ABC News and Good Morning America filed a report about a little girl from Houston who is concerned that her tummy is too fat, and wants to lose weight, she has also been teased by schoolmates about her tummy. Clearly this causes concern with her parents,especially since as per her pediatrician is well with in the normal weight and height for her age. Taylor is not alone. More and more little girls are overly aware of their weight. Aware is one thing worried is another thing.

And just where do you think that they are getting these ideas? hummmm now let me think for a sec….Where o where could it be?

Watch your Words
Mother’s watch your tongues, teacher’s watch your words, Aunties and sisters take a moment to think about what you say when children are in earshot. When we talk about our bodies and what we don’t like about them, when we talk about gain weight, losing it, or dieting children hear that. Daddies and uncles talking about who is “hot” or talking about women’s body parts in front of daughters and sons resonate, and are remembered. When we make an off handed comment about other women being, fat, skinny, or ugly children are observing and learning. We as the adults inform them, children hold no judgements of their own, it’s not until they hear the we talk or react to things that they then learn the way they are supposed to think of things and how they are supposed to feel. That’s why it is so important for us as adults to get ourselves together, to get our heads together, because our children must be lead. You know the biblical phrase “The sins of the Father shall be visited upon the son” well our issues get passed on to our children, either they adopt them or they repudiate becoming the mirror opposite.

Another interesting thing that we have to look at, and deal with is the lack of balance we experience in this country surrounding weight and food. On one had we have the issue childhood obesity which our First Lady’s Let’s Move is working to address, and on the other we have young girls worried about being, or getting fat. Both ends of the spectrum stem from an unhealthy relationship to food, and body image. When children as young as 3 are being effected it should tell us adults that we have to pull it together.