Promote Positive Body Image

The topic of body image is usually associated with teenagers, but it’s becoming an issue for younger children now, too. Media and advertising, toys, and peer pressure are among the many factors that make kids question their appearance and build. But what’s said and seen at home matters, too. Often parents inadvertently contribute to their child’s body-image issues with their comments or through their own weight issues. A parent’s focus on body image can make a child think his or her value is based solely on appearance. Here are tips for promoting healthy body image in your children: Emphasize that God created our bodies, which he calls “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Model healthy eating. Show children how to make wise food choices, and don’t require them to always clean their plates. Accept yourself. Resist an obsession with calories and pounds.

INSIGHTS

80% of girls in third- through sixth-grade report displeasure with their bodies. Young girls say they’re more afraid of becoming fat than they are of cancer, nuclear war, or losing their parents.

(U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services)

36% of third-grade boys have tried to lose weight, and “muscle dysmorphia,” an obsession with body size and shape, is on the rise among young males. (Time)

PowerSource

Ask God:

1. To protect your children from harmful messages about physical attributes.

2. To help your children view themselves as God’s creation.

3. To heal any body-image struggles you’ve been facing.