Is it sugar addiction, an eating disorder, or something else?
Brandon has been worried about his son Michael for a few years. “He’s always been really into sugar, sweets, and junk food,” says Brandon. “I’ve tried to tell him he needs to avoid sugar. Telling him it’s bad for him doesn’t change anything. I’ve tried hiding the sweets, not buying…
Keep reading
What purpose does an eating disorder serve?
Bridget’s daughter Sadie has an eating disorder. “It’s so hard to watch her,” says Bridget. “It seems as if her entire purpose in life has become her body. I can’t understand why this happened. I’ve never taught her or modeled that her body is this important. So why is this…
Keep reading
A toolkit to cope with anxiety when your child has an eating disorder
Jamie feels helpless and frustrated. Her son Michael has an eating disorder and severe anxiety, and the combination is making life very hard for them. “I just want to be able to do things that other families do without thinking about it,” she says. “Like go to a restaurant or…
Keep reading
Loneliness and eating disorders: a guide for parents
Jill is beside herself with worry. Her daughter Melody has an eating disorder and is struggling with loneliness. Between treatment, COVID restrictions, and starting high school, she has become very isolated. “She has always been more on the introverted side,” says Jill. “But it’s gotten to the point where I’m…
Keep reading
The 3 types of stress and eating disorders
Monique is very worried about her daughter Maya. After a few years of struggling to deal with stress, Maya is now deep into an eating disorder. Monique and her husband Leonard are dedicated to helping her recover, but they are worried that stress is a major ongoing problem. “I worry…
Keep reading
Reasons why a child might be emotional eating
When you think your child is “emotional eating,” it typically raises red flags. Most parents worry that emotional eating will lead to weight gain and long-term health complications. Some parents worry that emotional eating is an early sign of an eating disorder. So let’s find out what emotional eating is,…
Keep reading
What parents need to know about Family Based Treatment (FBT) for eating disorder recovery
Erin was terrified when her 13-year-old daughter was diagnosed with anorexia. She spent a few months just trying to get her feet under her as she navigated the care system and tried to figure out what she was supposed to do to help her daughter get better. “I felt like…
Keep reading
Mental health checklist for eating disorder recovery (free download)
If your child has an eating disorder, recovery means more than simply gaining weight and/or stopping eating disorder behaviors; it means becoming mentally healthy. Eating disorders are frequently misunderstood, and people don’t always realize that mental health, not just eating disorder recovery, is the goal. That’s why I’ve put together…
Keep reading
Emotion coaching when your child has an eating disorder
Emotion coaching is a 5-step method developed for parents by John Gottman, PhD that can be applied to eating disorder recovery. The emotion coaching method builds emotional intelligence and creates positive, long-lasting effects for children, from toddlers to teens and young adults. It’s evidence-based, easy to learn, and regularly used…
Keep reading
Childhood eating disorders: rates, risks, and treatment
Childhood eating disorders have become a major concern, and parents are understandably panicked when their child needs to be hospitalized and begin treatment for these life-threatening mental disorders. Anorexia is now the third most common chronic illness among adolescents. Eating and feeding disturbances affect about 19.8% of kids ages 11-17…
Keep reading
A log parents can use to track eating disorder symptoms and treatment
If your child has an eating disorder, then it may help you to keep a log of eating disorder symptoms and treatment. This is a useful tool to support you in seeking treatment, recognizing progress, and, when necessary, making decisions to switch to new or different treatment. A mental health…
Keep reading
Parental burnout and eating disorders
If your child has an eating disorder, then there’s a good chance you’re dealing with parental burnout. This describes a parent who is mentally and physically depleted. This depletion can lead you to feel like you are failing at parenting, and, unfortunately, parental burnout is associated with worse behavior from…
Keep reading
How to handle the Fourth of July with an eating disorder
Jamie is worried. Her 13-year-old daughter Kayley has an eating disorder, and their annual family reunion for the Fourth of July is around the corner. This event is typically a highlight of their year. Filled with family and friends, four generations, and lots and lots of food. “I just can’t…
Keep reading
Sending your child to summer camp with an eating disorder
Summer camp is a great opportunity for your child who has/had an eating disorder to feel a sense of belonging, community, and independence. And since these things are essential to mental health, summer camp can be a great prescription for moving forward and embracing recovery. Here are six things to…
Keep reading
Eating disorders in children: symptoms, evaluations & treatments
Eating disorders are a serious problem, and children are not immune to their symptoms and complications. 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime, and most begin in childhood or adolescence. The number of children with eating disorders has increased significantly…
Keep reading
The risks of accommodating an eating disorder
Rachel was at the end of her rope. After years of trying to help her daughter Lily claw her way out of anorexia, it simply wasn’t getting any better. Sure, there was COVID to blame. The pandemic made Lily even more socially isolated, and online treatment didn’t seem to be…
Keep reading
Health myths you should ignore to prevent eating disorders
So many of our cultural health norms are not actually healthy, which is why I’ve put together a list of the four health myths you should ignore to prevent eating disorders. Look, it’s not our fault that we’re confused about health. We’re surrounded by powerful industries that create and reinforce health…
Keep reading
SMART goals parents can set in eating disorder recovery
Vicky is feeling really nervous because her 19-year-old Alex (they/them) wants to go back to college after eating disorder treatment. Alex is highly motivated to get back to school and manage their own life, but Vicky feels deeply unsure about exactly how that will work. “I can’t get over the…
Keep reading
3 brutal truths about kids’ body image
I’m going to level with you: I didn’t like writing this article about the brutal truths about kids’ body image. As someone on a mission to empower parents to raise kids who are free from body hate, it hurts my heart that this research indicates that our kids are definitely…
Keep reading
Treat the parent, help the child recover from an eating disorder
Alicia knew she had to do something soon. Her daughter Eden had been stuck in a restrictive eating disorder for a few years. Eden was medically stable and in treatment. But Alicia knew that she was still deeply affected by her eating disorder. And the eating disorder was taking up…
Keep reading