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worthy examples. Teach them how all foods fit in a healthy diet—dessert included—and how exercise helps them grow up strong and healthy. Emphasising the positive outcomes of balance and satisfaction over the negative effects of restriction or indulgence is key.

Normalise all bodies and body talk as they grow up

Continue talking about bodies as your children grow up into toddlers and as they go through puberty. Have open conversations about how their body and appearance will change over time—and that that’s ok—and that everyone develops differently. This includes having different skin tones and hair colours, as well as varying and ever-changing heights and weights. Besides talking, expose them to a variety of real, unedited bodies of all shapes and shades through all sorts of media from YouTube videos to books on diversity and body positivity. This, versus always watching traditional celebrity-driven content that more often than not, glorifies a particular look and standard of “beauty” or “masculinity”, which children can be hyper-attuned to. One of the books I love that teaches self-love and body positivity declarations for young girls is Her Body Can by Katie Crenshaw and Ady Meschke.

Celebrate both their physical and non-physical attributes

It’s easy to become fixated on perfected versions of ourselves, with us living in a filtered culture online, but we can prevent objectification, obsession or depression by nurturing resilient characters that view attractiveness beyond the surface. We can do this by highlighting children’s personality traits— like how funny, smart, strong or creative they are. By focusing on other attributes beyond physical, it empowers them to develop their skills and talents, and to get to know others that way too, beyond how they look. This gives them the tools to value themselves for who they are, not how they look. Alternatively, the easiest place to start is by watching a movie, and discussing the characters not by their looks but by what they are saying and doing, which will then hone that thought process of focusing on one’s personality or actions first, before outward appearances.

Support character development with positive reinforcement

Words of affirmation can do wonders for brain and character development. By praising their positive gestures, skills and words, we cultivate an environment that thrives on doing good—no matter how big or small. At home, encourage problem solving, expressing of feelings, and exchanging opinions, while also praising them for attributes like persistence, kindness or newfound strengths after learning a new skill.

Promote health and wellness before weight or vanity

Rather than approaching a nutritious meal or exercise from the point of view of losing weight or maintaining a certain body shape, change the narrative by approaching it from the importance of health and wellness. Feeling energised, getting stronger and having fun can have tremendous effects on how comfortable and confident anyone becomes with their body. Expose your kids to various physical activities to let them explore, discover and sharpen their skills at. Just remember that some children are natural athletes and team players while others love leisurely bike rides with the family; and there are those who might not like the outdoors but fall in love with ballet. The goal is to keep them active, fit and having fun.

Deconstruct negative connotations around the word “fat”

This is something we as adults need to relearn ourselves, that “fat” isn’t a bad word. We need to teach our kids the different and useful definitions of it. Food wise, we need to consume good fats as part of a healthy, balanced diet, and this includes delicious and nutritious produce like salmon, avocados, eggs and every kid’s favourite: Cheese. Body wise, fat has key functions too. It’s an essential source of energy, protects our organs and keeps us warm. Children should also be taught that muscles weigh more than fat, so one should never focus on the numbers on a scale or BMI but instead, pay attention to how nourished and energised they feel after a good meal, and how strong they’re getting over time. By parenting coach and trained counsellor, Rany Moran – ranymoran.com