Dad has a brilliant trick for teaching teen daughter how to be comfortable with her body

Psychologists often say that parents modeling healthy behaviors makes a positive impact on kids and that's an approach this dad used to make his daughter comfortable with her body. Meiling Choy, who goes by the name @meilingchoy on TikTok, shared in a video her dad's response when she asked him why he sometimes walked around in the house shirtless. The video begins with a stitch with @theimprovguy in which a woman talks about how she never saw her dad shirtless. 

Choy on the other hand had a completely different experience with her father. She starts by saying, "I actually realized this a couple of times growing up when I would share stories about my parents and my family and people would be like, 'Wow, you're actually really close with your parents. That's weird.' 'I'm like that's not weird it's normal for me.'" So, she once came home and told her dad that there were kids in school who had never seen their dad shirtless and asked him why she sometimes saw him walk around shirtless. "His answer was the best thing that he could have given me," Choy expresses.

She then goes on to explain that her dad is 6'3 and "sort of on the bigger side." Choy says, "He said he would take his shirt off to show me subconsciously that he was comfortable in his skin even though he wasn't the fittest person so that when I would see myself in a mirror I wouldn't want to hate myself." The woman concludes by saying, "That is definitely a parenting move that I will keep in my back pocket." 

People in the comments shared their own experiences with their dads. @mothnlamps commented, "My dad's reason: 'It's my own f***ing house, I can walk around in whatever I feel like' I love that man lmao." @mbros789 wrote, "No way my dad is that smart. I think he just doesn't care enough." @miss_loubser_18 expressed, "The fact that people feel weird seeing their dad without a shirt kinda worries me because why is that so wrong, it's his house." @burnedgold said, "Parents need to teach their kids to never be ashamed of themselves. Scars, bumps, fat - none of that matters. You are loved." @bobbywalsh08 commented, "That was brilliant! I wish I thought of that."

In another similar video, a daughter asked his dad if he loved his grandchildren or his children more and he had the best response. The woman, Torrie (@finding_torrie), narrated, "He said not more but different. He said 'When I look at your daughter, I don't see her the way you see her.' He said 'I see her as a whole person.'" He then went on to say that he saw his daughter go from a baby to a woman and he knew all versions of her. However, when he looks at his granddaughter, he sees not only this beautiful baby but he sees and loves everything she ever is and will be because he has already seen what his daughter is capable of. 

You can follow Meiling Choy (@meilingchoy) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 23, 2024. It has since been updated.