Thursday, July 16, 2009

Childhood

I am a Big Sister to a little girl. Lately, whenever she says she is hungry, she starts by saying, "I'm not trying to bet fat, but..." It really upsets me. Her older brother has been telling her that she is fat. She's not fat. She's not one of those rail thin kids and she may be disposed to being overweight as she gets older, but she is not fat yet.

He tells her this and it makes her cry. I told her how when I was little my brother always said I was fat and him saying that and me believing it made me get fat. That's simplifying things, but she's 9, so I kept it simple.

She has had weight issues for awhile. When she was about 7, when she was at my house, she would weight herself every 10 minutes to see if it changed. I tried explaining to her that it doesn't work that way. She also thought she was fat until I explained to her that most grown-ups weigh more than 100 lbs, so weighing 60 was really not a big deal.

I told her that she can still try to eat healthy and exercise just because it is good for everyone, whether they are fat or thin. She really doesn't know anything about nutrition. She was shocked when I told her McDonald's wasn't healthy. Last night I had to break the news to her that pepperoni and bacon aren't healthy, either.

4 comments:

InWeighOverMyHead said...

Poor little thing! Where did she get" I don't mean to be fat but..." WAY to young at her age! Glad you can be there to help her!

Chavonne said...

My heart just broke when I read this entry. It's so sad to see how we all can be insecure about our weight at such an early age. I am glad she has you there to teach her about health and self-esteem!

Fatina George said...

I need to set a good example for her, too. She has been really great and never said anything, but one time when she was younger, she half let something slip and tried to cover it up. I can't remember exactly what it was she said - but she knows that I am fat and while I know she loves me the way I am, she wouldn't mind if I lost weight...or stopped wearing glasses...or bought an SUV.

Fatina George said...

It breaks my heart every time she says it.

Asking if you can have a banana when you haven't eaten all day is not being fat! She uses it for every situation - like every being hungry or wanting food is "being fat."