Approximately 14 percent of children in the United States are obese. This is a disturbing and dangerous statistic. As a parent, there are things you can to do help your overweight child.

Avoid Verbal Abuse
If you think that making derogatory comments about your child's appearance will shame him/her into losing weight, you're wrong. You will cause anger, hurt and resentment. Worse than that, you'll condition your child to develop negative labels ("I'm just a pig," "I'll never be good at sports," or "Nobody will want to date me when I grow up,") that could be lasting.

Introduce Positive Labels
Don't you think your child wants to feel better, get back energy, vitality and self-esteem? Instead of providing criticism and judgment, you can provide help and encouragement. Start offering positive labels: "I can achieve whatever I set out to do," or "I am loved and valued."

Look at Why They Eat
Instead of looking at what your child eats, look into why he/she eats. Childhood obesity can be a symptom of stress. If your child is self-medicating with food, what is being medicated? Adults often turn to drugs and/or alcohol to self-medicate when they are looking to fill a void or cope with stress. Children often turn to food.