To the Dieting Parents Club...

I'm a teacher... I hear things about you from your kids that I'm sure you'd rather no one outside your household knew... You probably didn't even know your kids noticed these things, let alone spoke about them in class...

Which is my point. Kids notice everything.

So, moms and dads, when you make that offhanded remark about needing to lose those pesky pounds you gained over the holiday season, your kids think they too need to lose a few...

It no longer shows up as kids talking about needing to diet... Because that's no longer your jargon...

It shows up when your children ask me at snack if an orange is healthy for them to eat.
It shows up when a child is outgrowing their sneakers and says sadly it's because they're getting fat.
It shows up when a child says that they are participating in a sport they hate playing because they are afraid of getting fat if they stopped.
It shows up when a girl says she would never wear a bikini - not because she doesn't want to show skin, but because she thinks she'll look fat, and get bullied because of her "flabby tummy".
It shows up when a young dancer is worried that the developing muscles on her arms and legs are actually fat.
It shows up when your kids talk about eating only half their sandwich at lunch, in order to "eat healthier".
It shows up when a boy asks someone if his pants make his butt look big.
It shows up when a child complains they are hungry, but then refuses to eat snack, because they don't want to become "a nosher".

I don't think any parent intends to give their kids negative body image messages, but keep in mind that they are constantly taking in the subconscious messaging of our culture about what is "normal" and "beautiful" and "healthy" (and what is not). Children are not sophisticated enough thinkers to understand the difference between their parents' opinions on what is healthy, and what our society says. An offhand comment by a parent could be interpreted as a ringing endorsement of everything else taken in on the subject.