I worry all the time that my food issues will be passed on to my children in one way or another. I fear that they will pick up bad habits. I fear that in my efforts to keep them healthy my urgency for eating vegetables and the food on their plate will create other issues. I worry they will see my struggle and try so hard to not be like me that more unhealthy habits will form. I never know what to do or say to them to help them see that food is good for us and fuel for our bodies, but too much of it or the wrong kinds of foods are not good for us. I know actions speak louder than words and that fills me with so much anxiety. I find myself watching their weight almost as much as I watch my own. I want to set the example of a healthy mother that enjoys food, but doesn't over indulge. I want to show them that there are other ways to deal with stress, frustration, and sadness besides eating. I don't want them to grow up having all things revolve around food. Every family gathering, celebration, reward, punishment, pleasure, and/or memory should not be centered on food. How do I break that cycle?
I want my kids to be better than me.
As a dietitian that has worked with a lot of adolescent and adult women with eating disorders, I can attest that food and exercise addictions that the mother has can be a big influence on their disordered eating (some fathers fit this role too, but more often they would act as a food police). That being said, parents that have/had food and/or exercise addictions but were working on recognizing and overcoming these issues, and being open (according to age) to their children about their struggles, often have kids that have a good sense of balance of eating and exercising healthfully. WE set the example for our children through both making good choices and appropriately handling bad choices/addictions/genetics.
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