A San Diego mom learned at her daughter's Girl Scout cookie kickoff that diet talk can be damaging to young children, urging cookie customers to simply say 'no thank you' instead of offering explanations.
When Nicole Romanella O’Neal, a San Diego mom of two, attended her 6-year-old's first Girl Scout cookie 'kickoff' meeting, she was shocked to realize her daughter was receiving not-so-great messages about diet culture. “I was fuming,” she tells TODAY.com.
Upset by the “detrimental language” her daughter had heard at the cookie kickoff (for example, one presentation suggested offering cookies without artificial sweeteners to customers on a diet), O'Neal typed her thoughts in the note section of her phone and immediately posted it to Instagram. O’Neal points out that one cookie customer making a comment about being on a diet may not be a big deal. But if a 6-year-old hears 10 people groan about being on a diet in the space of one afternoon, it has a bigger impact. “Children aren’t born hating their bodies. They are born with an innate sense to self-regulate. They grow up around adults who talk about their own body flaws,” she says. Stop giving unnecessary explanations It can be difficult to resist the smiles of a sweet Scout asking, 'Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?' O'Neal certainly wouldn’t judge you if you did make a purchase, but if you are not interested, she begs you to refrain from mentioning diet, calories, body flaws or weight. “A simple no thank you, is completely acceptable. In fact, it’s perfect,” O'Neal wrote in her post’s caption. 'Nobody is mentioning these things out of malice,' O'Neal says. She assumes that some potential cookie customers feel bad saying no and overcompensate by giving unnecessary explanations. 'It's just an awareness that people don't have. I'm simply asking them for mindfulness.' Girl Scouts USA shared a similar sentiment on their Instagram page with reminders to 'curb 'diet' and 'skinny' talk' and 'recognize the cycle of body drama.' They even included a post that says, 'I am always jaw droppingly shocked at how many adults that visit booths find it appropriate to talk about their health issues with us about cookies.' Be aware of your wording If you think 6-year-olds are too young to be affected by talk of diets, weight and size, think again. 'I knew about my body size in kindergarten,' says O'Neal, mentioning an insult that has stuck with her through the years. 'Little messages affirm and shape who we are when it comes to body image. I am uber aware of the way I talk and interact with food in front of my daughter.' O'Neal has spent years struggling with disordered eating, which she describes as 'an unhealthy or complicated relationship with food.' Because her disordered eating was affecting her everyday life, O'Neal sought therapy and then started her Instagram account, @MondayDieter, to process what she learned. With a master's degree in food science, she is now studying to become a registered dietitian. So, what should you say to Girl Scouts? O'Neal plans to allow her daughter Penelope to participate in cookie sales. After all, she'll be learning valuable lessons about teamwork, handling money and entrepreneurship. But what if Penelope hears customers talking about their diets or asking about the 'healthiest' cookie? 'My plan is to step in and say that all the cookies are a great choice,' she says. 'I'll redirect the conversation and add in appropriate messaging that all food is healthy because it gives us energy.'We contacted Girl Scouts USA and a spokesperson shared a message for cookie customers with TODAY.com via email: “When people approach Girl Scouts at a cookie booth, we hope they celebrate the courage it takes for girls as young as 5 to conduct business transactions with customers. We encourage them to ask girls what they want to do with their cookie money (cookie proceeds stay local). Ask them what they love about selling cookies. It’s about more than the cookie boxes.” In fact, if you want to support the girls but don't want the cookies, troops often have a way for you to purchase a box that will be donated to organizations within your community. And if you truly don't want to make a purchase of any kind, O'Neal says, 'Just say, 'No thank you' without giving a reason. Because the reason can be detrimental.'
Girl Scouts Cookies Diet Talk Body Image Child Development Parenting Advice
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