Q "I have a thirteen year old daughter and her friends are
being mean. She is a little overweight and they make fun of
her. I really want to step in and protect her she is so
miserable. What should I do?"
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A It’s horrible being a teenager! Your priority has to be
daughter and her self esteem, not trying to protect her
against a bunch of teenagers with ranging hormones! This is
the age when body and self image becomes extremely
important and you need to handle it very carefully so as not
to create another extreme. Girls in particular tend to have a
distorted body image so you don’t want her to be underweight
either. How much is a little overweight or is she perfectly
normal for her height etc? If your daughter genuinely wants to
get healthier and lose a few pounds on the way, then go for it.
Perhaps her weight is directly related to poor diet and lack of
exercise. Look at your household diet critically and see if
there is room for improvement. If your daughter genuinely
wants to get healthier and lose a few pounds on the way,
then go for it.her. If your daughter eats poorly and does no
exercise then there is your answer. It is up to you to teach
her good habits to carry her into adulthood.
Community swimming pools are relatively inexpensive and
swimming is one of the best exercises going. Maybe your
daughter could volunteer at a summer camp or different town
activities that revolve around children that will get her
moving. How about trying a new sport, something you could
both enjoy. Spending quality time with your daughter at this
particular time in her life will be priceless.
Be positive about your daughter’s attributes, her smile, her
sense of humor, her compassion. Focus on the positive and try
to eliminate the negative! Encourage your daughter to enroll
in new activities where she can meet new people. If she has
to get rid of her so called friends then let them go, we all
need to be surrounded by supportive people and that is what
real friendship is all about!
If you work on her self esteem then the rest can take care of
itself. Being happy with who you are is more important than a
few extra pounds!