Eating Disorders Blog

Approaching a child about his or her weight is a delicate task. According to Dr. Carmen Mikhail, director of the Eating Disorders Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital, parents should use "love, support, and caution" when broaching the subject. The most important thing, according to Dr. Mikhail, is to avoid targeting the child or singling him out from other family members. Dr. Mikhail advises talking to the family as a whole about adopting new healthy habits and making healthy lifestyle choices for the whole family. Dr. Mikhail also advises praising children when they make healthy choices. With younger children, the conversation should be focused on being healthy; for older children, it's okay to introduce pamphlets and talk about social pressures regarding weight. Dr. Mikhail says that parents are most successful at dealing with childhood weight problems when they lead by example. Active parents have active kids.

(Source: www.chron.com)

Posted By: jgarcia