some parents . . . grrrr

I have just seen something that had me shouting at the TV.

Watching a programme with Jo Frost aka Super Nanny, she's doing an 'on the road' slot in this new show where parents can ask her for a brief bit of advice as well as her normal formula where she spends a longer time with a family.

I think Super Nanny's kind of sexy, bet there's a few dads who think so too.

Just seen a mother and her 15 yr old daughter talking to Jo - Mum's worry is that her daughter, who has decided she wants to be glamour model, will stop trying to do well at school because of her ambition, and then have nothing to fall back on if she is unsuccessful in becoming a model.

Jo asks the kid what she thinks glamour modelling entails,
"I know sometimes you have to go topless but I wouldn't do that . . . unless I had a boob job"
Jo . ."Why do you think you need a boob job ? "
"Because then they'd be perfect".
She also said that she wants to get a nose job.

WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK IS UP WITH THE MOTHER ??

Your FIFTEEN year old (and the girl was beautiful) thinks that she will only have perfect looks and boobs if she has surgery and if she does then she'll happily get them out for lads mags and seedy newspapers, and yet you think the biggest problem here is that she might not do well at school ?
Hmmm.

I think her biggest problem is her mother and her misplaced concerns.

Jo gave them both a bit of a chat about self esteem.

I think it says a lot about the message that the media sends out to our young people as a whole. It's hard enough being a teenager with all the hormones flooding your system and the emotional conflicts that can cause, without being constantly bombarded by images that suggest you need to strive for their idea of perfection.
Right at the time in your life when you are at your most insecure.
Most anorexics begin those behaviours during puberty, when body image and the need to fit in are very high in their priorities. Children need to be made to feel confident in themselves, their looks and their abilities and in the first instance that's the job of a responsible parent.
Nurturing a child is about more then putting food on the table and buying games consoles and the latest trainers, you need to take care of their minds too.

The mother wasn't saying anything about the modelling itself or the boob job, just the fall back plan and the education needed to have that.
Of course as a parent you should encourage your child's hopes and aspirations, but that mother needs to look at where her child got the idea from and question why a young girl, who obviously has a less then great self image would want to enter a world where image is everything.

I think they both need a bit more help then five minutes with Super Nanny.

Grrrrr.

Rant over.
Got that off my chest.
Thank you for listening.
I'll probably add more to this later - it's an issue that bothers me, especially having worked with teenagers with emotional problems, but right now I'm tired.