Episode 28: How do I Teach My Kids About Food? With Catherine Brown.
Let's talk about women and pressure. I don't have to tell you that we as women have huge expectations placed upon us to look a certain way, be a certain size, fit certain gender roles, etc. etc. etc. The pressure is intense.
And it's about 1,000,000,000 times worse for moms.
If you're a mom, do any of these sound familiar?
What if I gain too much weight during pregnancy?
What if I don't gain enough?
What if I eat all the wrong things and it hurts my baby?
What if I don't feed them the right things when they're kids?
What if I don't lose the baby weight?
What if she/he/they don't like vegetables? That's my fault, right?
What if she/he/they grow up to eat nothing but McDonald's and Ben & Jerry's? That's my fault too, right?
So. Much. Pressure.
We're supposed to do it right. Every time. For us, for our kids, for our families.
I remember struggling with all of this when my daughter was little. And my therapist at the time suggested that I write a list of all of the things that I was responsible for as a parent and all of the things that my then husband was responsible for. It didn't take me long to see that her point in this exercise was to show me that my list was a gazillion times longer than his. And this was why I was feeling so stressed out all of the time.
I don't think I was the exception to the rule, unfortunately.
Add to that, I was a therapist specializing in eating disorders. If I couldn't get it right, who could?? If I couldn't keep my weight "in check" during pregnancy and/or lose the baby weight, how could I even talk about this with my clients? Even worse, if my daughter developed an eating disorder, I'm a total failure both as a parent and as a clinician, right?? I mean they're going to take my license away, right????
So. Much. Pressure.
I haven't spoken directly to moms on the podcast yet, so we're doing that this week. Mom's have double the pressure. They're supposed to do everything right for themselves and also for their kid(s). And many times for their significant others as well. Again: so. Much. Pressure.
On this week's podcast, I'm talking to Catherine Brown, author of Hope for Recovery: Stories of Healing from Eating Disorders. Catherine shares her own eating disorder story, as well as her thoughts about how to help your kids cultivate a positive relationship with food. We also discuss:
The pressures that women face regarding their weight and their food choices during pregnancy
Post pregnancy weight loss
Conversations to have with your child about fat phobia
It's such an important conversation, and I'm so thankful to Catherine for coming on the show!
Find Catherine at:
Click below to listen!