Healthy Body Image

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By Dr Bill Maier

How does your primary school daughter feel about the way she looks? More importantly, how should she feel?

One writer tells of a conversation he had with an eight-year-old girl.

She told him her hips were too big, and that she was planning to go on a diet. "I want to look just like Britney Spears," the young girl said.

Even young kids these days are concerned about body image.

The ultra-thin models we see on television have become the standard by which they compare themselves. And who could possibly measure up?

If you want to help your child develop a healthy body image, begin by voicing a healthy image of your own body. Research shows that parents who talk negatively about the way they look tend to have kids who do the same.

Also, compliment them regularly, concentrating on their character instead of their physical appearance.

Love and accept yourself and your child, and they'll learn to love and accept themselves as well.

From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 11-Aug-2009

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