Body Talks with our Kids

Wondering how to bring up the subject of body image with your kids and family in a way that feels natural? In this episode, you’ll learn practical ways to bring the “body talk” into conversations with your kids, because as parents we have the responsibility to help guide them away from the negative societal messages to a more balanced perspective on healthy bodies.

Show Notes

I have two kids, a son and a daughter, and being an eating disorder expert people often assume that it was an easy thing for me to figure out how to approach food and body image with my kids. But the truth is, when I was pregnant with my daughter (my firstborn), I was like, oh my goodness—I was scared. I was working with girls anywhere from 12 to 21 years old and their families, and my biggest fear was that I, too, would have a daughter with an eating disorder. I had the expertise and was doing this work with so many families, but to take it into my home and start doing it with myself, with my own kids—it was just a different beast. And that’s why I felt inspired to share how to have the “body talk” with your kids. It’s not something that many of us were raised with, but it can make a HUGE difference.

So in this episode, I’m sharing:

• How to get comfortable talking about bodies (even if you were raised in a home where body image or body changes were never discussed)
• Why body types aren’t “trendy” and how to combat that societal standard
• What it means to have a “weight-neutral” home
• An actual conversation about the word “fat” that I had with my own daughter (and a sneak peek into my upcoming book!)
• Helpful questions you can use to prompt discussions about bodies with your own kids