I am so glad you are reading that book; it is indeed wonderful. You might also find comfort and insight in the book, My Life With Ed.
Are you continuing to seek support for your depression and disordered eating? Recovering from an eating disorder is thought of as a journey; a "journey to recovery", as it is a daily choice as you said.
I am also concerned that your daughter is already hearing messages that she is fat at age 5, and this is making you very upset to hear these words from her. She is most likely taking cues from your behavior, as kids do use us as their role models (the good and the bad, and there is not a perfect role model out there!!). How do you respond to your daughter when she has negative body talk? It is wonderful that she is verbally expressing these thoughts and feelings, as NOW is the time to help her develop positive body image; it is when she starts internalizing and stops verbalizing these thoughts that will be more difficult for you to help her with. Be happy that she is sharing these feelings with you, and there are MANY activities you can do with her to help her see and feel the positive attributes she possesses. I bet they could even help you, too (they could help all of us). An example: you both sit in front of the mirror, and take turns saying what you like about yourselves, including both physical, mental,emotional, intellectual. It is funny to see young kids, as most of them can not stop saying enough good things about themselves, and if she gets going...it could be contagious! As her mom, you can also tell her all the positive things you see in her, both the physical and non-physical. The physical is not only about what is "pretty" or "thin", but also about how lucky we are that are arms are long enough to hug each other, our legs are strong enough to kick a ball and play tag. Focusing on what our bodies can DO, not what they look like, is a great activity.
What would you think about continuing to seek counseling, both for your depression and eating disorder recovery, but also to learn more tips on how to help your daughter?
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I am so glad you are reading that book; it is indeed wonderful. You might also find comfort and insight in the book, My Life With Ed.
Are you continuing to seek support for your depression and disordered eating? Recovering from an eating disorder is thought of as a journey; a "journey to recovery", as it is a daily choice as you said.
I am also concerned that your daughter is already hearing messages that she is fat at age 5, and this is making you very upset to hear these words from her. She is most likely taking cues from your behavior, as kids do use us as their role models (the good and the bad, and there is not a perfect role model out there!!). How do you respond to your daughter when she has negative body talk? It is wonderful that she is verbally expressing these thoughts and feelings, as NOW is the time to help her develop positive body image; it is when she starts internalizing and stops verbalizing these thoughts that will be more difficult for you to help her with. Be happy that she is sharing these feelings with you, and there are MANY activities you can do with her to help her see and feel the positive attributes she possesses. I bet they could even help you, too (they could help all of us). An example: you both sit in front of the mirror, and take turns saying what you like about yourselves, including both physical, mental,emotional, intellectual. It is funny to see young kids, as most of them can not stop saying enough good things about themselves, and if she gets going...it could be contagious! As her mom, you can also tell her all the positive things you see in her, both the physical and non-physical. The physical is not only about what is "pretty" or "thin", but also about how lucky we are that are arms are long enough to hug each other, our legs are strong enough to kick a ball and play tag. Focusing on what our bodies can DO, not what they look like, is a great activity.
What would you think about continuing to seek counseling, both for your depression and eating disorder recovery, but also to learn more tips on how to help your daughter?
June 6, 2010 - 8:07pmThis Comment
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