So Today I Had A Great Talk With My 7 Year Old, About Lap Bands...

Did I mention it took place in the shower? So tonight while showering together my daughter mentioned to me that she sometimes sneaks out of bed at night and notices her other parent sneaking a smoke on the terrace. This led to a conversation about why people smoke and why people sneak. At 7 she understands that smoking is an addiction and that many people, despite wanting to stop, just can't find the willpower to do so. In order to curb her disdain, I pointed out that we all are working on things about ourselves, trying to be better. Next thing I know this conversation I had been dreading for months was just happening. Naked. But happening.

I explained that I was working on losing weight because I wanted to be healthier and have more energy. I explained how when we eat too much, our bodies store the extra as fat. And as far as I was concerned, I had more fat stored than I would ever need. Bless her cute little self, she screwed up her little face in an expression of confusion, looked me up and down, and said, "where?"

"Well, here, and here..." I replied pointing out my belly, my butt. She then asked me to turn around, which I did, but definitely starting to think this was spiralling out of control. "You look pretty", she replied, to which I said, "Oh my god I have to clone you"...No I didn't say that, but I thought it. So I went on to explain that for me, carrying around all the extra weight was like her having to carry her backpack when it had too much stuff in it. We recalled the times she didnt want to run an errand after school because she just had too much stuff in her backpack. So far so good.

That's where we hit a wall. Because my daughter is a skinny girl. She's never hungry. I wake up ravenous. Se smells food and it usually smells "gross". I smell food when I'm not hungry and suddenly I AM hungry. She forces herself to eat because she "wants to get this meal done already" whereas I...well you get the picture. So her response was, "just eat less". I explained to her that I was trying, but that I was having a hard time eating as little as I needed to because heavier people are often hungrier than other people. I went on to tell her that there was an operation that I could have that could make my stomach smaller and then I would be less hungry.

Silence in the shower.

Then she said this, "I'm glad I'm skinny because I would hate to have to have an operation". This was my fear. So of course we talked about exercise and portions and healthy eating and I pointed out all the ways that she was really good at that. I noticed and praised how she doesnt eat when she's not hungry and how she knows she's gotta get her protein in first, and how good she is at knowing when she's had enough. (she is a master at having a few bites of ice cream and leaving the rest). And by then it was time to dry off and read a story and I told her how excited I was because I was about to try something new. I explained how excited I was to be able to bike and run and walk and explore more with her.

I didn't tell her that I am also excited to model healthy eating for her. I hope she keeps her healthy eating habits. Someday I'd like to take her out for ice cream and BOTH of us can eat a few bites and leave the rest.