Stop your kids from inheriting your body-image struggles
As a parent, you want your child to be self-confident and happy. But, if you struggle with body-image issues yourself, it's possible that you're passing along your insecurities. As a parent, you want to protect your kids from all the struggles of the world. You want them to be happy and healthy, with a strong self-esteem that will serve them well throughout life.
Your children are going to inherit your body-image struggles. But it doesn't have to be a bad thing if you help them learn early on how to accept themselves as they are, rather than chasing after an unattainable ideal.
If you have bad body image issues, here are some ways you can help your kids avoid developing similar problems:
Think about how you talk about your body.
You're the parent here, and your kids will look up to you. If they see that you're unhappy with your body, it's hard for them not to think it's the end of the world. It doesn't have to be this way!
Parents often make comments about their own bodies or those of others, such as "Look at this belly" or "She's so skinny." While it may seem harmless, these are not the kinds of things you want your children to hear from you. If you don't feel good about your own body, they will pick up on that and feel the same way too. Instead, find positive ways to talk about how great you look!
Stop comparing yourself to others--especially in front of your kids. Even if it seems harmless (and sometimes even helpful), comparing yourself with other people sends a message that there's only one way for bodies or faces or clothes should look like in order for someone else's life experience as an individual human being.
Don't compare your children to other kids.
If you're constantly comparing your kids to other children, it may seem like they're just a reflection of you and what you see in the mirror. But this isn't so — they're individuals with their own personalities and preferences that can't be summed up in one sentence or two.
"I think it's important for parents not to compare their kids," says Dr. Kirsten Krahnke, a licensed psychologist who specializes in eating disorders at OhioHealth Neurological Center at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "Your child is unique with his or her own strengths and weaknesses."
So instead of comparing your child to others, focus on what makes them special — whether it's a certain talent or hobby or simply how much fun they make everyday family life more enjoyable by being themselves!
They need you to model healthy attitudes about food, exercise, and self-esteem so they can learn how to develop those things themselves. They also need freedom from comparisons with other people--especially siblings or other families--so that they don't feel like they are being compared all the time.
Don't make them do things that you don't want to do.
One of the best ways to set your child up for success is by modelling healthy behaviours. If you're a parent who struggles with body image and self-love, it's important that you don't make them feel guilty or bad about not wanting to do things that make you feel uncomfortable. Your kid will pick up on those vibes and internalise them as their own--and then they might start feeling like there's something wrong with them because they don't want to do something that makes their parents uncomfortable.
Letting your kids know that they don't have to do anything unless it makes sense for them will help ensure that they develop a healthy relationship with food, exercise and self-care from an early age so they can avoid developing unhealthy habits later on in life when peer pressure becomes more intense (like junior high).
Let them know that everyone has feelings, including them.
There's a good chance that your child will be dealing with their own body-image issues. In fact, research has shown that about half of all children express some level of body dissatisfaction before they turn 11 years old. And as you know, when it comes to self-esteem and confidence, the earlier you start teaching kids how to love themselves, the better off they'll be in adulthood!
It can be especially hard for parents to talk about feelings like these because there's so much pressure on us to present ourselves as perfect role models--but there's nothing wrong with letting your kids know that everyone has feelings, including them; we're all just trying our best out here! You can even let them know that if they ever need someone who understands or wants advice about something related (such as eating disorders), then they should feel free to come talk with either yourself or another trusted adult such as a teacher or relative instead of keeping everything bottled up inside until it gets worse than necessary."
Let them Develop a Positive Body Image
If we teach our children to respect their bodies and accept themselves as they are, we'll give them a head start at happiness and success in life.
If you want to give your children a head start at happiness and success, teach them to respect their bodies and accept themselves as they are.
The most important thing we can do for our children is to help them develop a positive body image. Research shows that kids with healthy self-esteem have better academic performance, higher social status, and more fulfilling relationships than those with low self-esteem. They also tend to live longer and healthier lives.
