How to Talk to Your Daughter or Son if They Have an Eating Disorder: What to Say, What Not to Say
I often hear this from parents who have teenagers with eating disorders: they try their best to say the right things when it comes to food, but their teen reacts with an angry outburst or won’t talk to them at all. Here are examples of what to say and not to say to help you navigate conversations.
Advice for parents: if your daughter or son has an eating disorder, here are my top 10 recommendations
You may be seeing changes in your daughter’s demeanour, like increased emotional outbursts, withdrawing to her room more often, and avoiding situations where she has to eat with the family. I’ve put together some general advice that I give to the parents of my clients, who are unsure how they can help. I hope these recommendations are helpful for you.
How to Know if Your Daughter or Son Has an Eating Disorder
The most common question I’m asked by parents is, “Does my daughter have an eating disorder?” Here are the most important things you should look out for.
A Mother's Story: Learning that my Daughter has an Eating Disorder
I learned the true meaning of unconditional love when Lori told me that she had bulimia and needed my help. All the skills I learned in my 30+ years of being an elementary school teacher did not prepare me for the emotional journey ahead of me. Instead, I fell back on my “mother’s instincts” to protect my child.
Eating Disorder Poetry: She
As day conspires into night
and the household retires to sleep,
she is left in complete and utter silence.
The journey within reveals
her tortured soul as it awaits its nourishment,
hungrily anxious to devour
the constraint it exercised throughout the day.
The Dangers of Clean Eating
Diet culture has become the norm. It’s infused in the way we speak (“I’ve earned this piece of cake,” “You’re so self-disciplined!”) and in the way we behave (restricting or fasting after eating a large meal, trying to lose weight to attain a “beach body”).