How a mom's body image affects her child's body image

Meg Newman, LMFT Family Therapist, shares advice for mothers on how they can affect they body image of their children and how to be aware of these potential impacts
How Moms Impact Their Child's Body Image
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How a mom's body image affects her child's body image

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It's really important that a parent is aware of their own body image, and any concerns they might have about their own body's and how that gets portrayed to their children. If a child sees that their mother is constantly berating themselves for what they look like or constantly trying to fix or alter their food or their body in some way, there's the sense that the mom feels or dad feels that they're not okay with themselves, and this transfers down to the child, and maybe their own anxiety about what they look like and how they're doing and if they're okay. So it's really important that a parent be aware of the ways in which they're talking about themselves and the kinds of things that they're saying about themselves and how they feel about their own bodies.

Meg Newman, LMFT Family Therapist, shares advice for mothers on how they can affect they body image of their children and how to be aware of these potential impacts

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Meg Newman, MS, LMFT

Therapist

Meg Newman is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in Venice and Tarzana CA. Meg is also a mother and stepmom. Meg has worked as a therapist with children and teens focusing on a variety of issues concerning anxiety, eating disorders, body image, substance abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Meg is native to Los Angeles and loves spending time with family, as well as snowboarding as often as possible.

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Transcription: 
It's really important that a parent is aware of their own body image, and any concerns they might have about their own body's and how that gets portrayed to their children. If a child sees that their mother is constantly berating themselves for what they look like or constantly trying to fix or alter their food or their body in some way, there's the sense that the mom feels or dad feels that they're not okay with themselves, and this transfers down to the child, and maybe their own anxiety about what they look like and how they're doing and if they're okay. So it's really important that a parent be aware of the ways in which they're talking about themselves and the kinds of things that they're saying about themselves and how they feel about their own bodies.