Being a parent to teenagers is a tough and often thankless act.
There is a lot of advice on how to guide, encourage and discipline them, but maybe the parents themselves should share a bit.
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According to one expert, there is a common phrase that many of us say, but if your teenage daughter hears you, it can be harmful.
How girls think about their bodies is heavily influenced by what they see around them.
That’s why it’s so important to think about what we communicate to them so we don’t pass on body image issues without realizing it.
That’s why experts say you shouldn’t say the phrase “I’ve been so good today” in relation to what you’ve eaten.
Speaking to PureWow, Dr. Helen Egger, child psychiatrist and co-founder of Little Otter, the mental health app for kids, that she always asks parents to stop saying the potentially harmful phrase.
She explained that if you say these phrases often enough, you’re modeling a negative relationship with your body and correlating your self-esteem with the amount you eat.
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Dr Egger said: “Not eating certain foods doesn’t make you a good person.
“Healthy eating, physical activity, and the joy of being a completely round person who is so much more than their looks help model a more neutral relationship with your body.”
Instead, she suggests celebrating what you’ve eaten and emphasizing that it’s the beneficial fuel your body needs.
She gives the example: “Without such a great breakfast, I would never have made it through that line at the post office!”
As a rule of thumb, she suggests keeping any conversation about your body and the foods you eat positive, or base it on facts only.