Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World

Joey Skelton MD MS

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Book cover for Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World
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Book cover for Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World
Image for variant 9781610028547

Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World

Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size-Obsessed World

Joey Skelton MD MS

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Description

If you've been told your child needs to lose weight, you know how hard it can be. You love your child just as they are and want them to feel good about themselves and their body. But, you may also have very legitimate concerns about weight-related bullying, anti-fat bias, and possible long-term health issues. While there are no easy answers, Your Child Is Not Their Weight offers compassionate and realistic parenting advice to help improve your child's overall health without compromising their happiness or self-esteem. Leading pediatric obesity medicine specialists, Joey Skelton, MD, MS, MD, and his team, Dara Garner-Edwards, MSW, LCSW, and Melissa Moses, MS, RDN, LDN, have in-depth medical expertise as well as decades of practical, hands-on experience working with families like yours in their clinic. Their family-focused approach acknowledges that body weight is a complex issue, that diets almost always fail, and that eating disorders are a real risk--even, and maybe especially, for children in bigger bodies. But, they also share exactly how you can make a big difference for your child by focusing on healthy habits, outdoor play, and your own unconditional love for your child. You will be empowered to address weight concerns while making sure your child never doubts that they are loved and wonderful, regardless of the unrealistic body images and weight bias that the world so often perpetuates. Your Child Is Not Their Weight will help you discover a better way forward, together.

About the Author

Joey Skelton, MD, MS, FAAP, is a professor of pediatrics, and of epidemiology and prevention, at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He is the founder and director of Brenner FIT(R) (Families In Training), an interdisciplinary pediatric obesity program. He is also the director of the Center for Prevention Science in Child and Family Health, vice chair of research for the department of pediatrics, and serves as editor in chief of the journal Childhood Obesity. He is the father of two young adults and lives with his wife in North Carolina. Dara Garner-Edwards, MSW, LCSW, is associate director of Brenner FIT and a family counselor at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Melissa Moses, MS, RDN, LDN, is the lead dietitian and Brenner FIT teaching kitchen manager at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Critical Reviews

"Skelton has constructed a nuanced and practical road map for prioritizing children's overall well-being. Parents will find this a boon." --Publishers Weekly

"[A] reassuring, evidence-informed guide . . . Blending scientific insight with practical, real-world experience, this book is a valuable and trustworthy resource for parents navigating these challenges." --Jamy Ard, MD, FTOS, professor, Wake Forest University School of Medicine Past President, The Obesity Society

"With his signature good humor and authentic voice, Dr Skelton shows families how they can make positive changes while also enjoying mealtimes, family activities, and the joys of being together." --Sarah C. Armstrong, MD, FAAP, associate director, Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, American Academy of Pediatrics; professor of pediatrics, Duke University

"Like a beacon, this book lights the way for families, guiding them with research evidence and practical, hands-on experience to help them form healthy habits that promote balance." --Geoff D.C. Ball, PhD, RD, FTOS, professor and associate chair (research), Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

"Dr Skelton vividly describes the challenges parents . . . through stories about families, he demonstrates realistic strategies that are child centered, emotionally healthy, and compassionate for both children and parents." --Sarah E. Barlow, MD, MPH, FAAP, professor of pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; director, Children's Health Integrated Programs in Childhood Obesity; and coauthor, "Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity," American Academy of Pediatrics, 2023

"This book blends compassion with medicine, science, insight, and wisdom. It is so helpful, and so human, and has been needed for so long." --Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, dean emeritus, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University

"From the experienced leaders of one of the most well-respected pediatric weight management programs in the United States comes this well-researched, thoughtful, and timely guide to empower parents and caregivers." --Sarah Hampl, MD, FAAP, Kemper Endowed Professor, Children's Mercy Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition; professor of pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

"[A] compassionate, evidence-based guide that helps families support their children's health without focusing on the scale. This thoughtful and timely book reflects the American Academy of Pediatrics commitment to promoting children's physical and emotional well-being free from stigma or shame." --Aaron S. Kelly, PhD, professor of pediatrics and codirector of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine, University of Minnesota

"This book is a salve for parents trying to raise children who are happy, enjoy eating healthy food and physical activity, and love their bodies." --Mary Story, PhD, RD, professor, Family Medicine and Community Health, Pediatrics, and Global Health, and director, Healthy Eating Research, Duke University

Publishing Information

Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics
Pub date: 2026-03-17
Length: 240 pages

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