Tips for Parents
Help your children feel good about their bodies. Here are some ideas:
- Help your child understand that people come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
- Talk about how the media promotes an “ideal” body shape and size for men and women. This “ideal” is not possible for most people.
- Help kids understand that their bodies will be changing and growing, especially during puberty.
- Focus on your child’s strengths and abilities, not on their size and appearance.
- Become more aware of the messages you send about your own body and the comments you make about other people’s bodies.
- Help your child deal with put-downs and negative comments.
- Don’t weigh your child - single measurements here and there are not meaningful. A child’s weight should be compared to his or her own growth pattern over a long period of time (i.e. from birth). This is the purpose of using growth charts at the doctor’s office.
Advocacy is an effective way to get your voice heard and to take action. Here’s what you can do to advocate for healthy body image:
- Ensure harassment policies in schools/daycares include body size sensitivity
- Advocate for body image to be a component of health programming and communications in schools
Tips for Parents