Preschool and elementary-age children are more dissatisfied with their bodies than ever before, according to one study. Girls as young as 3 already perceive heaviness as “bad” and thinness as “good,” and more than a third of 5-year-old girls restrict their eating in order to stay thin.

So, let’s remember the goal as parents: raise resilient kids in a thin-obsessed culture.

Your kids will have negative thoughts about their bodies. Our goal isn’t to prevent that; it’s to help them be resilient to it. When they get teased, feel unhappy about their body or feel different, you’ll feel like the solution is to help them fit in. You can and should commiserate with them because it is hard, but be sure to bring them back to acceptance and respect for their bodies.

Here are three tips for raising body-positive children:

1. Give well-rounded compliments and avoid commenting on others' bodies

2. Use accurate descriptors of their body

3. Focus on feel and function rather than appearance

To read more of Emily Fonnesbeck's article, please click here.