Lets be mindful of how we talk to our children... My 17 year old daughter is a highly assertive, politically charged, and unapologetic civil rights activist. Make no mistake. She will face you head on. 2 days ago, she published an article on her blog entitled "How African Communities Fuel Body Dysmorphia (and I had to google the body dysmorphia...). She talked about many things that African adults say to younger people, and the consequences of some of those harsh words. But what stood out for me is this paragraph: "This constant form of criticism and judgement is detrimental to the already declining self-confidence of the youth. Body Dysmorphia can lead to; depression, the misuse of weight loss/gain supplements, backdoor surgeries, and in severe cases, suicide. I urge everyone to enter this new year with an atmosphere of mindfulness. Be mindful of what you say, how you say it, and how it could impact someone's life." You can tell from Boipelo's article that we are pushing our young people to the edge. They can't take it anymore and they have started speaking out. So lets be mindful of what we say to young people, how we say it, and how it could impact their lives, lest it pushes them to the edge. If you are an African adult, follow the link below to get the full story... https://www.boipelolecha.com/post/how-african-communities-fuel-body-dysmorphia #theshift #mindsetshift #breakingthenorm #shatterthenorm #bodyconfidence #mindfulness #childrenspeakingout #standupandbecounted #standupforyourself #civilrightsactivist #writer #evokingwordsmith #botswanablogger #redefinetradition #botswanasyouth #mentalhealth #botswanamentalhealth #africanorthodox #orthodoxelders #orthodoxafricanelders (at Gaborone, Botswana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwudQjxJ7DA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ttpnfpqsit1r
