How do we teach our daughter's better?

I went shopping with the Diva today for the prom dress. She is going with a boy as a friend only, which I appreciate because she is still going to have a good time without all the boyfriend pressure.

What I really want to talk about though is the pressure that the Diva feels to be thin and pretty. To give you an idea, she is 5'3" and about 118 pounds. She fluctuates about 5 or 10 pounds, depending on when track season starts. Last year when looking for the perfect 8th grade dance dress she wore a size 4. This year for homecoming she still wore a size 4. Today we had to go up to a size 6. I seriously thought she was going to cry.

We don't focus on looks in our house. I'm a big girl, but I've always been a big girl so this is all I know. I remember the pressure my mom and Mawmaw put on me to diet while I was growing up, and I hated every minute of it. We try to make sure (as best we are able) that the Diva eats 3 healthy meals a day and that she doesn't skip. If I don't watch her she will occasionally skip breakfast, and of course I don't know that she actually eats the lunch she takes to school. I believe her when she tells me she does.

So my question is this, other than encouraging positive body image in our house, how do we keep her from worrying about her weight? Y'all should see her, she is so pretty. She is this tiny, petite little thing with an outstanding personality, but I hate for her to worry so about it.

I know I think "what's the big deal between a 4 and a 6, at least it's not a twenty." The dress was by a different designer, but she is still fretting about it. I want her to grow up with a healthy body image, but short of locking her in her bedroom and taking away her tv and computer I don't know how to keep her from worrying. Then I worry, what a vicious cycle.

I survived the great dress search of 2010!

I am officially Superwoman, just so y'all know! I just spent the better part of 5 hours at two different malls and Davids Bridal (David can suck it!!) with 4 girls aged 15, 11, 9, and 6!!

So, I must be Superwoman, or I will have to admit I've fallen off the crazy train and need a straight jacket right.frickin'.now!! Anyway, after all of that we have a dress and shoes for the same price as the dress alone at David's Bridal (makes sense, the sucking, now doesn't it??) The Diva has tried on every pink dress Macy's has for sale this year, except the overly long obviously-prom dress types.

She finally found the same dress for $70 less, and decided that she really did like that dress after all.

So, I'm home with three girls and a boy and am going to turn in and take a much needed vicodin. No, I didn't lose a girl...she went back to her own house to sleep. I had traded T for a neighbor girl because he didn't want to go to the mall with 4 girls. I understand now why he didn't want to go...