Last month I shared four principles as an eating disorder survivor that were instrumental in raising a daughter with a healthy self and body image. At fourteen, I was anorexic, then bulimic, and lived with an eating disorder until I was married and raising my daughter.

The birth of my daughter forced me to face the underlying issues of the eating disorder. I’ve spent the last twenty-five years dealing with the emotional and physical components of the illness. I chose to break the cycle. In addition to the tips from Part 1, here are three more principles I’ve lived by so I could be a healthy example of womanhood for my daughter.

1. Have the courage to deal with your stuff. There’s nothing magical about parenting that makes your issues, problems, or past go away. It’s easy to hide your struggles behind busyness or the responsibilities of motherhood.  As my kids grew, their experiences brought up my own hurts. I had to choose to make myself emotionally healthy so I could lead them in emotional health. The healing process for any hurt takes courage and commitment, whether it’s through professional counseling, life coaching or a personal determination to stop destructive behavior. Our daughters take self-esteem cues from us – for them to be healthy, we need to be healthy.
2. Be accountable to your kids.   Read the rest  of the article here at Whatever Girls.