Teaching Our Girls To Love Their Bodies
One of the biggest challenges we face as parents is teaching our children, especially our girls, to love themselves and be comfortable in their own skin. As Moms, it is especially challenging when sometimes we are still hung up on body issues ourselves.
The focus of this year’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is:
Be comfortable in your genes.
Wear jeans that fit the REAL you.
And the text on this year’s poster reads:
Be comfortable in your genes.
Your genes play a role in determining your
body size and shape. So be kind to your body.
Stop trying to turn it into something it’s not.
Wear jeans that fit the REAL you.
As a teen (and still as an adult), body image was something I really struggled with. Being tall and lanky, I was always comparing my clothing size with my friends. We were all built so different, but that didn’t seem to make any sense to me. As an adult, it makes perfect sense, but there are days when I look in the mirror and am just not comfortable with what I see. However, it’s just too easy to make comparisons.
Here are a few ways we can help our girls to learn to love their bodies:
- We need to continuously reprogram our kids from the messages they are receiving from the media and society. You do not need to be stick thin in order to be beautiful. Open up the discussion as to why these images are not the norm.
- We must set healthy examples in both our eating habits and our exercise habits. Kids are smart and will follow our lead. If you are always asking if you look fat in these pants, what do you think your daughter will begin to say?
- Teach your daughters about genetics. Look at old family photos and note the similarities. Point out Aunt Martha’s gorgeous smile and let your daughter know that she inherited that great smile from her favorite Aunt.
- Keep your kids active! Structured sports activities are wonderful, but they are not the only solution. The key is to make fitness part of daily life.
- Focus your attention on what your daughter’s body can do – not what it looks like. Those muscular thighs are for running faster than the boys, you know!
Thanks to Kristen at Lively Women and Hsien at Genetics and Health for reminding me about this week.
Great post, Char. I’d also add in discussions about specific celebrities, specifically those who are too thin (like Lindsay Lohan) and those who are really comfortable in their bodies (like America Ferrara, who was fantastic in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and actually had a scene that dealt with girls recognizing their real bodies). It’s also important to get involved in the media activities that influence your kids. Pull their magazines out of the mailbox before they do and look through them. Read some articles together and talk about them.
kk
I suffered from anorexia in my early 20’s. It was very difficult to overcome. Luckily, I had the support of my family and some very good counselors. I’ve never made weight an issue with my daughter. I don’t want her to ever go through what I went through. She eats healthy and gets her exercise through regular sports.
Just this morning my husbands daughter made the comment that she wears big hoodie sweatshirts to cover her “fat” – WHA?????
This is a great post. One I’m going to be talkin’ about tonight
Gayla – I suspect that now you have a teen girl in your house daily, you are going to have plenty of deprogramming to do.
Gayla– Ack! I think girls are supposed to think they’re fat for some reason. What’s up with THAT? So glad you’re not afraid to set her straight and get her on the right path. She will be SO GRATEFUL, even if tween or teen “whatever!” tells you otherwise. ;] Keep us posted!
kk
Thanks KK – I’m very new at this. We only just got custody one week ago. It’s a whole new experience for me.
I’ll keep you posted and probably screaming for help too.
Aww, you’ll be fine. Just trust your instincts. And we’re all here to help you! Hey, send her to Lively Women! If you give me a heads up, I’ll put in a quick, sneaky post about teen girls and self-esteem. ;]
kk