Helping your teen have a healthy body image can be an interesting process. Teenagers can be very touchy about some subjects, so like everything, you have to take things slowly and cautiously. There are many things that you can do passively to make them feel better about their body image no matter what pressure from their peers may force upon them. The things that you can do are different depending on what your teenagers actual size is. Bigger teens are sometimes easier to offend then smaller ones, even though you may have more problems with smaller teens complaining about their body image.
1)Reassurance
No matter the size of your teenager you should remind them about how beautiful they are. No teen truly thinks that they have the perfect body. Most think that they are too skinny, too fat, too short, too tall, or something else.
Take time to tell your troubled child that they are great just the way they are. They may argue with you, but the simple act of saying it will make them feel a little better. Make sure that your spouse takes the time to say something as well. Just make sure that it’s done at random times and not only when they are dressed up for something special. Whatever you do, don’t be like the kids at school and make fun of them. This will only add to the pain and negative images they already have.
2)Do Activities to Help Them Feel Better
There are lots of things that you can do to make your teenager feel better about themselves. Take them shopping for new clothes or have their hair and nails done. A lot of teenagers enjoy getting makeovers done and then having their pictures professionally taken. Things like this will show them how great they look and what their potential is.
If you have heavier children that are down about their size, try to make a family exercise and diet plan. Get them a gym membership and maybe a coach. Coaches will help your child’s body image as well because as they make progress, the coach will give them lots of reassurance. Don’t make them feel as though they are all alone. Curb the entire families diet to help them still feel like they are part of things and not being singled out because of their size.
3)Use Famous People as Examples
Even though magazines and media can make your child have a very negative body image, there are many things about magazines and media that you can use to help your child have a more positive image as well. There are plenty of models that are “too tall” and plenty of basketball players that are “too short”. There are overweight singers and actresses that are just “too skinny”. All these people get looked up to in the public eye.
No matter which way you chose to help your child have a more positive self image, the most impact on their image is going to come from you. Let them know that they are special and beautiful. Don’t compare them to other family members. You may not know how they view that person in their own mind. Talk to them about the way they feel and find out if they want help. If they do want help, then try to get them the help that they want. If it’s something that your child can do nothing about, like their height, then give them even more reassurance. They will eventually grow out of the negative self image. How quickly it changes is going to be directly influenced by you and their other loved ones, so be careful what you say and how you say it.
Always remember to not be forceful about the issue because teenagers are very sensative about their looks. If they come to you with a problem about their image, then you should listen to them first. Make time to hear everything that they have to say. Once you’ve talked, make a plan of action together. Your teen will see this as you showing just how much you care about them.