Honor Your Child

We would like to discuss some intricate concepts for parents of children with eating disorders. It is not uncommon for parents to never know that their children have a problem with eating and disorders associated with the fear of food or the inability to resist food. When I (Brandy) was in high school I suffered from Bulimia and Anorexia and from personal experience it was nearly six months before my parents and family found out about it at first and another few years before they knew I was struggling with it again and relapsing at increased rates. So to the parents this is my advice, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT YOU DID NOT SEE IT COMING. Eating disorders have a sort of secrecy (upon which they revolve around) so it literally could be months or even years before you get an inkling about your child’s struggles with eating.
We would like to give parents some tips about how to intervene when the disorder surfaces. First, take the signs and symptoms list to heart and constantly be on the lookout for anything that seems out of the ordinary. Second, approach your child. Let them know you care and see if they will first tell you what is going on. Third, if they do not reveal any details and you are extremely concerned about them approach them about your suspicions, but do this in a discrete and sensitive way. And finally, get them help before things get out of hand. These may be hard steps to take with your child and there may be resulting tension because of it however intervention is a necessity. Brooks gives a very good description of eating disorders in Chapter eleven on parenting late adolescents. She says that at this stage of development adolescents eating habits fluctuate and change dramatically. On page 345 it says, “In these years, three kinds of eating disorders first appear and require immediate medical and physiological help”. Brooks goes on to say in the following paragraph, “People with eating disorders are at risk for developing other medical problems such as cardiac and neurological problems as well as depression and substance abuse, so parents should always get professional help” (Brooks, page 345). Even if you doubt your suspicions, think about the delicate life of your child and do them the honor of saving their life.