Living in today's society means lots of challenges for my girls growing up. Girls are notorious for having poor self-images. I want to be sure my girls remain level-headed. Not too down on themselves and not too full of themselves either. It's hard though, because many children are shaped by their peers. And even us girls/women with the most supportive of female counterparts - still have self-image issues. I read this article on MsNBC today: "Is Your Daughter A Self-Loathing 'Body Bully?" I definitely recommend it. The book it references sounds very interesting: Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Screwing Up Our Girls and What We Can Do to Help Them Thrive Despite It. I think the body image thing applies to girls who think they are too fat and those who think they are too skinny - someone hates their curly or straight hair - someone hates the color of their eyes - and everything else in between.
I'm hoping the fact that they are identical twins will be an asset, at least body image-wise. They have someone else in the world that looks exactly like them, and that hopefully they will be besties with. Viewing their sister in that positive light should reflect positively on their view of themselves. We can only hope though, and try and provide an encouraging, happy and healthy environment.
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Oooh, I'll have to give that book a read. It sounds interesting. I have yet to meet a woman without a body issue of some sort, but providing positive support and an ear to listen to issues and concerns goes a long way. Also, females are heavily influenced by how our mothers approach the issue. In my experience with working with kids, what you're doing speaks much louder than what you're saying.
actions speak louder than words! you said it. and it is all about positive support - as long as issuing positive support doesn't mean putting yourself down in the process. i never even thought about it that way, but we all do it. sad when you think about it. it's gonna take a lot of work on my part, because I have to demonstrate self-confidence. here's to getting started!
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