I read an article the other day in Parent's magazine for January of 2011 that has disturbed me tremendously!! The article talked about how children today are exhibiting signs of eating disorders at the age of 6 or 7! WHAT!!!! The main girl in the article was 7 I believe, and she would withhold foods that she did not consider "healthy", she wouldn't eat ice cream or any types of treats and she would exercise for large amounts of time. It was estimated that she was consuming only 700 calories a day when her body probably needed 3 times that amount!
Being someone that has dealt with an eating disorder since the time I was 13 I found this extremely sad. I remember the routines I used to go through in order to eat and what my nightly regimen was for sit ups and exercises. I was obsessed with what I ate and what I looked like. I couldn't walk past a mirror without criticizing something or finding some sort of flaw. To hear this starting at the age of 6 truly disturbs me!! Children shouldn't be worrying about that stuff - they should be more worried about what game to play next!
Where does this stem from? Have we become a society so obsessed that we only live in a "healthy" or "non-healthy" judged world? Are we as parents giving verbal cues to our children that lead them down this path? I have a 2 and a half year old and am expecting another baby this coming summer and I'm deeply saddened by this. I want to look closer at my own actions and make sure that I guide my own children down the right path. I know for me I have to stop the negative self talk - I never want my daughter to hear me say "I'm on a diet" or "Mommy can't wear this because she looks fat" - part of this starts with our own actions and beliefs!!
We have to find the happy middle ground with this because our futures depend on it! It's about creating the understanding that we as individuals are not characterized by what this outer shell is, we are more than that. We need to re write our definitions of ourselves to talk about our kind, caring, smart, generous sides - not what size pants we wear! Yet, unless we stand up to media and societal pressures things will honestly only get worse before they get better! We as parents also have to learn to believe in ourselves!! It starts with US!!
I've been working really hard at finding my own belief in myself and this wonderful body that I should be so fortunate to have! Please...be kind to yourselves - you never know what impressionable young ears might hear you!!
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