Making An Effort, Live the Example

My 12-year-old child is growing again. They do that a lot. She has been in this fun transition from child to adult body, growing more than 5 inches in two years and gaining weight accordingly. I bought her a pair of jeans about a month ago and they are now tight. She FREAKED out, wailing that she is fat and ugly. Oh, good. She is nowhere near overweight. I had a big talk with her about bodies and shapes and growing and such. Part of this was a discussion of healthy habits and healthy bodies. She is in track and softball, goes out for basketball, and was in cheerleading. That makes her physically active all darn year. She eats like a horse. So, I encouraged the activity, and talked about food choices and that steady equation of calories in and out.

After this discussion, I decided that I should lead by example, so I have been working hard to eat when hungry, and make healthy choices about what I eat. I don't want to pass my struggles and habits on to my girls. I don't want them to fall into the junk food trap and be lured constantly by sweets. I want to teach them balance. It's not about banning foods, it's about making smart choices about amounts and frequency. So, here's to feeling better about me, feeling better by the very nature of healthier habits, and feeling better about passing on good habits to my children.