How To Talk To Your Daughter About Her Body

Just read this piece on The Huffington Post by Sarah Koppelkam, called How To Talk To Your Daughter About Her Body. I cried. I flagellated myself. I congratulated myself. I wished my mother had read it when I was 6.

When Seconda was born, I forbade myself from ever uttering out loud those three words I've uttered countless time, "I look fat." I forbade myself from using the word "diet," to refer to a weight loss regimen. And I've managed to refrain from both. But how many times has the kid caught me looking miserably in the mirror, peeling off jeans in frustration, asking David, "Does this look terrible? It does, doesn't it?"

My favorite part, I think, is "Prove to your daughter that women don't need men to move furniture."  I mean, I do, frequently, but she's tougher than me. Which is what you hope for your daughter.