If you don't know Allison Kimmey, then you totally should - she's an awesome body positive Instagrammer who often shares her stories of being happy in her skin and family life with her husband and two kids. And there's a helluva lot of pics of her at the beach, so get ready for some major swimsuit envy.
Kimmey's known for her inspirational Instas, but one she posted earlier this month really struck a chord with her followers. In the post, she details how she dealt with her daughter when she called her 'fat'.
"My daughter called me fat today," the post began. "She was upset I made them get out of the pool and she told her brother that mama is fat. I told her to meet me upstairs so we could chat."
Allison then took both her children aside and stressed to them the importance of the difference between being fat and having fat.
"Me: "let's talk about it. The truth is, I am not fat. No one IS fat. It's not something you can BE. But I do HAVE fat. We ALL have fat. It protects our muscles and our bones and keeps our bodies going by providing us energy. Do you have fat?"
"Her: "yes! I have some here on my tummy"
"Me: Some people have a lot, and others don't have very much. But that doesn't mean that one person is better than the other, do you both understand?
"Both: "yes, mama""
Allison then goes on to explain that when it comes to her kids, she has decided this is the best way to deal with situations like this. "Fat is not a bad word in our house," she says. " If I shame my children for saying it then I am proving that it is an insulting word and I continue the stigma that being fat is unworthy, gross, comical and undesirable."
She ends the post with some advice for other parents in a similar situation: "It is our job to continue to be the loudest, most accepting, positive and CONSISTENT voice they hear. So that it can rise above the rest."
She told Cosmo that this isn't the first time she's had to have a difficult conversation with her kids, and she also offered some advice to other parents struggling with these topics: "I always begin by asking them what they meant by their statement or if they understand what a particular word means. Usually it turns out they mean something completely different. And from there we break it apart more, I lead with questions for them and that provides an opportunity for me to help them get the answer themselves and empowers their belief system."
What do you think of Allison's Instagram post? Let us know! @sofeminineUK
You might also like...
New Mum Shares Honest Photos Of Her Post-Baby Belly In A Bid To Help Women Embrace Theirs
YAS! Science Says Plus Sized Women Are Having A Positive Impact On Our Mental Health
Woman Frankly Explains Why We Shouldn't Feel Like Sh*t If Our Boyfriend's Got A Better Body
