Little girls should not have to worry about being called FAT! I hate that so many young girls are self conscious about the way they look.Manga Dork has been very self conscious about her weight lately. She needs to lose a few pounds, but she looks so cute in her clothes. At the Back to School fashion show we had to tell her constantly to unwrap her arms so we could see her shirt. She even tries to wear her hair pulled forward on the sides so it looks like she is hiding. Over the summer she wanted to drop 20 pounds, but she did not. On the first day of school, her BFF said "You got fatter" to her in front of a group of kids. Argh...I am still fuming over that one.
At least Wild Child was able to go to preschool this morning without someone criticizing her for the way she looks. BUT girls are worrying about their looks at a much younger age. Jan had a great post (Mirrors) about her sweet daughter's self confidence that you should check out. It made me tear up because of what we are going through with Manga Dork.
In the next couple weeks I am going to do a major overhaul on our eating habits. I don't want her to feel bad PLUS I am slowly gaining back what I worked so hard to lose. Time for a change!
Happy Thursday...the weekend is almost here!
12 comments:
What a good mom you are. Making positive changes in your families eating habits will help everyone in the family.
Your beautiful pre-teen is lovely and I am so sorry she is feeling uncomfortable about her body.
Does she like sports? Has she tried some after school activities? Maybe she has and this is a silly suggestion.
But I am a black belt instructor and have seen lots of kids come into our school with some extra weight on them. With in a few months they have trimmed up and their self confidence has multiplied 100 fold. Just some ideas.
You are doing the right thing with the new eating habits. Yesterday my son was starving and I told him to go find something to eat. He came back outside with a yummy apple. I told him that was a good choice.
But the truth is, that he would have had to make a good choice because we only have healthy food in our home. Anyway, let me know if you would like to talk about this more. As you can see, I have a lot to say about this.
I have worked so hard on my weight and body image! I was fat as a child and teen. I have spend all my adult life trying to turn that around. And I have. I weight 20 lbs. less now then I did in high school. But is has not been easy but it has been worth it.
Keep up the good work mom. M
Oh wow...that breaks my heart. Sometimes kids are the worst influence on their peers self-worth. I bet the friend was jealous of how great Manga Dork looked in her cute clothes yesterday...
Self image is such a touchy subject. I struggle with my weight as an adult - so naturally I worry that The Doodlebug will encounter this when she's grown. It's one of the reasons why I do "Fitness Fridays" ---it keeps me accountable. And now that school is back in session, it's time to get serious.
Join me tomorrow...writing down those goals really helps. :)
Chin up :)
AWwwww... what kind of friend is that? Get a new friend! NOW.
Bless her heart... I think the pre teen age is the worst!
Definitely get a new friend. Grrr. Meanies like that bother me too. I think Manga Dork looked ADORABLE-ICIOUS in her pic on her first day of school :)
Eating healthier is NEVER a bad thing though!! :)
I have got to run, but I will come back later and comment on this more deeply. Great post.
gosh....Spencer and I were just talking about this VERY thing earlier today. Isn't is SAD?!! And SICKENING!?!?! I can't stand this!!!
it is like a terrible plague.
But you are doing the right thing by casually chaning the eating habits at home without saying that she is on a "DIET".
You are a great mom!!!
It is sad society has to be this way! and its not fair some of us have to work so hard at it an others don't!!
I just got back :) I have struggled my whole life with self esteem and body issues. It is deep. I can't tell you how scared I am at my daughter having those same issues. Life is cruel. I know the teasing all to well. I know how it feels to be left out and ridiculed. I have been there so many times its not funny.
We never talk about fat here. Its about being healthy and staying as active as possible. Stick thin to me is so not healthy either. I want her to be comfortable. We can flucuate (SP) at times, do we hate ourselves when we have PMS and are bloated. Woman can gain up to 11 pds. on bloated days. I wish you all the luck on the new "Healthy Living". It is not about the weight. Not every body is the same. I can't stand that chart. It is not a fair chart of ideals. False to me. Just be healthy. If she says the word fat, replace it with healthy. It will change her mindset hopefully. Take care. And I have her back anytime.
Scrap my heart goes out to Mango Dork... how hard! I am glad you are trying, but it is a long road! The only thing I would try first, is getting her thyroid checked. When mine went out I GAINED while doing Jane Fonda! Best of luck to you both.
I hope she comes to realize that self esteem comes from within, hard when people are looking on the outside
That breaks my heart. She is such a pretty pretty girl. I don't understand why young girls have to say such cruel and hateful things. I really don't understand why some people can't stop their mouths from saying such mean spirited comments. Makes me so mad and I"m getting heated up here. Anyway - good for you for being a wise mom. She's entering hard years and YOU will be just what she needs. You are loving and caring and wise.
I've always wanted my kids to feel like home is a haven - a place they can go to be themselves. No pretenses!
Good luck. I've been there done that.
This really burns me. My daughter just finished doing an internship in a facility with young girls who have eating disorders. Comments from mean-spirited friends are some of the reasons why girls develop eating disorders. Your daughter is so lucky to have you be so in tune to what she needs and that her beauty glows from the inside out.
It breaks my heart knowing what girls go through! I have always had issues with my weight and was teased all through school and very self concious! It is a constant battle. I wish I could just wrap Manga Dork up and tell her to not let those girls or anyone make her feel bad! She is great. The photo of her in her team outfit is great!! She looks perfect and healthy! I am really trying to get back on track with exercise and eating. You can join the 'Looking Fine in 2009' challenge that is on my blog!! Good to have that support.
P.S. Wild child is just sooo cute!!!
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