Little Girl Calls Her Mom “Fat” | See How Her Mother Reacts

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How would you respond if your toddler daughter calls you fat? This is a situation a mom, Allison Kimmey, had to deal with, and she handled it in a very graceful and enlightening way.

Kimmey, who is a 30-year-old self-help author and speaker on topics like self-love, self-care and personal empowerment, took to her Instagram page to talk about how she reacted when her daughter called her fat. Instead of getting upset, the Florida mom explained that fat is something everyone has in their bodies to protect their muscles and bones.

According to Allison, here is how the conversation with her daughter went:

“My daughter called me fat today, She was upset I made them get out of the pool and she told her brother that mama is fat
I told her to meet me upstairs so we could chat.
Me: “what did you say about me?”
Her: “I said you were fat, mama, im sorry”
Me: “let’s talk about it. The truth is, I am not fat. No one IS fat. It’s not something you can BE. But I do HAVE fat. We ALL have fat. It protects our muscles and our bones and keeps our bodies going by providing us energy. Do you have fat?”
Her: “yes! I have some here on my tummy”
Me: “that’s right! So do I and so does your brother!”
Her brother: “I don’t have any fat, I’m the skinniest, I just have muscles”
Me: “actually everyone, every single person in the world has fat. But each of us has different amounts.”
Her brother: ” oh right! I have some to protect my big muscles! But you have more than me”
Me: “Yes, that’s true. Some people have a lot, and others don’t have very much. But that doesn’t mean that one person is better than the other, do you both understand?
Both: “yes, mama”
Me: “so can you repeat what I said”
Them: “yes! I shouldn’t say someone is fat because you can’t be just fat, but everyone HAS fat and it’s okay to have different fat”
Me: “exactly right!”
Them: “can we go back to the pool now?”
Me: no ????????
__________________
Each moment these topics come up i have to choose how I’m going to handle them. Fat is not a bad word in our house. If I shame my children for saying it then I am proving that it is an insulting word and I continue the stigma that being fat is unworthy, gross, comical and undesirable.
Since we don’t call people fat as an insult in my household, I have to assume she internalized this idea from somewhere or someone else. Our children are fed ideas from every angle, you have to understand that that WILL happen: at a friends house whose parents have different values, watching a tv show or movie, overhearing someone at school- ideas about body image are already filtering through their minds. It is our job to continue to be the loudest, most accepting, positive and CONSISTENT voice they hear. So that it can rise above the rest.
Give me a ???????? if this resonated w u!
Just do you!
Xoxo
Allie.”

See photo she posted on Instagram to illustrate the story:

Allison, who has a history of restrictive eating, yo-yo dieting and body dysmorphia, said she started her Instagram account in an attempt to inspire others with her self-love journey. She also considers it part of her job as a parent to be a loud, consistent voice preaching body positivity.

In an interview with Huffington post she said :

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“Your children are going to visit friends’ houses. Your children are going to hear nasty comments in school. Your children are going to consume the perfection ideal being shoved down their throats at every corner…and that is why it has to be a constant at home that you are keeping an open dialogue to build up their confidence, keep a clear and realistic body image ideal, and to embrace their own uniqueness while empowering them to be accepting of the differences of all humankind,”

All moms can definitely learn a thing or two from Allison. Let’s teach our children about healthy body image perception.

Photo Credit: Instagram