Helping Kids Develop a Positive Body Image

Does your son complain about his hair? Does your daughter say horrible things about her thighs? Do your other kids make occasional comments about being "fat?"

And do you worry what they'll be feeling and saying about themselves when they hit their teenage years?

Disturbing as that sounds, kids today are dissing themselves—and their bodies—at younger and younger ages, say child development experts like Lyndsay Elliott, a clinical psychologist in Newport Beach, Calif. Elliott says that kids even as young as age 8 are creating mental images of their body—ans they aren't necessarily positive.

But there are ways that parents can help. Read SchoolFamily.com's article, 6 Tips to Help Kids Develop a Positive Body Image, which offers specific ways to help your daughter or son develop a self-image that is honest, realistic, and self-affirming.