WELLNESS & WELL-BEING
Create a
Healthy
Body Image
for Your
Daughter
AS A MOM, YOU PLAY ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT ROLES IN HOW YOUR DAUGHTER
SEES HERSELF AND FEELS ABOUT HER
BODY. HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO HELP YOUR
DAUGHTER FOSTER A POSITIVE BODY IMAGE.
By Shannon Hayes Buescher
1. Do not speak negatively about your body. Your words about
yourself play a huge role in how your daughter will see herself. When
you openly critique and judge your body, you are teaching her to do
the same. This can come from your comments on how your stomach
shows in a tight shirt, how your hips look big in a pair of jeans, or
how you look “fat” in a picture. It can come from how you accept a
compliment. Are you quick to dismiss it with a negative comment
about your body? Daughters are sponges; they absorb everything
you say and will take it on as their own.
2. Concentrate on health, not weight. Encourage movement
for health and mood rather than changing your body. Offer healthy
foods, but remember every food has its place. Be mindful of good
and bad language with food. If you only allow good, healthy food,
children will find the treats, cookies, desserts and chips somewhere
else, and will then often overeat when they do. This develops a poor
relationship with these foods. It is important to teach them to listen
to their bodies. Encourage them to eat when they are hungry, and
stop when they are full. Teach them to be aware of how they feel after
they eat. Let their body be the guide, rather than you.
3. Remember puberty. I cannot stress this enough. In puberty,
a girl can gain anywhere from 20 to 50 pounds in fatty tissue in a
relatively short period of time. Fat is what she is supposed to gain.
The transition from girl to woman will look different for every girl,
but the vast majority of girls will gain weight, as well as height. A
girl’s body isn’t fully matured until 25 years old when the frontal
lobe (the rational thinking part) of the brain is fully developed. It is
important that you remind your daughter that her chest, stomach