I have tried all kinds of yo-yo diets, exercise programs, and plain not eating. I could never do that last one though - I couldn't even make it past lunch with eating...clearly that way is not for me! Now that I have a daughter, I yearn for her to not have this struggle. There is soo much more to being confident that just the way you look, and that's what I am determined to teach her. I'm not exactly sure on how to do this, but here is where I will start:
1. Be confident in who I am! It's important for her to see that her mama is confident in order to be confident herself. A woman's body is amazing...not only can it grow a baby, but it knows how to birth a baby, and then provide food for a baby. I think this has changed the way I view myself. Having these experiences has taught me to be confident and amazed with my body.
2. Not focus on appearance. When I tell Aubree how beautiful she is, I want her to also know how smart she is, what her gifts are, and what makes her uniquely special. I plan on telling her these things as she grows and develops into a little person. For now I will just tell her how strong she is when she tries to sit up or roll over and how much I love the new sounds she makes!
3. Expose her to good role models. I want her to see her teachers using what's in their heart to help a child learn. I want her to see women at soup kitchens, pantries, and shelters using kindness to reach out to those in need. I want her to see women in church who use prayer and their spiritual gifts to touch those around them. I want her to see strong women in the workplace using their mind to achieve great things. I want her to see that no matter what profession she chooses, she can be awesome just like these women.
4. Give opportunities for her to develop her gifts. Whether it is choosing different camps to go to in the summer or by experiencing different things, I want her to be able to find what she enjoys and have the opportunity to develop her love for it.
5. Try not to put labels on her. It will be hard to avoid sentences with "you're so..." but it's important for her to figure out who she is instead of me telling her who she is.
6. Teach her to guard her heart. There will be a day when she comes home "in love" with a boy (I know Ollie and I are denial of this, even though we won't have much to say since we fell in love in high school). I want her to know how she is suppose to be treated by a boy and how a relationship works. I'm fortunate enough that she will see this in her daddy. He will be her first love. She will see how he treats her mommy and want to be treated like that too!
7. Have strong friendships. You can read more about how I feel about friendship and why it's so important here.
8. Teach her how to eat right and make exercise apart of daily life. I know that the most important piece of her learning strong self esteem is by seeing me have a strong self esteem. Therefore, I want to be healthy, not super thin or extremely buff, but healthy. I am her first teacher/mentor and if I don't show her, than she will become subject to our society's standards.
That's my list so far. How will you help your kids have a positive body image? Share them with me...I'd love to incorporate your ideas too!
Here is another great list that I found on Pinterest on raising kids to have a positive body image. I suggest reading it!
Wow - that's really powerful. I think you're already making strides by thinking through so much of this while she is small!
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