[AmberKay]

I was given The Complete Idiot's Guide to Psychology as sort of a gag gift. I decided to leaf through it, and it's an absolutely amazing book! Here's a part that I wanted to share with you guys.

Nine Seeds That Grow Healthy Eaters

1. Don't make disparaging comments about your child's weight or body size. Parents' comments about their children's weight plays a direct role in the number of times a child tries to diet, their self-esteem, and their concern about weight gain.

2. Don't soothe your child with food. If she's hurt, let her cry, put a Band-Aid on it, or give her a punching bag to work her feelings out on. Just don't give her a cookie! One of the easiest mistakes we make is to teach our kids to equate food with emotion. Food is not love, pride, sadness, or a friend. It is something our bodies need for fuel to keep us healthy and strong.

3. Don't use food as a regular reward. If your children do something good, give them hugs, kisses, and praise, or spend special time with them. Don't however, use a trip to McDonald's or a hot fudge sundae as a regular reward.

4. Don't withold food as a punishment or force your children to eat when they're not hungry. This teaches them not to trust their own bodily cues for hunger and fullness.

5. Do engage in fun physical activity as a family and limit the amount of television your family watches.

6. Do provide structure for your child's eating. eat around the same time each day and provide a well-balanced meal. Let your child determine how much he or she eats.

7. Don't forbid any foods. "Junk food" in moderation is fine. Restricting sweets from your children's diet will only backfire and make them want more, especially as they approach school age and see other children eating candy, cookies, and chips.

8. Do set an example. Kids lean their lifestyles from the people around them, and thinking "do what I say, not what I do" will not get you very far.

9. Don't EVER put your child on a diet unless it is for medical reasions. While most teenagers who diet don't develop an eating disorder, dieting during adolescence is the best predictor of whether any one teenager will subsequently develop a problematic relationship with food. If your child is complaining about feeling "fat," encourage her to become more physically active and to feel better about her body image.

I just thought these were pretty right on.

[carolr3639]

You might enjoy the intuitive eating thread here. Just search those words. Enjoyed this post. Works for adults, too.

[midwife]

Words of brilliance. Thanks for sharing them.

[willmakeit]

I think thats great advice and should be read by every parent!