Seeing your child suffer from an eating disorder is difficult. You’ll sometimes feel helpless about the situation as you see your son or daughter start to withdraw from any form of contact. It’s even more difficult, especially if your child can’t accept that they have a problem.
There will be times when they might come across as aggressive. But talking about their condition is crucial to help them recover. Although they may appear tough on the exterior, most of them often feel scared or even insecure about their looks or how their life is going. But as a parent, where do you start to help them?
Parents with children who have eating disorders
Parents have a crucial role to play in their children’s lives. That’s why they do everything that they can to protect them from any harm. But what’s hurtful is that no matter how hard they try to protect them, there will always be factors that can put their children at risk.
Eating Disorders Hope says that millions of children and adolescents suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. This means that a significant number of parents are now dealing with a problem that they never expected to happen.
One of the most frequent questions that parents often ask why it would happen to their kids. Unfortunately, there is no definite conclusion to this question. The only thing that they can do is to get help from a professional.
The first step to recovery is to take your child to a physician. Doing so will help you understand the extent of his or her problem. If the results show that she has an eating disorder, then it’s best to look for eating disorder recovery programs to help your child. You can also go to a separate counseling session, so you’ll know how to assist your child with her recovery.
Supporting your child
If your child is already undergoing treatment for their eating disorder, being a part of their support group will play a crucial role in their recovery.
NHK UK says that you can try learning as much as you can about their condition, so you’ll know what you can expect to deal with during their recovery. Also, tell them how you feel and how much you love them. You can also let them know about the help that is available for them and how much you’ll support them if they go through with it.
Experts also suggest encouraging them to join activities that don’t involve food. These can be any form of hobby, and even a simple day out with their friends can do wonders for their outlook. Lastly, be open with them and ask them what you can do to help them.
Being there for your child is the best thing that you can do for her. Try to be honest with what you feel so they’ll feel encouraged to do the same. Always try to reinforce their confidence by praising them whenever they do anything good. Reminding them you’re in their corner will be crucial to getting them healthy again.