It’s often hard for a teen to feel good about
themselves. Everywhere they look, they’re surrounded by
images of perfect, beautiful men and women. What they
may not realize is that those people spend all day with
a trainer, or have had surgery, or the pictures are
simply altered. Often times your teens feelings of
inadequacy tend to spread past their looks to other
areas of their life. As a parent, you serve a vital role
in shaping how your child sees themselves. You should
take steps to help foster a positive body image for your
child.
Watch what you say. Whether they show it or not, your
child listens to your opinion. You may think an offhand
comment about your child’s weight, intelligence, or
other abilities means nothing, but it sticks with them.
If your child is overweight, you should avoid pointing
it out. It’s fairly unlikely that your teen doesn’t know
they have a weight problem. Instead of suggesting they
lose weight, suggest taking daily runs together or going
to the gym.
Watch what you do. Children learn behaviors by watching
other people; their parents included. If you obsess over
your weight, your child is likely to do the same.
Practice healthy eating and exercise habits and try to
include your kids.
Many parents think that problems with self esteem and
body image and are isolated to girls; this is not true.
While it may not be as prevalent, boys can develop poor
body images and eating disorders as well. Boys may also
be pushed to develop muscle mass causing them to work
out excessively or take steroids. Be sure to encourage a
healthy self-image for your sons as well as daughters.
The best thing you can do to improve how your child
feels about themselves is to compliment their good
attributes. Emphasize the positive things about your
child on a regular basis. If you tell them something
enough, they’ll soon start to believe in themselves too.
It’s hard to get teens to believe good things about
themselves, but if you watch what you say and do, you
can help them develop a more positive image of
themselves.
