kids and body shapes...

My daughter M recently asked a Mommy at daycare if she had a baby in her tummy. The mom was good-natured and said, "No, I don't sweetie" and kept walking. I was embarrassed, would have maybe said something to the mom had she not already walked past, didn't want to make more of a deal of it than it was. Lots of the mommies at her daycare are pregnant, and it's a hot topic of conversation among the kids.

I wanted to tell her that M asked her dad last week if HE had a baby in his tummy, that we talk about how wonderful it is that bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and how studies are showing that BMI or body mass index, is a poor predictor of health and illness despite of what the media wants us to believe. (Except maybe at the very extremes...)

I really love this post about talking to your kids about body shape. Please read it. Tell me what you think...

 

Here also is a fun little slide-show of what the categories of weight look like, and how meaningless they can be in real life. (I haven't taken the time to vet the whole web-site, so sorry if there may be something objectionable...)

I know women with  a BMI of "obese" who run marathons, and "normal" weight women who don't take care of themselves at all. If we focus on doing what makes our bodies feel good-eating in balance, exercising, getting enough sleep- not weight, we would all be a whole lot happier and healthier.