12/31/2023
A good reminder as the new year approaches. Please be mindful around kids!
A great reminder for anyone planning New Year's resolutions this year! As observed by Mayo Clinic experts, "moms are probably the most important influence on a daughter's body image," surpassing the impact of other significant influencers such as media and peers. Given the importance of mothers as body image role models, Dr. Leslie Sim, clinical director of Mayo Clinic's eating disorders program, recommends that they avoid talk about weight, diets, and outer appearances around their daughters.
"Zero comments not only about your daughter's weight, obviously, but zero talk about your weight and even other people's weight," says Sim. Rather than focus on weight, parents can model healthy behaviors for their children such as eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. It's also important to talk with young girls about natural changes in their bodies, especially as girls approach puberty and may experience normal weight gain during this development period.
To help instill the importance of loving yourself in your Mighty Girl, regardless of your size or shape, we've shared two dozen empowering books for children and teens in our blog post, "Celebrating Every Body: 35 Body Image Positive Books for Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10912
For an excellent guide for tween girls on body image, we highly recommend "The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless" for ages 10 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-body-image-book-for-girls
There is also a helpful guide to help teens build a healthy, body positive relationship with food, "The Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens," at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-intuitive-eating-workbook-for-teens
For several great books for children and teens about the importance of loving yourself, we highly recommend "I Like Myself" for ages 3 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/i-like-myself), "The Confidence Code for Girls" for ages 8 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-confidence-code-for-girls), and "The Body Image Workbook for Teens" for ages 13+ (https://www.amightygirl.com/body-image-workbook)
If you have an older Mighty Girl, we recommend books to help girls navigate issues related to puberty, including normal changes in weight and body shape, in our post on "Talking with Tweens and Teens about their Bodies" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11090
