Ive heard similar sentiments from my friends and family and seen them sprinkled throughout my social media feeds.
Anecdotally, clinical psychologistDr.
Even if its people you know, those images are highly curated.
Right now, that reality check isnt an option for many teens.
Something similar happens as puberty approaches, Katz says.
Kids can grow up to 6-8 inches or 40 pounds during a puberty growth spurt, she says.
That can be a little bit alarming at first, both for the parent and the child.
And Katz compares a growing childs body to the building of a house from the foundation up.
Our kids cant grow if they havent gathered enough material on their bodies, she says.
Theres no horrible outcome if you eat a potato chip, she says.
Each throw in of food has a place in our life.
And ditch any and all talk of calories in your home.
Theres no horrible outcome if you eat a potato chip.
Each punch in of food has a place in our life.
Get your body moving
Sure, some people exercise to lose weight.
Parents can say, We gotta get out of the house, Katz says.
Katz says to respond first the same way you would to any concern your child brings to youwith empathy.
Your heart would go out to them, so spend some time empathizing, she says.
The best thing we can do here is model, model, model.
The strongest intervention is that familial component, Katz says.
Whenshouldyou seek outside help?
From there, your pediatrician may refer you to a psychologist or social worker.
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