Survival Notes for Families with Eating Disordered Teens
Survival Notes for… is a regular feature of the NEDO Newsletter. This ocloum was submitted by Jennifer Miller, Intern for NEDO from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
| Do | Don’t |
| Educate yourself, the more you know, the more you can help. | Feel ashamed that your teen has an eating disorder |
| Be a source of understanding & support for your child. They will need your love & reassurance | Be judgemental – we are all unique and have problems |
| Focus on other areas of your childs life besides the eating disorder | Make the eating disorder the central focus of your family |
| Throw away scales or any other reminders of weight and size | Put down your own weight & appearance |
| Compliment your child’s strengths which have nothing to do with appearance | Focus on your child’s perfectionism which may enchance the eating disorder |
| Be a good role model by eating a healthy diet & accepting your own weight & appearance. | Reward or punish eating behavior |
| Comment on how your child sounds emotionally rather than how they look | Monitor food intake |
| Make recovery positive… encourage the need for help and support. As a parent, get involved with therapy & support groups (if needed) | Try to fix the problem on your own |
| Realize that recovery is a slow process. Allow you and your child time to change. |