Free Article: Parenting
You are here:
Directory | Parenting |
Teaching your daughter to live for health and not for "looks"
By Wendy Simons
Today more than ever before it is crucial to teach your daughter the importance of being healthy instead of thinking that it is all about her "looks". Attentive and self-aware parents are those that are keen to how much television and the social status are emphasizing skin-deep beauty and what is the "cool" way to look, be, do, and live, instead of healthy living.
If your goal is to be a successful parent to your daughter and you are not paying attention to the outside influences on her mind, then start paying attention. Your job is to make sure that your daughter is self confident, healthy minded, and secure with her body as it is.
In a recent survey, nobody can say it better than a young teenage girl who participated, and she said: "Being self conscience about my looks and my body is a constant challenge for me each and every day. However, it is something that I am slowly overcoming through proper exercise, healthy eating, spiritual awareness, and self-acceptance. By working out and eating well I have come to realize that it is more important to have a healthy body than a 'hot' body".
Why is it such a challenge for the young daughters of our life? It is because our culture says that the most important quality of women is how they look, not what they do, not what they think, and not what they feel. Don't agree? Turn on your television any day or night of the week and see what mental visions and negative social programming is going on when your daughter's choices are being shaped by what her favorite show says is "cool" or "what to look like", etc.
Do whatever you can to reinforce the message of health and self acceptance with your daughter. Emphasize greatly the importance of feeling healthy, not of just looking good. Talk with your daughter about how it feels to be in your body and ask her about her experience of her own body.
Learn to discuss things from the inside out. How does it feel during and after exercising? What types of workout exercises feel the best? How does it feel when eating healthy for a long period of time? Ask her why she likes to exercise. How does she feel after having too much junk food at one time? Was it worth it?
These are all questions that you can use to engage in your daughter that will also keep her reminding herself about her choices for a healthy lifestyle as opposed to just a "good looking" lifestyle. Women who are only concerned about their looks tend to try finding security under the knife or by going through terrible eating practices throughout adulthood, while never really feeling comfortable under their own skin.
Author Details:
Wendy Simons, writes for a number of sites about health, beauty and cosmetic surgery, she also makes contributions to the A-Z of.com.
Article Source: Free Articles Directory
NOTE: This article may be reproduced ONLY if the author details, source and ALL links remain in place and active.
Articles About Parenting:
< More recent parenting articles
- 3 Ways of getting homework done
- 6 Tips for the single parent
- 6 Tips to raising healthy children
- A new way to look at your children
- Avoid punishing children when you are angry
- Bringing home a second child and understanding jealousy
- Can you be your children's "buddy"?
- Choosing a good pediatrician
- Communicating to your children about sex
- Condemning drugs and alcohol to your kids may not be the best approach
- Discussing AIDS with your children
- Does my Pre-Teen need much supervision
- Does spanking my child work
- Does Your Child Weight Too Much
- Fathers - How to stay connected to your daughter as she is growing up
- Help My child is constantly seeking my attention
- Help your children gain the most out of life with a sense of purpose
- Helping Your Child Cope With A Death In The Family
- How can I tell if my child has a hyperactive disorder
- How to get your child to fully understand why he is being punished
- How to get your teenager "career minded"
- How to support your child during the first week of preschool
- How Watching Television Negatively Affects Your Child
- Is it necessary to send my child to preschool
- Is it normal for my child to have an imaginary friend?
- Learn to enhance your child's self-image
- Preparing your preschooler for bedtime
- Protecting your child with car seat safety
- Respecting your child's privacy
- Take the vow to end fighting with your children
- Teaching children how to listen
- Teaching your children to welcome change, not to fear it
- Teaching your daughter to live for health and not for "looks"
- Understanding guilt
- Understanding how to respond to your child's mistakes
- Understanding the difficult child
- Understanding Your Child's Temper Tantrums
- When Older Children Regress In Behavior
- Why does Mommy and Daddy go away all day
- Why does my teenager steal?
- 2 ways to motivate your children
- 5 Tips to prevent your infant child from being injured in a highchair
- Be a money-savvy role model to your children
- Early drug prevention for your children
- Kids & Chores, Be understanding
- Handling your child's choice in friends
- Teaching your kids responsibilities
- Children & Divorce Issues
- Dealing with a loss of another parent
- Doing away with the "good child"
- Four ways to prevent crib hazards
- Giving your child somebody to look up to
- Help your children earn it
- Helping the single parent
- How can I tell if my child is having problems in school
- Unconditional Love
< More recent parenting articles