What Other Parents Are Reading My Child May Have an Eating
Disorder -- What Can I Do? The other day I heard my 13-year-old
daughter complain, “I’m fat.” She's started to stay away from
family meals and says she's not hungry. I’m upset that she’s
already worried about her weight and that she may be developing
an eating disorder. How do I know if there’s a problem and what
can I do to help her if there is? It's common for teens to be
concerned about how they look and to feel self-conscious about
their weight. During puberty, kids' bodies change dramatically
and they face mounting social pressures, like dating, making
friends, and fitting in. But when these concerns become
obsessions or begin to involve abnormal behaviors or negative
thoughts about body image, weight, and food, eating disorders
can occur. Someone who starts to do things that are emotionally
or physically dangerous to lose weight may have an eating
problem. Other signs of an eating disorder include becoming very
thin, having a fear of weight gain