By: Alison Ross, LMFT, CEDS
When a child or teen is criticized about their weight and size, especially by someone important to them, like a parent, grandparent, coach, or friend, they don't stop loving those important people, they stop loving themselves.
Adults need to remember that the children and teens they love and care for, will undergo many physical changes during the first twenty years of their lives. As someone significant in their life, seek to be a positive and supportive influence towards their body's growth and development. Making negative comments about your child's body or food preferences can cause them to feel ashamed and increase the risk of them developing an eating disorder.
A good parenting goal is to raise kids to have a fundamental sense of their self-worth, not to seek to raise a child with an ideal physique or diet.