Pimples can make facing the world difficult at best. Some teens opt out of many events and opportunities to spare themselves the stress.
Other teens have their growth spurts early and tower over all of their friends. This makes them self conscious.
A teenager is told they are overweight, when they are in fact fit and a little muscular. They begin to diet anyway.
Eating disorders appear in many different incarnations. In one case, a teen chews her food and then spits it out before swallowing.
As a parent watching teenagers deal with these and other similar issues, it is hard to not feel like these issues are our fault. You may have passed down jeans that make your child larger, or gave them bad skin. You may have obsessed about your weight in front of them, and now they are doing the same exact thing.
Whether it is our fault or not, the best way to deal with teens having body image issues is to practice having a healthy body image yourself. If you don’t have a healthy body image… fake it until you get it right.
Stand in the mirror and smile at yourself. Look for features that make you happy. Even if the only thing you like about yourself is your eyes. Stare at them and say out-loud what you like about them. Search your face and body for other things you like about yourself and be shameless about it. Always be positive. Your child will learn to do the same.
Likewise, begin to observe your child and begin to point out their best features. Don’t make things up. Focus on things that they will see themselves when they look in the mirror. Otherwise they’ll think you have to say that because you love them.
Keep your eyes open for self seclusion and unnecessary weight loss and exercise. Try to keep an open dialogue so your kids will listen to your concerns about their body image. Also, don’t be afraid to consult a professional if you feel it is out of your control.
Also read:
Teaching Self Value to Young Women