Counterfeit Perfection

Many parents look at their children and think, “That’s my perfect princess” or “I couldn’t have a better little boy”. Most accept their children despite the disabilities or imperfections. Nevertheless, there are parents out there that have the urge to change their children’s appearance.

A boy from Saudi Arabia was seventy-nine pounds at the age of two. His parents were unhappy with his continuous weight gain, which led to sleep apnea and would potentially lead to permanent health issues. When you think about a two-year old boy having bariatric surgery, you probably don’t give it a second thought because it rarely happens. However, this boy’s parents made it all too real.

In other cases, we see twelve to sixteen-year old girls getting plastic surgery. In the parents’ eyes, these surgeries are just ‘minor beauty enhancements’. These parents should stop and ask themselves, “Isn’t my child beautiful enough?” Social standards and appearance requirements have placed an image of ‘the perfect looks’ in our heads. In all reality, nobody is truly perfect. But, our children should be perfect in our eyes naturally. The beauty of any human being, especially young, is not defined by numbers on a scale or the looks of a face.

You may ask, “What about medical emergencies?” I agree that sometimes, there are some circumstances that require a child to have surgery that may affect his/her appearance. If a child is obese with diabetes and the only way to save that child is surgery, then by all means, put them in the operating room. However, there are ways to be proactive when it comes to diabetes and weight problems. No matter what anyone says, the best thing you can do for your body is to feed it healthy foods and keep it active on a regular basis. Parents can do that for themselves to set an example as well as raising their children with a healthy lifestyle.

I love to hear your feedback. What do you think about this? Should children have surgeries affecting their appearance? Or should a parent love their children just the way they are? Please email me.