My daughter has some chub. She has the cutest little belly, which protrudes from the center of her body- it almost makes her inny and outie. If she was 20 and looked like this, I might ask if she was pregnant!
Sometimes, as we sit in the bathtub, I wonder if I'm a horrible mom because I say something about her adorable tummy. Am I setting her up for years of therapy, body image issues and problems down the road?
I am comfortable with my body. No, I'm not perfect, and no, I'm not 100% confident all the time. But 95% of the time, I am confident, comfortable, and happy with my body. And my weight.
Yes, I do believe that what you wear, and having clothes that fit, makes a huge impact on your self-esteem. However, I also know that being naked is a glorious thing. It's my preferred outfit at my home on any given Sunday morning.
How do I ensure that my daughter grows up knowing how beautiful, wonderful and special she is? That the number on the scale, and the size of her jeans aren't as important as how her clothes fit, and how much activity she can do. I believe that you are beautiful the way you are. I believe that riding your bike is a more important indicator of your health than the number on the scale. I believe that eating a freshly cooked marshmallow out of our fireplace is a good dessert any night of the week.
I know she's to young, but I'm glad that there are programs out there to help her through this. And I'm glad that some of them are Jewish. I just don't want to be too late.
Do you worry? Am I crazy?
I don't think that you're crazy at all. Even without a child I worry about the stigma that media and society will press onto my children as soon as they are able to register it. I read an article recently from a woman that was saying the best course of action is to never speak of weight or image at all, but I think that is unrealistic and extreme. I know that growing up my father and grandmother would make comments on my weight and it was crushing to deal with, but my mother affected me in a different way. She would be a stick and agonize about her weight, how she needs to diet, how unhappy she is. I could not help thinking that if she was so unhappy being smaller than I was, I must be a behemoth.
ReplyDeleteI think you being positive about your own self image and making positive comments to EG is definitely something positive and constructive, building her up and setting a good example of what a confident and beautiful woman is.