In fact, a parent's involved concern in no way precludes his or her respect for the child's privacy or independence. Similarly, a therapist need not breach therapy confidences by educating a parent to assist their child's healing. In actual fact, parents inadvertently encourage emotional disconnection by relinquishing their authority over their children at increasingly younger ages. Seven and eight year olds are sent away to overnight summer camps. 12 year olds are given full access to credit cards.
Cell phones are often the primary means for communicating with teens on the go and behind the wheel.
Kids are sent to school in the morning without a sack lunch. In a position to absorb their child's erupting pain, many parents feel threatened by their child's hostility or resistance to their advances. The very existence of the eating disorder bespeaks the individual's need to avoid having to face and resolve problems squarely. Living alongside an eating disorder recovery can be divisive and unsettling for parents, whether or not they become involved in the process. Treatment signifies change, and change may represent a risk too great for the child to tolerate comfortably.