How One Mom Explained the Word “Fat” to Her Kids Is Fantastic

Photo: allisonkimmey on Instagram

We all know kids have no filter, and sometimes their words can hurt — and catch you totally off-guard. But when this mother heard her daughter call her fat, she dealt with it like a champ.

“My daughter called me fat today,” Allison Kimmey shared on Instagram. “She was upset I made them get out of the pool and she told her brother that mama is fat.”

Instead of getting rattled, Kimmey took a moment to teach her kids about the word.

“Let’s talk about it,” she said. “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.”

When Kimmey’s son chimed in “I don’t have any fat… I just have muscles,” Kimmey corrected him, pointing out that everyone in the world has fat.

“Some people have a lot, and others don’t have very much,” she taught them, “but that doesn’t mean that one person is better than the other.” Kimmey noted that children can pick up ideas about body image anywhere, and shaming them for using the word just can just prove it’s an insult. Instead, it’s parents’ job to be “the loudest, most accepting, positive, and consistent voice” their children hear. We couldn’t have said it better.

How do you handle kids’ comments on body difference?  Share it in the comments!