fat) appearance. There is no one cause and effect correlation between physical appearance and what one eats. We are more complex than that. And children deserve to grow up without their bodies being shunned or hated. In fact, self-love is another of the healthy behaviors I think should be encouraged in children. Enforced and prolonged hunger and severe caloric restrictions have no place in a healthy childhood…