| The astronomic rise in the number of children | | | | development of eating disorders in children. |
| suffering from eating disorders is very | | | | Children often see their parents as their |
| disturbing. According to recent studies, | | | | idols, their heroes, their role models. So |
| approximately 40% of today's children aged | | | | what would the children think if their |
| nine have already tried dieting to various | | | | parents are preoccupied with their own bodies |
| extents. If you find this disquieting | | | | and their weights? When the parents express |
| enough, what would you feel if I told you | | | | apparent dislike towards their bodies, the |
| that researchers also found out that there is | | | | children will perceive that weight and |
| a rising trend of children ranging from four | | | | appearance are very important. |
| to five years old expressing their need to | | | | |
| diet? Why are our children feeling this way? | | | | In some cases, the parents might mistakenly |
| Why do they express the need to diet? What | | | | take baby fat as actual fat and force a child |
| are we doing wrong? | | | | to diet. This can be a form of robbing a |
| | | | child of his or her childhood and can be |
| Research has pointed out several factors, | | | | considered an extremely cruel act. |
| which may have contributed to this | | | | |
| ever-increasing trend of eating disorders in | | | | In other families, a double standard is |
| children. Among those worthy of mention are | | | | imposed allowing boys to eat to their hearts' |
| emotional or psychological trauma, family and | | | | content while limiting the food intake of |
| the media. | | | | girls. This is so that boys can have |
| | | | well-built and muscular bodies (a must for |
| Events that result in emotional or | | | | the macho society) while the girls maintain a |
| psychological trauma predispose a child to | | | | slender figure (again a dictate of the |
| develop eating disorders. It was noted that | | | | society). Most mothers even take a step |
| children who were brought up in dysfunctional | | | | further and lecture their daughters how |
| families were more prone to acquire the | | | | important it is to have a thin figure for |
| disease than those children raised in loving | | | | them to find happiness and a man that will |
| environments were. This is also true in | | | | love them when they grow up. |
| cases where children are raised in | | | | |
| environments where feelings are not allowed | | | | The media also helps spread the notion that |
| to be expressed. In both settings, | | | | being thin is a central factor for success |
| children's emotions are bottled up prompting | | | | and happiness. Along with promoting the |
| them to turn to food for comfort or to help | | | | newest in kids' fashion comes the media's |
| them deal with what they are feeling. They | | | | endorsement of the "ideal figure". Media |
| might latch on to food and eating to release | | | | makes the kids want to wear the newest |
| their pent up anger, frustration, sadness, | | | | designer clothes, be adorned with the latest |
| hurt, fear, feeling of abandonment and pain. | | | | accessories and look "perfect" wearing them. |
| | | | As a result, the children strive to achieve |
| Children who were victims of emotional or | | | | the society's idea of a "perfect figure" and |
| physical abuse are also at high risk of | | | | this sets the stage for the development of |
| developing the disease. They might try to | | | | the disease. |
| relieve their feelings and try to gain | | | | |
| control of an otherwise unmanageable | | | | Eating disorders can be very disastrous, even |
| situation by resorting to food and | | | | more so for the young bodies of our children. |
| controlling their eating habits. They might | | | | Let us not push them towards the hands of |
| try to avoid food in an effort to control | | | | these harmful evil. Let us teach our |
| their weight so that they might "disappear" | | | | children to accept and love themselves by |
| and not go through the abuse anymore. | | | | loving them unconditionally, whatever size or |
| | | | shape they might be. |
| Family also plays a crucial role in the | | | | |