Mr 4 on a quiet train ride: “Mum look! That man has no hair!”
Mr 4 at a cafe about the lady serving us: “Mum! Why does that lady have a big face?”
Mr 4 to a family friend in a larger body: “Why do you have such big muscles?”
As innocent as our children’s questions are, most of us are mortified when they happen.
I’ve wrestled with how to respond to this kind of question for a while.
Do I just ignore it? Not if I don’t want it repeated even louder!
At first, I thought about trying to explain that it is not nice to say things like that about people but it just felt wrong.
To say that it is “not nice” implies that there is something wrong with body fat, bald heads, different shaped heads or anything that is slightly different from how Mr 4’s sees ‘normal’.
My inspiration came in the form of a beautiful emergency department doctor. My 4 asked him why his skin was so dark. He replied that people are like flowers, they come in different shapes, sizes and colours.
Mr 4 thought for a moment. “Like flowers? Okay.”
I have also started telling Mr 4 that although everybody looks a little different, we don’t need to point it out!
So, why am I sharing this with you?
What small children see as ‘normal’ shapes their later ideas and attitudes towards their OWN bodies which in turn impacts upon their relationship with food. In the teenage years this can take the form of extreme dieting or other disordered eating behaviours.
At Kids Dig Food we are PASSIONATE about every child enjoying food. A positive attitude towards their body is a really big piece of the puzzle.
Eat happy!
Bonnie Searle
Accredited Practising Dietitian