I think 'Monkey see monkey do'. Bad eating habits are mostly learned. Either by demonstration, or not being raised in a household where healthy eating takes place, or (which may seem contradictory) being raised in a household with 'strong limits' or in a household were going 'without' lead to hunger and leads to a grown individual over indulging. In most (not all) cases where the parents are obese, the children are as well - not because of physical hereditary factors, but because of learned behaviors. I do not see parents as having any rights. I even question the free-for all nature of folk procreating without any regulation or guidance or education when it comes to child rearing. It is my firm belief that we humans have reached a population density and a level of knowledge (science) that we are now at the point where careful consideration of the fitness of the parents (genetic fitness) should determine if they procreate or not. Further we are at the stage of human development where we understand the effects home environment has on the child and how that plays a huge roll on if the child grows up to be a president or a perpetual criminal. Parenthood should be earned through study and hard work - we demand that folk learn how to drive a car before giving them the 'right' to drive. We demand that people register their dog, insuring the dog gets at least the minimum in medical care. It is only right that we humans insure that our most precious resource is brought to this planet and afforded every single chance for the best possible treatment, education and development that we can muster. In my mind most parents are abusive to one degree or another. Not on purpose 'beat the child to near death' abuse, but abuse through lack of education, lack of information or because raising children is a task that demands way too much energy, time, attention and now single individual or even a couple can possible do it all. Most likely an obese parent with a rotund child is 'doing their best', having neither the energy nor the sciences of nutrition, medicine, psychology to fully understand the impact that their lifestyle and their home life has on the child. Thus in larger consideration I would see this situation to be a failing of society, the same society that fails to provide basic health care for all members of is 'equality ideology' the same society that fails to understand that 'right' and 'ability' rarely meets up, the same society that expects folk to do things in moderation while ever billboard, Radio and TV station, the internet, magazines, newspapers and even the sides of buses scream 'consume, consume, consume'. As a society we teach a good deal of the wrong behaviors and we get all flustered when a person cannot figure out on their own when to stop.