Most adults would agree that the teenage years are very formative, and quite confusing to go through. It’s a time of contradictions – at one hand you feel totally invulnerable to the world, on the other hand you’re still struggling to figure out who you are and in many cases, really care what your peer group thinks of you.
This is why teenagers are at special risks of feeling terrible about their imperfections or having a troubled time accepting themselves. As parents, it’s our task to try and help them find comfort in their own skin. This isn’t an approach to cementing illusion, it’s actually very healthy and earnest to help your child see the good in themselves.
That’s especially true when it comes to body positivity. Your chid may be smaller than their peer group, have a birthmark, need extra dental work, or whatever other faults they feel dampen their confidence.
In this post, we’ll help you help them understand the need for body positivity and how to blend that into their positive self-regard.
Learn How To Address Insecurities
It’s good to talk through the idea of insecurities with your teen. They may have some already, most often always founded on incomplete ideas or general self-objecting feelings. For example, you might show them how much you love their little nose or their freckles, and show just how this helps them look unique and even showcases the features of your family in the best way
You can also have mature conversations about how insecurities can be present, but shouldn’t feel overwhelming, nor do they discredit you in any way. This can help you level with them from person to person, as opposed to them feeling you’re saying this just because you have to love them as a parent. Of course, you can also find healthy solutions where they can be made too, such as using SmilePath for teeth alignment services.
Building Healthy Habits & Nourishment
It’s good to build healthy habits and emphasize the value of nourishing health as opposed to trying to fit beauty norms or whatever other considerations that popular culture can tell to teens, young women especially.
For example, teaching your teen to cook with you and share healthy meals together, showcasing the benefit of healthy exercise rather than just working off calories, and enrolling them into a sport if they’re interested could be wonderful for their self-esteem and image, without having to revert to toxic expressions such as the beginnings of an eating disorder. As a parent, keeping observation over their behaviors is also key here.
Praise & Encouragement Always Helps
Sure, it might be that as a parent your viewpoint is a little biased, but you’d be amazed just how effective a simple, precise compliment or encouragement can be to your child. If you don’t gratuitously give them for everything, make sure your child really does know you believe in them, and can help them through the tough times, well, that can be all they need to know they’re enough. It’s amazing just how approval and encouragement can help mold a child to think of themselves, because after all, teenagers are still children and do require this support.
With this advice, you’ll be sure to help your children with their self esteem, which will feed into body positivity the whole way around.
