A few days ago, I overheard my 10 year old daughter telling her stuffed Minnie that she was fat and that her minnie was fat too. It was heartbreaking. I have read all the articles about how moms should not criticize themselves in front of their daughters and I have never called myself fat in front of her, I honestly am not the type to sit and criticize my body parts. I try to lead by example and try to work out and eat healthy as much as possible. I also try not to bring in outside media via magazines into the house and we don’t have any cable for them to watch, so listening to her, I was just shocked. We have discussed her weight at the pediatrician’s office, they’ve always told me to be careful, she’s at the top end of healthy. We discuss nutrition and the importance of exercise and leading a healthy lifestyle. I try to emphasize self love. Society’s message of “you are not good enough” is strong though. Spend money to fix your flaws. I asked her why she said that and she didn’t think it was anything serious, just that she has a belly. I sat her down and explained that Allah gave us this body to take care of with healthy food and exercise so that we will be able to worship Allah properly. It is an amana, or a trust that we must take care of the best we can. I have a feeling that we will be visiting this topic many more times in the future. She also has her first sex ed class today but that’s a whole other topic!