Something I haven't heard for FIVE LONG YEARS! The sound of a load of teenage boys messing around, making a heck of a lot of noise and having fun in our house. Not since Ben's birthday in December 2008 has there been so much yelling, laughing and crashing about. And eating. I am in seventh heaven.
Today Ben invited round all the new friends he's met over the past year or so at Games Workshop for an epic table-top Warhammer battle which has lasted 5 or 6 hours and is still going on.
The house has been full of nerds, and I love it!
And I simply ADORE the sound of Ben being 'the old Ben', just as he used to be when his friends were round here.
Plus, Ben has been right in the middle of it rather than hovering on the sidelines being ignored. Just as he used to be.
A get-together like this is something that hasn't happened in any shape or form in this house for FIVE LONG YEARS thanks to the eating disorder and the way it isolated him from just about everyone. And the way that social anxiety, loneliness and isolation has been one of the longest-lasting remnants of the eating disorder.
The only downside is that these boys are from here in Leeds and not Sheffield where Ben is at university.
I hope and pray that he will make a similar set of friends at Uni this coming semester.
But in the meantime I think our household has had the best and rowdiest afternoon for YEARS.
And the grin on my face is ten miles wide.
Want information on eating disorders in boys? Worried your son has an eating disorder? What are the signs of eating disorders in boys? In 2009 my 15-year-old son developed anorexia. Now aged 31 and with a MSc in Psychology he is recovered & working in mental health using his experiences to help others. I help to raise awareness of eating disorders in boys, point parents to helpful resources & talk about how eating disorders can traumatise families.
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