Dara-Lynn Weiss, a socialite mom, recently wrote an article in Vogue Magazine about her struggle to keep her 7-year-old daughter Bea healthy after a pediatrician told her that her child was overweight.

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Weiss decided to put Bea on the “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right” diet program, specifically designed for overweight or obese children.

However, the program has not only emotionally haunted Bea since its beginning, but shows the horrible ways in which a mother’s hatred of her own body reflects on her daughter.

According to the CDC, 17 percent of American kids are obese. Bea, who was in the 93rd percentile, had the possibility of developing high blood pressure and type 2 Diabetes. But instead of just limiting food intake or providing healthy foods and exercise, Weiss went about a different way.

“I once reproachfully deprived Bea of her dinner after learning that her observation of French Heritage Day at school involved nearly 800 calories of Brie, filet mignon, baguette, and chocolate. I stopped letting her enjoy Pizza Fridays when she admitted to adding a corn salad as a side dish one week. I dressed down a Starbucks barista when he professed ignorance of the nutrition content of the kids’ hot chocolate whose calories are listed as “120-210″ on the menu board: Well, which is it? When he couldn’t provide an answer, I dramatically grabbed the drink out of my daughter’s hands, poured it into the garbage, and stormed out.

I cringe when I recall the many times I had it out with Bea over a snack given to her by a friend’s parent or caregiver … rather than direct my irritation at the grown-up, I often derided Bea for not refusing the inappropriate snack. And there have been many awkward moments at parties, when Bea has wanted to eat, say, both cookies and cake, and I’ve engaged in a heated public discussion about why she can’t.”(Via: Jezebel)

Poor Bea, I keep thinking. Especially when, perhaps a slightly overweight child who hasn’t grown into her weight yet has a mother who in “liked that the word carries a scary, diagnostic tone.” (Via: Jezebel).

Bea has lost 16 pounds through her mother’s relentless harassing, she still remembers the emotional toll it took on her, reminding her mother that no matter how much weight she gained or losses, she’s no different than the girl she was before.  But it seems as though Weiss was taking out her hatred of her own body on Bea:

“Who was I to teach a little girl how to maintain a healthy weight and body image?” she asks, given that she’s spent the past three decades “[hating] how my body looked and [devoting] an inordinate amount of time trying to change it.” Among other destructive habits, Weiss took laxatives as a teen and “begged” a doctor friend to score her appetite suppressants that had been proven to cause heart-valve defects. “I have not ingested any food, looked at a restaurant menu, or been sick to the point of vomiting without silently launching a complicated mental algorithm about how it will affect my weight,” she admits.” (Via: Mamamia.com.au)

Throughout the entire article however, exercise is never mentioned. Not once! A seven-year old must not only eat correctly, but have the exercise that children need!   Now that Bea is a small, slight girl, mom dresses her in newly purchased dresses, to celebrate her skinny new look.

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Too bad that money can’t buy her daughter’s happiness back.

Lovelies, did you ever diet as a child? Would you ever condone or put your kid on a diet?