Sometimes I feel like some of the blame should be shifted to the kids. I was pretty fat 3-6th grade, and it wasn't my parents' fault. I'd sneak soda and desserts into my room, and packed on the pounds despite calorie controlled meals. Once my parents stopped buying sweets, I'd go to the convenience store. In middle school, I started to feel ashamed of my weight and lost all of my excess weight. Parental intervention is needed, but parental support and peer shaming can work wonders.