My daughter is very sensitive about her...?

Question

My 12 year old daughter is very sensitive about her weight. She does not like to go on the scale and find out what her weight is.

Today we have an appointment with the pediatrician for the physical. She is going to be so nervous.

She does not want to go to find out her weight.

So the question is: How do I help her let her fear of going on the scale and finding how much pounds she weighs.

Answer 1

She is 12 years old.  Just let her go into the doctor without you and let the nurse take care of it.  In many instances a child will behave completely different when the parent is not around than they will when the parent is around.  There is a good chance that she will just do as they ask her to do and not even hesitate since you aren't around.  It is possible she doesn't want you to know but doesn't care if the doctor or nurse knows.

Answer 2

what I do for my patients that have a phobia of the scale is have them turn backwards and not face the numbers and I quickly jot the weight in the chart and return the scale to 0 before they get off... Also I have anyone that is with them go sit in the exam room prior to having them on the scale.  

Answer 3

Get on the scale first :) Show her your weight, and hopefully she will then pop on also.

Just goes to show what a horrible media we have, that girls should be skinny etc etc,  if a 12 year old has them issues. Poor darl!

Answer 4

If anything, you go on the scale first and show her its no big deal.

Or even have her go on, let the doctor take the weight and write it on her chart but cover her eyes so she wont know.

Answer 5

I hate seeing those numbers, too, so I just stand backward on the scale & ask the nurse not to tell me.  

At her age, though, I think I'd be more concerned about the negative body image that she's building for herself.  So, after the doctor's appointment & over the next year, help her learn to be happy in her skin.  Decide, as a family, that you're going to eat healthier.  And, start doing healthy family activities, too.  Find a sport that you all love & get out there & do it.  Or, 'discover' a new park nearby that's just beautiful to walk in.  Start a new hobby, yourself, of jogging or rock climbing or swimming & invite the kids to come join you.  Buy a GPS & go out geo-caching together.  

Talk about how making healthy choices is both fun, delicious & keeps your body in good shape, so that you'll have more energy to do things you love.  Don't talk about weight, or looking good to impress others - concentrate on the health aspects of it all.  

Be a good role model for healthy body image for her.  Feed her positive (but real) talk & ideas about why she can be proud of herself & the skin she's in.  

Answer 6

Try a little encouraging! Maybe convnice her that most girls weigh the same as her. If not, once she goes on the scale, look and tell her that you "weighed more." A little white lie works! Or, if she dosen't like to see her weight, tell her not to look :D

Answer 7

have her look away when on the scale...and she'll never know her weight. If she IS overweight...and if YOu are too...then make it a game and say "whoever loses 5 pounds (or whatever) first...wins!"  

Answer 8

She might be teased and pressure of self body image is getting to her.

Peer and youth counseling might help this girl in figuring it all out.

Laughing and joken with her won't help the situation. She might be teased at school more than you think.

She is also going through body changes and hormons. She might be uncomfortable of where her body is at in this change.

When did she first start to do this? Any particular thing happen (death in family, boyfriend, loss of a friend or multi friends, fashion change, change in school etc).  

Answer 9

Talk to her and find out what the problem is - in my opinion 12 is young to be that worried about her weight, watch for signs of an eating disorder.

If she does have a fit about it tell the doctor and see what they think - I'd be concerned if I were you. It may be no big deal but it might also be a symptom of a bigger problem she's having.

See if this website helps -

http://www.bodypositive.com/childwt.htm

Answer 10

if your daughter is concern about her weight, when get her to change her eating habits.  as we all know over wieght kids get made fun of in school, and its good that your daughter wants to better her self and her health.  at such a young age your not going to want her in the gym, but if your willing to spend the money, buy her a nintendo WII, its a game system that all kids love and it uses motin sensors to play games so the kids are always active.  Once you buy the WII, there is a game called "Wii Fit", which will get the hand and feet moving to play games and is good for overall health.

also you need to let your daughter know that if she is concerned about her weight the first place to start is healthy eating habbits,

Answer 11

Have a positive attitude about your own weight and she's more likely to adopt your attitude. Be her role model. Remember this is a sensitive age for girls and it will last for a long time. Remind her and yourself that there are more important things than measuring your self worth by a scale. Do actıvtes and thıngs that make your famıly feel good. Try new hobbıes and stay actıve. Fınd other outlets for your talents. Serıously, as clıche as ıt sounds the rewards are worth ıt.

Answer 12

You as a parent should not push to her weigh herself if she does not want to weigh herself.   You are putting to much emphasis on weight where you should be focusing more on eating healthy foods, not all on how much she weighs.   If she is overweight it is going to be all about eating healthy anyways, so why not stop talking about the scale and start making healthy meals together and then she will feel better about herself because you have put the pressure off her.   Everyone in our society is all about weight, she does not need added pressure from her mom about her weight, obviously she is stressing over her weight on her own already.   Change your focus and start picking and planning fun and healthy meals to make with each other and soon there will be no scale to think about.   Good luck!

Answer 13

Just let her know that everyone comes in different sizes. :)

If she's overweight, tell her finding out her weight will give her a good starting point and get a goal to find a healthier way of living. The two of you could look up healthy recipes on the internet, and she could help you cook. And you could take her exercising, like bike riding, hiking, or swimming. Or learn a new sport! She has to find out what her weight is before she can start to change it though :)

Answer 14

start joking about getting on there yourself and breaking the springs. she will smile and maybe relax.