Tidbits From the Queen of Chaos: Sports Illustrated and Food Issues

I admit that I don't have the healthiest relationship with food (with 4 sisters, no one wants to be the fat one). I am a picky eater, am always looking for a new diet that I can live with and love relaxing while watching my favorite shows with my favorite treats (at the moment, it is strawberries dipped in chocolate). It is a serious concern of mine that I will be able to ignore my own issues and overcome the ones with Nico and Tommy having Cystic Fibrosis in order to help my girls grow to have positive body images.

When the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition showed up at my house, I thought Nico being the 7th grader that he is, would jump at the chance to look at it but all he said was, "If this is the swimsuit one, why are some of the girls not wearing tops or anything?" That was the same thing I asked myself. The next morning Tommy saw the cover and said, "Mom, there are boobs on this magazine." "I know, Tommy. It's the swimsuit one." "Why are her boobs saggy and her top so low?" Hmmm...I have no answer to that other than if he thinks that is saggy, he is going to be very disappointed after being married for 15 years and his wife has given him four children.

I can handle the questions and comments from the boys. Isabella's were tougher. "Wow, they are so pretty. Is this why girls want big boobs? I hope I look like her when I get older." I told her that they are pretty because they had a professional do their hair and make-up and most of the ones in the magazines aren't real and in real life, even she doesn't look like the one in the picture. They have people that change the pictures before they print them. I told her that she is prettier than the girls in the magazine and I hope she always remembers that the girls in the magazines are not realistic of what women look like. She looked at me like I had two heads, rolled her eyes and said, "Mom, you have to say I'm pretty. I'm your daughter." She then promptly looked at her Cream of Wheat in disgust, pushed it away and went to fix her hair. Keeping her self-image healthy is going to be a full-time job.

For more of how I handle our food issues because we have more than the ones here, go to www.tidbitsfromthequeenofchaos.blotspot.com