Mommy's Getting Breast Augmentation: How To Talk With Your Kids About Your Plastic Surgery

If you're thinking about undergoing surgery, let's start with the obvious: You may have to discuss your decision with your children. When big things happen (no pun intended) in the family, kids often notice.

Some women are able to keep their procedure under wraps, so to speak, and postpone the discussion indefinitely. Considering that younger children are, by nature, pretty self-focused and easily distracted, this may be an option for you.

But, and this is particularly true if your children are older or you are a single parent, secrecy may not be an option. So how do you tell them what's happening in a responsible way that won’t cause them unnecessary concern? Here are a few tips for approaching it.

Teach Them To Love Their Bodies

There can be some conflicting emotions here: How do I teach my kids to overcome body image issues if I'm having plastic surgery?

The key here is stressing why you're doing it in the first place. It's not to impress anyone else (at least not primarily) — it's about feeling comfortable and happy in your own skin. According to the website of one local plastic surgery group serving Fort Collins, breast augmentation is often performed to help women restore their breasts after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Or maybe you’ve never been happy with the size of your breasts, and you want to do something about it.

Loving your body sometimes means accepting the flaws you can't change — and making an effort on the things you can change. The point that's worth instilling is that it's never a bad thing to take steps to make yourself feel more confident. It's the same reason gyms and salons and yoga studios and countless other businesses are open and thriving.

Embrace Their Curiosity

Obviously, the kinds of questions you'll get will vary a bit based on your children's ages — but overall they're likely to have quite a few of them, no matter how old they are.

You know your children best. Maybe a family meeting around the dinner table is the best way to get them to start talking, or maybe it's better to make some alone time with each child so they can all feel like they have your undivided attention.

Inviting your kids' brain power just might have an unexpected side benefit, too: They may very well think of questions that didn't occur to you. And the more you can talk about beforehand with your surgeon during your consultation, the more at ease you'll feel.

Ask For Their Help

As you're preparing for the procedure, there's a lot to think about. You will be making many decisions about the surgical techniques, type of implants, etc.

If you’re comfortable, share photos or illustrations about the procedure with your children and ask for their input. Again, they will probably have many questions, but remember that they're coming from an inquisitive and supportive place — not a judgmental one. The more you can make them feel involved in your decision, the more they will understand what's happening, and the more excited they will be for you on your surgery day.

Also remember to ask for their help after your surgery. You'll need to give yourself permission to suspend your mom duties for a while and focus on resting, and it can be good for your children to practice taking care of you.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide the amount of information you share with your kids about your procedure. Just remember, if you can do something really worthwhile for yourself and teach your children some valuable lessons, you are a supermom indeed.

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