Mary Fenwick
Q My daughter has gained quite a lot of weight over the last year as she moves into adolescence. She eats more healthily than her friends, but she does snack at night and is becoming secretive about it. I have raised it once; I told her as gently as I could that I’d noticed she had put on some weight, and she became very angry and upset. I feel as though I should be the one telling her that she is beautiful, and of course I’m very worried about provoking an eating disorder. How can I broach this issue with sensitivity? Name supplied
A It’s a tough and lonely job raising a teenage girl. You have spent all your time up until now making sure that no one else hurts your precious child; now she has a whole range of options to harm herself.