This is a Dove Kroger sponsored post through Global Influence. However, all opinions are mine. 

My daughter is full of personality!

My daugher is seven and I worry about her growing up in today’s society with the pressure to be thin and ‘perfect’. There are so many advertisements, cartoons, toys (i.e. Barbie) and newspaper articles that show or promote unrealistic images of woman and I know it will affect my daughter at some point in her life. I definitely suffered poor self-image and low self-esteem for many of my teenage years, because I was slightly chubby and almost always the shortest in my class.

I can’t shield my daughter from being exposed to negative images and thoughts, but I can help her navigate her feelings and responses to that exposure. It’s important for me to maintain a dialogue about what is realistic and what it means to be healthy. Healthy isn’t about how much you weigh, but about eating right and exercising. I am very conscious about how I act and what I say about my weight around my daughter. Of course, I’d like to lose the ‘baby weight’, but constantly mentioning it or obsessing about only teaches my daughter to be critical. Saying ‘this makes me look fat’ or ‘I feel fat’ is a putting myself down and a poor example to my daughter.

Instead, I talk about how I want to take care of my body through proper nutrition and exercise. We take our children on family walks and days at the park to encourage exercise at a young age. I cook healthy meals and also have fresh fruits and vegetables available for snacks.

At least one or two nights a week, I let her pick an activity and we have mommy/daughter time after her younger brothers have gone to bed. I also take her out on a date, just us two, at least once a month. We both cherish these moments and it gives us a chance to talk and connect.

I know that kids at school can be cruel and bully others with mean words. I hope that I can provide my daughter with the tools and self confidence to be able to ignore those bullies and realize that she is beautiful, smart, kind, wonderful and loved just the way she is. She is unique and there is only one of her and that is what makes her perfect.

She is so brave!

Dove has partnered with Kroger and created a self-esteem toolkit that helps you provides activities and ideas to positively impact our daughters’ self-esteems. There are also resources to plan a ‘Just Us Girls’ night and activity ideas for girls ages 8-18. Follow the conversation online with hashtag #GirlsUnstoppable

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