Help - my 6 year old DD is convinced her tummy is "fat"

[hudyerwheesht]

I don't know if I am right to be concerned about this but it is starting to really worry me.
My otherwise confident, happy 6 year old DD (nearly 7) quite often makes comments about having "a fat tummy" and seems genuinely a bit sad about it. I have tried to convince her otherwise, everything from a cheery "don't be silly, you're a girl - girl's have tummies, you're perfect",etc to a more firm dismissal about how there is nothing wrong with the way she looks and no need to think her tummy is fat; it is the right shape - "it needs to be round so that when you grow up you can grow a baby in there",etc,etc. and still I can't convince her.

Yesterday she said it was the reason she didn't want to ever wear a bikini. I had no plans to get her one anyway as she has several swimsuits so it bothered me that she brought it up.

I tried the firm talk again after the bikini comment and she said she doesn't like it when I talk to her about it because my face always looks sad when I do. I explained that was because it made me sad to think that she thought of herself as "fat" on her tummy or anywhere else when there's nothing wrong with her.

I'm very careful about what she is allowed to watch or have access to so I know she hasn't picked this up from the TV/internet and she claims that no-one - friends, relatives or other kids at school - has told her she is fat. I've even been careful not to show my despair at unshiftable spare tire concern about own figure so where the hell is she getting it from and should I be worried?! Is this a normal thing?

[Ruthchan]

My 7 year old dd makes similar comments.
She doesn't refuse to wear particular clothes because of it, but she talks about her body shape and expresses concern about being fat, when she clearly isn't. I too am careful about whar tv etc she watches, so I too wonder where it comes from.
Like you, I try not to make a big deal of the issue, but I try to boost her self confidence and explain that she is exactly the shape that she should be.
We also occassionally notice people in the street who are thinner than is really healthy and see that healthy weights are between the two extremes.
Such topics often lead into conversations about healthy eating, excercise etc too. (In a gentle age-appropriate way)
I think that, like other aspects of personality and ability, body confidence takes time and needs to be nutured and supported.
If anyone else has any good ideas about this, I too will be interested to hear them.

[hudyerwheesht]

Thanks for the reply, Ruthchan, it sounds like you are doing as much as you can. I will just have to persevere and hope that I can build her body confidence.
Still hoping to hear any other thoughts or ideas on this one though.