As fathers, we play an important role in supporting our children’s positive mental health — especially regarding how they perceive their physical appearance. One way to do this is by promoting body neutrality. Body neutrality is the idea of accepting and respecting your body for what it is without judging or comparing it to others.
Educating your children about body neutrality at a young age is important for their development as happy and healthy kids. As a father, you can do this by encouraging affirmations and self-talk. Help your children—both girls and boys—understand their bodies are unique and special, and try not to compare themselves to others.
Body Positivity & Body Neutrality
Body neutrality and body positivity are two concepts related to how your children will view their bodies. Body positivity is the idea of embracing and celebrating all body types, including those that do not conform to the typical beauty standards. It promotes a positive body image and encourages individuals to love their bodies regardless of appearance.
Body neutrality is the idea of accepting and respecting your body for what it is and seeing it as a tool to help with daily functions. It encourages individuals to focus on things other than their physical appearance and instead on what it can do. Body neutrality does not necessarily require individuals to actively love their bodies but to be neutral towards them. For example, instead of focusing on loving the moles on your arms, you will focus on your arms themselves and how they help you lift heavy items or swim.
Helping Your Child With Body Neutrality
Fathers can help their children practice body neutrality by modeling positive behaviors and attitudes toward their own bodies. By avoiding negative self-talk and making negative comments about their own or others’ physical appearance.
Fathers can also encourage their children to focus on their strengths, abilities, and accomplishments rather than their appearance. By promoting body neutrality, fathers can help their children develop healthy relationships with their bodies and avoid the negative effects of unrealistic beauty standards. Using a body neutrality worksheet, you can work with your child to achieve a healthy neutral mindset.
Another way to promote body neutrality is by encouraging physical activity to feel good rather than achieve a certain body type or weight. Encourage your children to find physical activities they enjoy and to focus on how it makes them feel rather than how it may change their appearance— this is a great step toward their overall self-sufficiency.
Affirmations for Body Neutrality in Children
There are several ways you can help your child with body neutrality — starting with body-neutral affirmations. Instead of having your child focus on their appearance, they must repeat how to treat their body as a tool for living a joyous life. These printable affirmation cards can help any child struggling with their body image.
Body-neutral affirmations include:
- “I will be kind to my body.”
- “I will listen to my body’s needs.”
- “My appearance doesn’t determine my happiness.”
- “I will encourage others to look beyond their physical appearance.”
