- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preteenagers today articles
- preteenagers today q&a
- teenagers today articles
- teenagers today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Modeling Positive Body Image to Your Children By Lyn Mettler
Michelle Rathman, a 35-year-old mom in St. Charles, Ill., has long struggled with weight issues from her experience as an abused and overweight child. As an adult, she frequently hid food in her desk drawers and one day discovered her then 10-year-old daughter was doing the same. "We teach our children our own terrible eating habits, and we pass our issues on to them," she says.
Susan Fletcher, a psychologist in private practice in Dallas, Texas, points out that like Rathman and her daughter, it's not just what you say, but what you do. "A lot of these messages are indirect. It's not a big talk you have with your child," she says. "It's the indirect witnessing [children] do of how people behave."
Learn TogetherYou should also talk openly about your own health. Being a good role model does not mean you have to be perfect; it's about setting a good example through the decisions you make in your life.
Genie O'Malley of Mt. Shasta, Calif., was ridiculed as a child because she was overweight. It took her years and even several suicide attempts to come to terms with her weight and her past, eventually enabling her to drop several clothing sizes. Now, the 32-year-old mother of two is currently working to lose weight from her last pregnancy, and she talks candidly with her children about it.
