I love my daughter. She's smart, witty, and one of the most prolific readers I've ever met. I mean seriously, how many nine year old children do you know who read Dune and though it was "OK, but Paul was boring. I wanted to know more about Lady Jessica!"
Which is why, this morning, when she wanted to skip breakfast, I wanted to know why.
"I want to go on a diet," she said.
No. Not happening. You're don't get to do that. Not at Nine. Not when you weigh 75 pounds. Not when you still play on the playground and want to walk to the library.
(Angry dad on the flip.)
My daughter consistently walks at least 2-3 miles every day. She runs every day at school. At least twice a week I take her to the pool where she and her brother swim and love it.
I explained to her that if she stopped eating, she couldn't exercise as much because she'd be much more tired. I explained that if she was really concerned about what she was eating, the next time we go to the library, we'll get some books on the subject and she can see for herself why it's important to eat every day.
I am not going to raise a fucking anorexic, excuse my language. I banned TV from the house to try to stop this obsession with dieting from getting into the house. I cook for the kids daily. I always have plenty of healthy snacks available in the house. (And on occasion, the treat for good behavior. I'm raising healthy kids, not ascetics, thank you very much.)
Why in the HELL is a nine year old getting the message that she is fat already? I deliberately monitor the media in my house, but once again, I can't do anything about the schoolyard. I pity the poor little girls without parents who pay attention to these things. It's like the advances of feminism have been completely stripped away in the insane desire to become the next thin ideal flavor of the month.
I am still a bit shocked at this one. You think that you're doing the right thing as a parent, and then one of these hideous examples of external culture come and slap you right in the face. But I hope I am doing the right thing by my daughter by saying "No" to this one.
I just want her to be able to say "No" to this kind of pressure when I am not able to make the decisions for her.