Teaching children about body image is part of raising them with good values like kindness, empathy, and compassion - values that will serve them well throughout their lives no matter what path they choose or obstacles they face along the way.
We all have body image struggles, and it's important to talk about them. But we also need to remember that our children are watching every move we make and listening to every word we say. If we want them to grow up with healthy self-esteem and a positive attitude toward themselves, then we need to start today by making sure they know how much they are loved just as they are--with all their imperfections included!
Need help in teaching your kids to live a healthier and more fulfilling life, book a call with Rita today.
YOUR CHILD'S HEALTH (AND ARE YOU OVERDOSING THEM WITH MULTIVITS?)
It is the belief of most parents that children are eating a relatively healthy diet, but if not, they throw up their hands and give up. Children are then plied with multivitamins. Though this is not a bad thing to do, many children think they are candy especially now that they come in gummy candy, gumballs, and cute animal and cartoon characters.
This is extremely serious because if they are with a kids reach, they could be taking more than you know about. If there is the remotest chance your child has ingested too many, immediately call Poison Control and get them to the emergency room.
If your child overdoses with multivitamins with iron your child could become seriously ill or die. All manner of medications must absolutely be kept out of the reach of children. If you think your child needs them generic multivitamins are fine but for the most part, children get a lot of their vitamins in their diets.
If your child is either allergic to dairy products or won’t eat them, calcium will need to come from other sources. A consultation with your child’s pediatrician is important. One vitamin daily is all a child needs even if his diet has been questionable for that week.
The absorption of other vitamins could be blocked if there is too much of any one vitamin. For example, too much calcium can prevent the absorption of other vitamins such as iron. Healthy food choices are not a child’s priority you can expect to be giving your child vitamins well into their teens.
Before buying vitamins you should know that opinions about vitamins with iron for children vary greatly. One belief is that you should, in fact, be giving vitamins with iron. Another philosophy is that never should a child be given vitamins with iron in them.
In infancy my own child showed signs of iron deficiency as an infant. Always check with your child’s doctor; my child’s doctor put him on iron fortified vitamins and he is healthy now. A disease called Hemochromatosis is caused by too much iron in the blood.
The iron becomes unusable by the body and it is not washed out of the body easily. It is almost always a fatal disease and can cause serious health issues. Calcium helps build strong bones and muscles and is a very important part of your child’s diet.
Calcium is a mineral. Kids who eat ice cream, yogurt, and cheese or who drink milk usually get enough calcium from their diets. Some do not like dairy products, still others are allergic to them. Children can be assisted in getting what they need by consuming calcium fortified juices, cereals and vitamins.
Drinking fluoride treated tap water and bottled water and/or using fluoridated toothpaste is enough for most children. Your child should not be given fluoride supplements without checking with your pediatrician. Your child’s teeth could be permanently stained if they get too much fluoride.
This defeats the purpose of the treatment of water and the use of toothpaste meant to protect your child’s teeth. Infant multivitamins in liquid form are available and usually administered with an eye dropper.
The drops contain vitamins A, C, and D and may have added iron. Also they may have other vitamins and minerals such as thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and vitamin B-12. Chewable children’s vitamins are available in the forms of cartoon characters and/or animals. Now vitamins are available in gummi candy and gumballs.
Try buying gumball vitamins or cartoon characters if your child is difficult about taking vitamins. Your child should always be supervised while he’s taking his vitamins. My son never gets to take his vitamins on his own, I give them to him.
He may or may not take it or he could take too many. Children’s vitamins could be a very good thing but too much of a good thing could be fatal. They should not be left in the reach of children. Eating what is right is not your child’s top priority so giving him vitamins may offset some of that.
Adjustments to child’s diet should always be discussed with your child’s pediatrician, it’s better to err on the side of caution. It’s fine to have fun shapes but your child could think they are candy and they should be kept out of reach of children or locked in a cabinet.
The Coach xx
