30: When You Fear Your Child May Develop an Eating Disorder

Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes

Another mother coming on the show, concerned because she’s finding food wrappers and feels like her child is “sneaking food”? Yes! But food and eating is such an important topic that I wanted to let you listen to lots of different ways you can think about and approach the issues if (and when) they come up with your T1D child.

In this episode, we meet a mom who has struggled with her own relationship with food and eating and hear about the ways she’s tried to create the conditions for her daughter to have a positive connection to food and eating. Instead, this mom reports that her daughter is lying about the (likely and obvious) cause of her high blood sugars, and is pretty avoidant about talking about food with her mom in general.

How can this mom right the ship? Listen in to hear all the nuances of how I suggest this mom can create a shift – both in her daughter’s relationship with food and eating and their relationship with each other.

A few highlights:

• One big reason kids lie to their parents is that they’re feeling worried about creating conflict. The bottom line is that they want to preserve their relationship with their parents. They care about us and don’t want to be seen as getting it wrong or making bad choices.
• As a parent, it’s critical to remember that we don’t have ultimate control over our children’s actions and choices. Of course, we can think deeply about how we want to interact with our kids and important ways we can support them, but if things go off the rails, it doesn’t mean that it’s our fault or that we’re bad parents. Plus, holding on to the guilt that likely comes up when you feel like you’ve worked hard and the kids (still!) aren’t getting it right doesn’t help you get a clear picture of how to course correct or decide what to do next.
• Taking baby steps at encouraging a child to interact with things that are hard for them – in this case, talking about food, is the best way forward. You help them to build some thicker skin about topics that they feel like they can’t talk about without becoming overwhelmed.
• As a parent, don’t forget that sometimes change happens slowly: The problem didn’t arise overnight and it takes some patience, love, and good strategy to shift long-standing challenges with food.

For more on creating a balance with eating for your T1D kids, check out Sweet Talk’s free Sweet Talk Snack Course.

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Need help getting your kid the right snacks?

That's why I've created the Sweet Talk Snack Course. It's a free mini-course to give you 6 snack sized lessons on making sure you're giving your kid the right foods to keep them nourished and their blood sugar in check. Get it at https://diabetessweettalk.com