Thin privilege is not having your children’s pediatrician tell you to put your toddler on a diet because of the way you look.

When I brought my three-year-old, thirty-pound daughter in for her annual checkup, her doctor said to me, “Make sure you watch what she eats. No McDonald’s, no cokes. She’s not fat yet, but looking at you, she’s obviously going to have issues later.” My daughter has never had a soft drink in her life, and she’s only eaten chicken nuggets in preschool, never with her parents. She’s on the mighty minnow swim team and on her gym’s gymnastics team. Still, this doctor is certain he knows all about our lifestyle because I’m big.

That’s right: I’m supposed to put my toddler on a diet and set her up for all kinds of eating disorders and body image issues because I’m fat.

What kind of irrational thinking leads people to believe that toddlers need to diet? I’ve had two toddlers, and they eat exactly what they need to, when they need to.

No, Doctor! Because I care about my daughter’s health, I will teach her about nutrition. I will teach her to be active. I will teach her to love herself for who she is. I will never put her on a diet.