I was a chubby kid. (I’m also a chubby mother because of a plus-40 pound weight gain during my pregnancy, but that’s a subject for another rant-worthy blog). My cousins called me chubby, my track coach called me chubby, and even my mom and grandfather called me chubby. Was I offended by this occasional term of endearment? Sure. I mean, would I call my daughter chubby if she was?

Would you tell your child he or she was chubby? What about “overweight” or “obese”? These are the underlying questions the Center for Disease Control and Prevention wants answered. Under a proposal being studied by a committee of the American Medical Association, the CDC and others, overweight children would get the same labels as adults. Right now, the CDC avoids calling overweight children “obese” no matter now fat they are. According to a recent AP article, the CDC calls kids who are overweight “at risk of overweight” and obese children are called “overweight."

Calling a child obese would stigmatize an already chubby kid with low self-esteem, some parents and doctors say. Those favoring a label change argue that the current terms encourage a serious denial of a problem affecting many youth. I agree. Our kids are getting fatter, folks—are we doing a disservice to them by not properly labeling them?

As we all know, weight is an especially touchy subjects to kids. In the same AP article, an Illinois teen who lost 60 pounds said calling a kid “obese” was mean. I understand the sentiment, but I don’t think doctors and/or parents who use euphemisms are doing the child any good. If the child is medically obese then that comes with a whole slew of health problems—the child should know how grave those problems are. A doctor telling a child he or she is obese would be a wake-up call. Of course, telling a child this should be accompanied by a heartfelt discussion on ways to lose weight and positive and encouraging comments that the child can accomplish this. To help with this discussion, Connect For Kids provides a comprehensive resource to help parents understand and take action on this issue.