Absolutely Gobb smacked...........

[mummysangels]

^ as it says I was totally gobb smacked this morning when my 6 1/2 year old came out to me while I was hanging the clothes out on the line and said

mummy do my hips look big in these pants

I was like gobb smacked so to speak stunned.

my reply was where does this come from she said well look its big across here (pointing to her waist and hips), I said darlin you dont need to worry bout things like that your just a little girl and gave her a :hugs:.

It sadden me to think my 6 1/2 year old was thinking this when she is very petite, size 4 -6 sometimes a 7 but very rare.

what is this day and age coming to when our 6 year olds are asking these questions??

[Chunkydunks]

Its sad isn't it. My niece is 10 and I constantly worry about her. She's tall and quite skinny and some of the things she comes out with just shouldn't come out of a 10 year olds mouth. We are now a society that focuses on looks. We're contantly judging celebrities in mags and saying how they're too fat for the spotlight (none of them are IMO we need some healthy role models for the kids).

Lots of hugs and reassurence thats she's beautiful the way she is.

[punkbaby]

Its horrible isnt it, i have a 10 year old who has no reason to worry about her weight that asks about having lunches that dont have much fat in them, i mean she eats salads its like WTF are you on about. She wont eat the cheese in them as it will go straight to her hips. Even if we have our fortnightly take out meal she will comment about eating good etc .

I never talk about weight around her for this reason, (i am happy with mine anyhow) so i dont know where shes heard it all from but its quiet scary to think that its starting at such a young age.

Quiet scary though and something that i think we all need to be aware of with our kids, both boys and girls. God i didnt even think about that stuff at that age its so sad

[SorenLorensen]

a good friend of mine has a cousin who's got big problems with body image. she is about 8 i think and this has been going on since she was about 4. she will say to my friend...look at this, im FAT...while grabbing a roll of SKIN...there is no fat on her what so ever

its just so sad:gloomy:

[mummysangels]

I should add that I also have a 10 year old shes 11 next month, but she has never confronted me with anything like this :no:.

She often says oh mum my jeans are tight or my skirt won't fit but always with oh well have to buy a new one :laughing: as all kids would like to.

So a friend of mine (who's a bub hubber) said That my 6 year old might have got it from school, so maybe these issue are something all of us will have to deal with sooner rather then later, which makes me :mad:.

[neostudded]

That is very sad.:(

I hope my children never come out with anything like that.I read somewhere recently (not sure where) that only 2% of austalian women think they are beautiful...:eek: :(

Thanks for starting this thread, it is very thought provoking.

[Qube]

:crying:Can't believe it starts so early! That is so sad :( And it's not just girls either, one of my brothers has been known to say this sort of thing too and he is 11!:gloomy:

[jaq]

:confused: Six! You poor thing :hugs: You must have felt at such a loss ...

I worry about this quite a lot, with two girls who are very close in age but very different physically (Annika is super tall and Sofia is very petite). I wonder how on earth to navigate their differences later on, not to mention all the usual **** with negative body images in the media etc.

My plan is to acknowledge the cult of thinness, explain that it is WRONG and that everybody, thin, stocky or otherwise needs to look after their health first. And that exercise is the best way to look after body shape, not diet.

And when my daughters ask me why haven't they got Bratz dolls or whatever the similar fad is in a few years time, I will say its because they are ugly because they are so thin, and wear horrible clothes that aren't suitable for little girls.

There are so many things conspiring against healthy self images for girls (and boys too, I'm sure) that it makes me really sad. I would have hoped we all had a few more years before we had to tackle that one, though ... six!!! :hair:

[Ys_Woman]

my 6 1/2 year old came out to me while I was hanging the clothes out on the line and said

mummy do my hips look big in these pants
It sounds like you have a mature little 6yr old there..but she does have an older sister who would be hearing those things too.
Girls have been considering body image since caveman moved into houses and discovered fashion. Girls in the 20's and 30's wanted their hair to look like the movie stars..and wanted their bodies to look the same too. The pencil thin look was in in the 30's and 40's, then Twiggy was the rage in the 60's, heroin chic in the 80's/90's..unavoidable when kids are exposed to tv/mags/internet etc. *Dang*..girls even host websites that give anorexia tips!!
The best part is that comments like your daughter made are a great way to share your feelings about body image. Providing she isn't hearing mum say the same things when dressing for a night out she will learn to accept herself for all the wonderful things she is.
Give her a hug from me too.

Amy:)

[tyler's mum]

Its sad that a 6 year old would even think of that:hugs::hugs:.

[Mathermy]

The best way we can encourage our girls to love their bodies is to learn to love our own-unconditionally;)

[mummysangels]

I felt awful as I never thought she looked at herself that way, but how wrong was I :(.

I beleive she is a little mature for her age but thats is because of something that happen a couple years ago that made her see people for what they really are, and that people you know can do things they are not meant to (hope that makes sense with little info, as its something I not ready to share entirely yet).

I just wanted to share it with you all and hope that some of us can always look back here for advice for if and when it does happen to them :yes:.

Thanks for all your hugs and thoughts.

Cheers Lisa :)