We are thrilled to share with you the cover for Molly Forbes’ debut non-fiction title, Body Happy Kids: How To Raise Children Who Love The Skin They’re In, the first empowering guide to help parents and carers raise a generation of kids who are at peace in their own bodies and understand that every body is different.
We are not born hating our bodies. Make sure your kids never do.
· Research shows us that children as young as five are saying they “need to go on a diet” and that over half of 11-16 year olds regularly worry about the way they look.
· The Women & Equalities Commission published the results of their big body image survey towards the end of last year and found 66% of children feel bad about their body most of the time.
· Childline revealed in December they’d run 43,000 counselling sessions for kids since the first lockdown last year and self-esteem and body image were coming up as key concerns.
Molly Forbes, a campaigner, journalist and mum of two girls, is here to change things. She is the founder of the #FreeFromDiets campaign, which calls for tighter restrictions in the way diet brands and weight-loss products advertise around children, and she runs workshops for teachers and youth workers. She brings this passion as a campaigner and as a mum to provide parents with a much-needed antidote to the confusing health advice that bombards us every day. She draws on the insight of over 30 academics, educators, health professionals and activists, to offer evidence-based body image boosting advice to help adults create body happy settings so children can thrive in their care.
Helping children feel good about their body as it is, right now, will have a direct impact on how they treat their body throughout the rest of their lives.
Part self-help manual for parents, part manifesto, Body Happy Kids offers parents and carers the skills and insights to raise resilient children who love the skin they are in. Each chapter provides a toolkit with a body image boosting activities that readers can start using straightaway to bring about positive change. It covers everything you need to help children care for their body with kindness, including joyful movement, non-food related ways to build a healthy lifestyle for children, how to expand vocabulary around discussing bodies and feelings, and creating a happy eating environment.
