I was on YouTube this evening and saw a preview clip for Wednesday night's episode, featuring a woman named Nicole. I don't know much about Nicole, but I do know this. She has two young children, she lives with her parents, and her weight is getting in the way of her ability to safely care for her young children.
Check out this video. Nicole's young child is bathing and her mother is insisting that Nicole actually supervise her child in the bathtub. Keep in mind that Nicole can barely stand for more than a few minutes without experience pain and fatigue. But that limitation is compounded the fact that Nicole cannot fit through the bathroom doorway(!!).
You read that correctly. Nicole is too large to fit through her bathroom doorway.
I don't write this blog post to make fun of or to humiliate this woman. I write this because Nicole's extreme weight has created a huge risk in her ability to safely care for her children. Her two children are young. Maybe 1-3 years old. Can you imagine if one of them experienced a health emergency in the bathroom? Or if they needed her to help them clean up after a toileting accident? And how is she going to keep these kids safe if they decide to run off in some random direction -- out the door or into the street or through the park or whatever?
I feel horrible for Nicole and whatever challenges that she has experienced that have contributed towards her extreme weight. But there is no way that she can safely care for her children on her own. Sadly, this is something that she even acknowledges in the video.
I really hope that Nicole gained the skills and motivation to bring her weight down and to overcome whatever issues led to her putting on some much weight in the first place. Otherwise, I really don't see how she can safely parent these young children without significant supports.
You can watch the entire clip here. I will definitely be watching this episode!