Kids today are constantly bombarded consciously and subconsciously with society’s idea of the ideal body. As a parent, you know your children are perfect as they are. It can be hard to get this point across with mixed media messages. But when you have a society that highlights one body type, it can be hard to teach your kids they are perfect and beautiful as they are; that while the world says one thing, as Dr. Seuss said “You are you. That is truer than true.” Here are some ways to instill body positivity in your kids.
Avoid criticizing your own body. Lead by example. Don’t pick apart yourself in front of your child. Don’t live on the scale or in the beauty aisle at the store. You’d be surprised how much they catch on and get out of these seemingly minimal activities. Not happy with yourself? Be proactive and do something about it. Teach them about helping yourself. Want to be more active? Plae Hard has a two-week free trial and they even have a Youth Athlete Training class that you kids can attend. Help them find an outlet, whether it’s sports, music or art, that inspires them and builds their confidence.- Don’t obsess over food. When you plan your meals by calories, your kids learn to count their meals by calories. Teach them about healthy foods, clean eating and that it’s ok to indulge moderately. You want to teach them a healthy lifestyle, not that a diet is a lifestyle. Use our restaurant guide as a family activity. Each week you pick a restaurant to try, each member of the family finds and selects the healthy options on the menu, but each person gets a different meal. Winner of who gets the tastiest and healthiest meal gets to pick dessert. This way everyone is challenged and everyone gets to try something new.
3. Build their self esteem. It’s great to tell them “you look pretty in that dress” or “don’t you look handsome today?” but it’s more important to teach them about the actions. Recognize when they are kind and compassionate; that it’s ok to be mad but the importance of moving on. Teach them the importance of saying you’re sorry and meaning it. Teach them how to show the world the beautiful person you know they are.