DD1 is 5 and at school. Today on the way she saw our neighbour, who's a bit older and then said to me that sometimes she felt a bit 'bigger' than other people, indicating 'fatter' with her hands. Then she said sometimes she felt she was 'the right size and sometimes the wrong size'. I tried to say that there wasn't a right and wrong size, only different shapes etc. but she want convinced.
This comes after a conversation last night about how her 'learning' wasn't as good as other people in the class, how she hated school, hated her learning, wanted me to teach her at home etc. (not something I've ever suggested). She seems generally happy at school, has friends and is pretty assertive, so usually I treat it like stalling tactics really and perhaps I've been too dismissive.
How should I approach this? I hate that she's already making physical comparisons. She is tall for her age, and people comment on it and what size clothes she's in (7-9yo). Perhaps I have fed that as I have said to friends about it, but not in a disparaging way. I don't talk about my shape really, don't diet etc. My instinct is to try to encourage her just to let go of those thoughts as I feel like any rationalisation just feeds it, but I don't know if that's best. I want to say that as long as she's fit and healthy that's the thing, but I worry that that sets up a wrong impression of ill or disabled people. All advice welcome!