First of all, we send you all the love we can right now. It can be devastating to learn that your child is sick, and eating disorders like bulimia, binge eating disorder and anorexia carry with them a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. Please, take a deep breath, and know that you can get through this with love.
IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT
Your guilt, shame or blame around the eating disorder will not help your child heal. Leave it behind, and focus on the future, not the past.
IT’S GOING TO TAKE TIME
Eating disorder recovery is possible, but it is not typically linear. Be patient with your child as she learns a new way to live.
YOU WILL NEED HELP
Parenting a child with a mental disorder is a major undertaking. Don’t make the mistake of going it alone. Get help.
GIVE MORE LOVE
This is a time for extreme caregiving. Your child is sick. Show unconditional love and support so that she can heal.
TOP TIP
Every member of the family will be impacted by the eating disorder in a different way. Talk openly and honestly about everyone’s feelings to minimize the negative impacts of the eating disorder.
Emotional Regulation Worksheets
Give these printable worksheets to grow more confident, calm and resilient and feel better, fast!
- Self-Esteem
- Self-Regulation
- Mindfulness
- Calming strategies
Ginny Jones is the founder of More-Love.org, and a Parent Coach who helps parents who have kids with disordered eating and eating disorders. Combining science, compassion, and experience coaching hundreds of families, she helps parents understand what’s going on with their kids’ eating behaviors and teaches them the science-backed skills to heal kids’ relationship with food, improve their body image, and feel better about themselves, their relationships, and life in general.
Ginny has been researching and writing about eating disorders since 2016. She incorporates the principles of neurobiology and attachment parenting with a non-diet, Health At Every Size® approach to health and recovery.