In today’s world it is very important that we support our youth, especially when they have strong messages like the one six year old, LaNiyah Bailey has.
“Not Fat Because I Wanna Be”
LaNiyah Bailey is a 6-year-old author with a message for children like her – just because you are bigger than other kids, that doesn’t mean that people have the right to bully you.
In her debut book, Not FAT Because I Wanna Be, LaNiyah details the struggle of Jessica, a fictional girl who has an underlying medical issue that causes her to gain weight. Bullied by her peers, Jessica learns to accept her body and eventually opens up about her condition to her classmates.
LaNiyah is not only speaking to other children through her book, but has become an advocate for anti-bullying organizations.
Excerpts from the book:
On the bullies…
I always tried to hold back my tears, but they came anyway. ‘BJ called me a big-fat elephant girl,’ I sobbed.
‘And they all call me fatty pants.’
My mom would hug me tight and say, “don’t cry honey. Don’t give them the pleasure. People often judge others by how they look on the outside.
‘They don’t take time to discover the beautiful person that’s on the inside.’
On Michelle Obama…
One day mom and I were watching the kids’ channel on TV and we saw Michelle Obama, that’s the president’s wife.
She said if kids ate healthy they wouldn’t get obese. I guess that’s just a fancy word for fat!
This made me sad. I do eat healthy food, but I’m still fat. A lot of those kids with the president’s wife looked like me.
Check her out at her website: www.NotFatBecauseIWannaBe.com
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