RAISING A STRONG DAUGHTER - WEEK 8 - CHAPTER 7

RAISING A STRONG DAUGHTER IN A TOXIC CULTURE: 11 STEPS TO KEEP HER HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND SAFE by Meg Meeker, M.D.

Eating and image disorders. Have you ever known anyone that struggled with one? Have you? Our culture worships perfection in physical form. (Is there honestly such a thing? ) As if that's not enough, couple that with stress in today's world, and we have a recipe for the weight issues that we are seeing. I mourn the MUSTS that girls feel they must fulfill. But it's not just girls, is it Mommas? It's us as well! I already commented about this in an earlier post, but I sincerely hope that your daughter does not feel like you are in competition with her. We need to cut the life path for our daughters as to what is mature and reasonable behavior not make her think we are recreating our teenage years again. How do we do that?

First off, our daughters should know that we love them NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE! They are a whole package and physical attributes are just a fraction of that package! Second, with that being said, I don't have a problem with helping our girls find clothes and light makeup that enhance them, but don't change them into someone she's not. Help your daughter develop her own likes and dislikes and feel comfortable with them. Third, our job is to help our girls to embrace healthy lifestyles by modeling it ourselves. STARVATION IS NOT HEALTHY. PROCESSED AND JUNK FOODS ARE NOT HEALTHY. SITTING ON OUR REARS ALL DAY IS NOT HEALTHY. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us our bodies are "the Temple of the Holy Spirit." We do need to care for them not for worldly approval, but for Godly usage.

Momma, if you or your daughter are struggling with body and image issues let someone speak into your life who can help you. Let someone help you let go of worldly pressures and embrace a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healthiness. The world is difficult enough to navigate without carrying the extra added weight of unhealthy expectations on top of it. I'm closing out this chapter by saying a prayer for you all.