2 Cents: Don't Use the Word 'Fat' in Front of My Daughter

This was the article we talked about on GTU this morning and even though I'm not a Kardashian fan, I am a fan of this conversation.

Obviously living a healthy lifestyle is really important to me. Eating right and exercising is something Bart and I have created in our marriage and it's something I plan to teach my children. But Bart and I do not talk about Mckenzie's size in front of her. Every once in a while me or Bart will slip and say something like "my chubby baby is thinning out" or (especially when she was a little circle) "how's my chubby baby?", etc. Just a few months ago I asked Bart (not in front of her) "is Mckenzie chubby for her age?" (NO!). And each time one of us slip, the other is good about saying "don't say that". It's not the talking I'm against, it's the words we are using.

I think it's a natural fear for parents in my generation to be concerned about their child's size. Every other news health story is about how obese children are getting. And I think it makes us all nervous. Will my kid be one of them? Is it something I can control? The short answer, I believe, is yes, parents have almost complete control outside of genetics about their child's weight and health. But I don't think it's a conversation or worry we should be saying in front of our children.

The conversation we should be having with our kids is why we eat real food, and why you see mom and dad going to the gym and exercising every day. And when we do have that conversation with our child, it's not using the word fat.

Bart and I aren't perfect. Both of us have said something like "I feel fat" or "do I look fat?" in front of Mckenzie, and it's something we need to be better at. It's hard to remember there is now a little person hearing- and repeating- everything we say. Every child grows up thinking mom and dad are beautiful and powerful and perfect just the way they are. It's not until they start hearing their parents bash themselves, that they start to question what's "wrong".

So while I want to be open about body image, and talk to my girls about how to be healthy and happy, I won't be bashing my own body at the same time. I want to be an example of confidence and happiness. Because our bodies are amazing- no matter what size we are.

And now we'll end with a FB memory flash back from a year ago. Baby Kenz and her baby cousin Snow. xoxo