Body & Mind: Your Mirror Image?

Also, let your kids know the things about yourself, apart from your body, that you're proud of--your resourcefulness, for example, or sense of humor. And, perhaps most difficult, don't communicate that you buy the distorted cultural messages that make thinness the essential ingredient for success, power and sexuality.

It's a tall order for most of us. If you can't overcome your hang-ups about your body, tell your daughters that it's a problem--your problem. With self-awareness and care, Kendrick says, you can avoid infecting them. Cole is now healthy, lean and active, a mother of two girls, 3 and 5. She tells them food is for energy and sweets are fine in moderation. "I keep the same Oreos in my cabinet as my mom did," she says, "but I took away the idea that some food is harmful." For her daughters, that may make all the difference.