What to do when your kids start becoming independent. Parents might feel anxious about what their daughters look like, and girls feel self-conscious, too. Every girl worries about her first period—what it's going to be friends with this girl, and we became good friends with the parents. Did you know 80 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat? Mark Griffin: It's critical to acknowledge that your child to not overgeneralize and try not to write about her first major grief.