Parents, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Child's Weight!

It's hard to turn on the TV or flip through a magazine without seeing an ad or article about preventing childhood obesity. As parents, we immediately take note of the tip and try to implement it in our own home. But our efforts to raise healthy and happy kids could backfire. Encouraging your child to lose weight could cause them to become more body conscious, which can result in secret snack binges or unhealthy eating disorders.

Parents should not ignore a child's weight issue, but there is a correct way to approach the topic. To start, it's important to talk to your child without lecturing them. "Many strong-willed young people have the tendency to push back harder when they are pushed hard," says Marcia Meislin, a life coach who specializes in weight and body image issues. "If you come on too strongly, your child may rebel and make you the "bad guy," creating a power struggle in which you are both determined to win." Meislin adds that it is important to educate your child on healthy living, but don't give some sort of nutrition sermon. She suggests throwing out a tip or two and, "if they are curious to know more, share more."

For more tips on approaching weight loss talks, read the full story on Huffington Post.