Important Things Parents Must Keep In Mind To Ensure Well-Being Of Their Children

Social media perpetuates certain unhealthy beauty norms, which is why it becomes the responsibility of parents to ensure their children do not fall victim to superficial standards of beauty.

Children watch their parents and learn from them. If the parents are avid readers, their kids are likely to develop the habit of reading, too. If parents are social media addicts, children will find themselves glued to phone screens, too. If parents love watching a sport, their child is also likely to have a fondness for it.

Parents, therefore, have to be extra cautious and assume the role of responsible citizens so that their children can grow up to be respectful, decent and humble human beings. At the same time, they have to be mindful of what and how they speak in their children's presence.

Rujuta Diwekar, a nutritionist, said that she has noticed young girls -- as young as 10 and 12 years of age -- feeling insecure about their looks. She raised this issue in one of her recent Instagram posts, wherein she said these kids invariably feel that they are "too fat", "too plump" and "very ugly". "It is heartbreaking to watch that happen," she said.

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Diwekar pointed out that unfortunately, these kids feel this way because of how the adults in their life behave with and around them, especially their parents. "So, if you are a parent -- especially of daughters -- be extremely careful about how you talk about food. Don't make your indulgence with food a motivation for you to exercise," she said, explaining that it may lead to the child feeling that exercise is a form of punishment, when they should actually be enjoying it.

The expert also pointed out that when a photograph is clicked, adults tend to zoom-in to see their flaws. "Don't zoom-in to see the 'faults' in your body -- your double chin, your tummy. The fact is that no one is really looking at us. People are so obsessed and occupied with their own insecurities that they are not watching us."

The third crucial point that Diwekar mentioned was about food. She said that if daughters do not eat, then they will be "under-fuelled" to live their lives to their fullest potential. "Their ambitions, aspirations will not be fulfilled because they will just be too drained out to pursue their dreams. We do not want that to happen."

The nutritionist said parents should ensure their daughters live healthy lives and it does not mean they have to physically measure "36-24-36", which is considered to be a socially-acceptable beauty norm.

Social media perpetuates certain unhealthy beauty norms, which is why it becomes the responsibility of parents to ensure their children grow up to respect themselves and not fall victim to superficial standards of beauty.