05-27-2008, 11:15 PM
Filed under: Kids 8-11, Just for dads, Eating & nutrition, MealtimeRecently a friend of a friend admitted that his daughter was overweight and that he didn't know what to do about it. "I feel bad," he confided. "All I do is tell her that she's too heavy, but I don't know what else to do."
His daughter is a chubby 8 year old... And already the most important man in her life is telling her she's not good enough the way she is. Ouch.
Girls, and particularly overweight girls, get so many negative messages about their bodies in our culture. I have multiple friends who remember their mothers or father's saying things like, "Men don't like fat girls," and "If you lost a little weight, you'd be prettier." And I remember my own dad making rude comments about strangers--particularly women--who were overweight when we were out together running errands or at a restaurant.
Prejudice towards overweight children and adults is deeply ingrained in our culture. And many parents don't seem to realize that they are their child's first line of defense with regards to how they'll see themselves in the world.
While it seems obvious that reminding your child that they're heavy will not fix the problem, and modeling a healthy lifestyle will, the issue is far more complex---or there would be far fewer overweight kids.
So what should a dad say to his daughter when he realizes she's becoming overweight? How can he help? Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted on Tue, 27 May 2008 09:00:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/how...daughters/
Comments: http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/how.../#comments
His daughter is a chubby 8 year old... And already the most important man in her life is telling her she's not good enough the way she is. Ouch.
Girls, and particularly overweight girls, get so many negative messages about their bodies in our culture. I have multiple friends who remember their mothers or father's saying things like, "Men don't like fat girls," and "If you lost a little weight, you'd be prettier." And I remember my own dad making rude comments about strangers--particularly women--who were overweight when we were out together running errands or at a restaurant.
Prejudice towards overweight children and adults is deeply ingrained in our culture. And many parents don't seem to realize that they are their child's first line of defense with regards to how they'll see themselves in the world.
While it seems obvious that reminding your child that they're heavy will not fix the problem, and modeling a healthy lifestyle will, the issue is far more complex---or there would be far fewer overweight kids.
So what should a dad say to his daughter when he realizes she's becoming overweight? How can he help? Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted on Tue, 27 May 2008 09:00:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/how...daughters/
Comments: http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/how.../#comments