Parents often believe body image struggles and perfectionism begin during the teenage years. Physician and author Dr. Tiffanie Tate says that assumption may be one of the greatest barriers to protecting children’s mental health.

“It’s not a problem unless we deny it,” Tate said. “As long as we address the issue, we can identify it and start working on it. The problem is when we stick our head in the sand.”

Tate’s new children’s book, Perfectly Perfect, offers a way for parents and caregivers to introduce young children to concepts surrounding self-worth at the very moment those beliefs begin to form.

Written for children under 12, Perfectly Perfect uses rhythmic language and a relatable story of friendship to introduce big ideas in small, accessible ways. When a young girl begins to feel unhappy with her body and stops eating, her friends step in with compassion, helping her see what she cannot: that her value has never been in question.

“The ‘perfect trap’ is a public health issue,” Tate said. “Too many children seem to be suffering from image issues from social media. It’s time for us to rewrite self-worth in this age of pressure, comparison and mental health crises.”

Designed as both a story and a conversation starter, the book gives parents, caregivers and educators a framework for discussing self-image, disordered eating and self-worth in age-appropriate language.

Wyoming Star agrees, writing, “Perfectly Perfect is aimed as much at adults as it is at children. It quietly redirects attention back to the environment children are growing up in. It encourages parents to approach sensitive topics like eating habits with ‘calm curiosity’ rather than pressure, and to focus on function (how the body grows, plays, thinks) instead of appearance. The emphasis is less on correcting behavior and more on reshaping the framework through which children interpret themselves.”

With themes of kindness, empathy and confidence, Perfectly Perfect encourages children to support one another and to recognize their own worth from the very beginning.

“Perfectly Perfect is about raising healthier humans,” Tate added. “The story helps children understand they do not have to earn their value; they already have it.”

Perfectly Perfect is Tate’s latest children’s title, following Bad Touching, which teaches age-appropriate lessons about personal safety; Little Engine Mia Sings, which addresses bullying; and Money Matters, which introduces financial literacy concepts to young readers.

Perfectly Perfect

Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing

ISBN-13: ‎979-8896378952

Available from https://www.amazon.com/Perfectly-Perfect-Dr-Tiffanie-Tate/dp/B0GR1XLKPQ