What if I pass down my emotional eating to my children?

I was speaking with a client the other day and she bravely confided one of her deepest fears with me.

As a child, my client became an expert at hiding her eating habits from her family and friends. She ate tiny portions when people were around and then a pint of Haagen Dazs in private. She lived with constant feelings of shame and self hate.

After having kids, she became terrified that she’d pass on her food issues to her children. She knew it started for her as a child, and she was so scared that they’d go down the same path as her. Her fear became paralyzing at times.

As her babies morphed into toddlers, she realized just how smart and observant they were. 

She became emotional when she told me about the time her daughter came to her and said, “my tummy is fat.” Reliving that moment brought up her feelings of fear and anguish about the thought that she could be passing her own struggles on to her daughter. She was scared. 

Would her kids deal with the same struggles with food? 

Would they sneak cookies?

Obsess about food and their bodies?

What if they spent most of their day in their heads obsessing about food with themselves like she did?

My client knew she had to heal her relationship with food, not just for herself but for her children as well.

This realization opened her eyes to how fiercely she was willing to protect her children, despite the fact that she had never protected herself or given herself the same level of attentiveness and care.

Now that she has started her healing journey, she has realized she is worthy of attention and self love. And that may be the most important thing she can pass onto her children.

If you’re struggling with any of the same fears as my client, I want you to know you’re not alone. If you’d like to learn more about my approach to healing, please take a look at my new courses where I’ll teach you real tools to begin caring for yourself HERE.