When an eating disorder in children affects your life, what do you do? Do you know how to help them. You may think your child or children don’t have eating disorders, it may surprise you to know that many children do suffer from eating disorders and just because you are a good parent doesn’t mean that your child won’t be one of them.

All parents have attitudes to eating that their children learn from. Children also learn from their peers at school. We all know how cruel children can be, they will make negative comments when there is nothing negative to comment about. You may not be able to control the reactions of their peers but you can certainly control your own reactions. Your reactions are probably the ones that influence your children the most. If you find yourself constantly saying ‘I can’t eat this because…’ then your children will respond to those messages. And you may be surprised what messages they receive… certainly not what you meant by it.

Children as young as four years old have been known to suffer from anorexia because their parents attitude to food caused them to stop eating. Parents often make the mistake of thinking it is a phase their child is going through because of food likes or dislikes or because they want their own way. This is often the case but in some cases it has been discovered that children are thinking ‘if I eat I will get fat then nobody will love me’. It’s sad but unfortunately true.

Maybe you or one of their peers are secret eaters, hiding treats for only you to eat. Sure, it may seem harmless, as parents we don’t have much to ourselves. So it is tempting to put something aside for yourself. I remember when my daughter decided she liked chocolate turkish delight. Previously, that was my treat as no-one else liked it. Suddenly I had to share it with her often she wouldn’t leave me any… it was sooooo unfair! It may shock you to know that quite frequently your children know you do that. What is worse is that they may have started doing it themselves.

The problem is that children take it to excess. They will sneak chocolates or sweets and hide the wrappers. Over time, this habit can increase but they manage to keep these addictions secret.

The same applies to binge eating when children see family and peers gorge themselves on food. Many individuals binge eat without realizing it and this is becoming a major issue in children also. It seems that many people are no longer capable of portion control. They just eat and eat until they feel so bloated that they feel ill.

The majority of obese individuals are addicted to high energy, high calorie foods. It’s important to remember that we should consume all things in moderation. But children are being fed large amounts of fats and sugar and they are becoming addicted to them. The problem is, if we stop providing them these high energy foods they may suffer withdrawal symptoms from not eating them. It doesn’t take them long to realize that a chocolate bar solves the craving. Of course, thought it solves the short term craving, it opens the door to significant potential future problems.

As parents we should endeavor to be aware of the habits our children have in relation to food and eating or not eating. We need to know if they have received the wrong messages from our attitudes or their peers attitude to food. We need to ensure any issues are dealt with before they spiral out of control. And most of all we need to be willing to seek professional medical advice at the first sign of an eating disorder in children.

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