I have a young cousin roughly the same age as my daughter. My daughter is 22 and my cousin is 20. All her life, my aunt indulged my cousin with every kind of junk food and unhealthy "treat" she requested. On the other hand, with my daughter, we insisted on a physical activity (she chose figure skating and horseback riding). We allowed some treats in moderation. We never stressed weight but did stress healthy food choices.

My daughter is now on the West Coast in a physics PhD program, happy, independent, and very healthy. My cousin on the other hand now weighs almost 300 lbs., lives with my aunt. has no independent life and still calls her mother "Mommy".

I never thought about what my aunt was doing to my cousin as child abuse. I do now. Deliberately overfeeding a child junk repeatedly should be a red-flag for Children and Youth services.

R.