One of the (many) bits I really like in Jennifer Denise Ouellette's article...

Despite the fact that, very sadly, not every family has access to such a wonderful and clued-up eating disorders treatment programme as that offered by the UCSD Eating Disorders Center, I really do love this article by fellow mum Jennifer Denise Ouellette on how relatives, neighbours, teachers and friends can assist when a family is battling with an eating disorder. I hope the author won't mind me reproducing one of the best bits below. It's relevant to my earlier post about how 'the public at large' may interpret an eating disorder:



Judgment: 

• Please, don’t judge us; you have no idea what it is like to have a child with a deadly illness that is made more complicated by societal misunderstanding. 
• Please, don’t judge us; we didn’t cause the eating disorder and there’s no “underlying cause” (there may be additional issues; that’s not the same thing). 
• Please, don’t judge us; we are likely hanging on by a thread with the umpteen appointments we have to get to, the grocery shopping, the cooking and having to supervise our kids meals to ensure they get the nutrition their bodies need. 
• Please, don’t judge us; small talk will likely not be something we can do well right now. It’s not you, it’s us. 
• Please, don’t judge us: the “tantrums” you may see from our formerly well behaved children are akin to the side effects of chemotherapy as a cancer treatment. Food is our child’s medicine, but a spoonful of sugar does not help it go down. Our children need your grace and so do we.

Thank you for this great, useful article, Jennifer Denise Ouellette.

It is so very important that people learn not to judge us: the parents, the family and the young person battling with the eating disorder.