"Sometimes my daughter (I'll call her Olivia) wasn't hungry. Fair enough-one less meal for me to cook or otherwise produce. (I hate producing meals.) She wanted to make her own lunch for school instead of eating cafeteria food. Have at it. I noticed at some point that her special lunchtime breakfast burritos seemed to be getting smaller, but I didn't think much about it."
"If I couldn't, or didn't, all I can say is that it's hard to see warning signs if you aren't looking for warning signs. At least it was for me. As glaringly obvious as they appear in hindsight. Olivia seemed so perfect-smart, funny, kind, made straight A's, had lots of friends, was on the cheer team and swim team."
"For a while after Bill died in the summer of 2022, I thought that Olivia and her sister might have dodged a bullet and somehow avoided being totally fucked up by what happened. They both seemed like they were doing pretty well. Olivia's eating disorder was the first sign that this was very, very far from the case. My daughter has authorized me to tell her story. She has read and approved what I've written here."
A teenage daughter named Olivia showed subtle changes around food and exercise that signaled an eating disorder. She skipped meals, made smaller portions for herself, prepared food for others without eating it, watched food shows obsessively, and increased exercise. Those behaviors followed the death of her father, Bill, in summer 2022 and occurred alongside high achievement, social success, and a composed outward appearance. The parent missed many early warning signs because Olivia seemed perfect and life continued otherwise. The daughter authorized sharing her story and approved the account.
Read at Slate Magazine
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