Reply to Should I force the issue - overweight teen boy and swim shirt

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I'm one of the PPs who criticized you. I have a younger teenage son who is a bit overweight. He wears a rash guard -- his choice. He loves the pool and the beach, and frankly I'm glad for the rash guards because it cuts way down on the time/mess/etc of sunscreen. His younger siblings wear them too. I see plenty of heavy kids who don't wear them and as long as they're having fun, who cares?

Whether you meant it or not your original post was dripping with revulsion at your own child. If we all picked up on it, so does he. A few extra pounds are easily reversible for a teenage boy; they're still growing and their metabolism is crazy. (As a middle aged woman, I wish I had those advantages!) But the psychological damage you're doing to your child -- apparently without even recognizing it -- is not so easily fixed.

I'm lucky - my kid has always been weirdly secure in his own self and somewhat immune to peer pressure. He's also a tall, good-looking kid (and super nice!), all of which makes a few extra pounds less of an issue socially. But we make very sure to avoid anything that will dent his sense of self-worth, if only because he's hardly likely to adopt healthy habits if he feels shamed and unhappy.[/quote]

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