"I don't want to eat any more or my belly will get fat."
I expect to hear this from preteen or teen girls. I've heard it from women my own age who struggle to eat healthy.
I didn't expect to hear it from my three-year-old daughter.
Now keep in mind that we don't talk about weight at our house. I don't ever mention my own struggles with body image. Those conversations stay behind closed doors. We don't leave our scale in plain sight. I even chastised my dad when Kaitlyn was about a year old when he told her she had a "fat belly." My husband and I try very hard to foster healthy body image, to teach her balance--a cookie every so often is OK, and carrots with a little ranch dressing is good. (Well, actually, my husband hates ranch dressing, so that one comes from me.)
So where did she hear this? Day care? Church? Sprout TV? I don't know.
But I do know the source behind it all--the enemy.
Satan. The father of lies. The fallen angel who still wreaks havoc anywhere and everywhere he can, especially on hearts that are tender. The one whose strategy is nothing more than the utter devastation of a girl's life, the captivity of her heart, soul, and mind.
He makes me so mad sometimes. But when he went after my little girl, he picked a fight with the wrong person. He's got a war on his hands now. And luckily, it's not me fighting the battle.
I only hope other parents and leaders of preschoolers--and young girls and preteens and teens--will take up the same banner and be willing to fight for the hearts of girls. In God's power and for His glory.
I expect to hear this from preteen or teen girls. I've heard it from women my own age who struggle to eat healthy.
I didn't expect to hear it from my three-year-old daughter.
Now keep in mind that we don't talk about weight at our house. I don't ever mention my own struggles with body image. Those conversations stay behind closed doors. We don't leave our scale in plain sight. I even chastised my dad when Kaitlyn was about a year old when he told her she had a "fat belly." My husband and I try very hard to foster healthy body image, to teach her balance--a cookie every so often is OK, and carrots with a little ranch dressing is good. (Well, actually, my husband hates ranch dressing, so that one comes from me.)
So where did she hear this? Day care? Church? Sprout TV? I don't know.
But I do know the source behind it all--the enemy.
Satan. The father of lies. The fallen angel who still wreaks havoc anywhere and everywhere he can, especially on hearts that are tender. The one whose strategy is nothing more than the utter devastation of a girl's life, the captivity of her heart, soul, and mind.
He makes me so mad sometimes. But when he went after my little girl, he picked a fight with the wrong person. He's got a war on his hands now. And luckily, it's not me fighting the battle.
I only hope other parents and leaders of preschoolers--and young girls and preteens and teens--will take up the same banner and be willing to fight for the hearts of girls. In God's power and for His glory.
Wow Pam this entry is really hitting close to home. My 8 year old is underweight and we are working with doctors to try and figure out why. At her check up in April 2008 she weighed more than she does now almost one year later. Sure she's taller and we've had some illnesses, but we addressing some sensory issues with certain textures of food. She is right at the age where she is beginning to notice what others are wearing and how they look--and I'm praying that is not part of the whole weight loss. I'll keep you posted--keep praying!
It's amazing the subtle messages we receive about our body image. Billboards, magazines, and TV showcase beautiful women. Growing up, I was thin, but not in a good way. I was chicken legs or string bean. Anything less than perfect renders a stereotype or a hurtful nickname. I won't even go into my braces or the cyst on my eye. Needless to say, I felt ugly all through junior high and part of high school. It's so crucial for girl's to find their identity and self-worth in Christ alone. And yes, I would not look at a magazine growing up because I felt like I didn't measure up with my looks or my fashion.
LOVE this Blog, Pam! Thanks for creating a place for parents and youth leaders of girls to get help. We need all the help we can get in this world!
Thanks for reminding us that this lie comes from the Father of Lies. Our tendency is to blame our culture, super skinny models, or the diet industry. They certainly haven't helped young girls develop healthy views of themselves. But beauty lies are bigger than that. Satan seems to target us women with the lie that we were created flawed and it has the power to take us out! Thanks for calling him out on this one and continuing to fight this fight for your little girl. I am with you in the trenches sister!
I have a 14 year old grand daughter - She is 5'8 and weighs maayabe 120. She is so concerned that she is fatter than some of her size 0 girl friends, who, by the way, are around 5'. Recently had a doctor's appointment and the docotr tried to convince her that she was a great size, the one she should be. Don't know if it made a lot of difference, but the world today keeps pounding it in their heads that you MUST be a size 0 to be worth anything! It must be hard to be a young girl now - pray hard that we with God's help can make a difference.