to want to stop feeding dd1?

[DoctorFrankenSquonk]

She rarely eats what I give her, or if she does, we have to have a battle about it first.

And I keep finding things that she has taken either without asking, or having been specifically told she couldn't have any - eg: garlic bread last night, an ENTIRE packet of biscuits, several packets of crisps.... the list goes on.

I really feel like stopping actually catering for her completely and letting her fend for herself.

She's 13

Is she trying to be more grown up?

I'd start with telling her what you're making for the next meal and ask her if she wants to eat that/with the rest of the family. If she doesn't, she can cater for herself - sitting down to the table as a family being a different question.

Parents of teenagers often hide food, ime. It is perfectly acceptable to keep the crisps and biscuits under your bed and claim you've not bought any.

DD has just turned into a bit of a gannet, she is always OK at dinner times and eats everything I cook, however she has recently became a bit greedy (more than one yoghurt at a time, loads of crisps, chocolate bars, loads of bread and peanut butter).

It was beginning to worry me, however you have to bo so careful with girls and their eating habits. Unfortunately I am a bit of a greedy git so I think she has inheritd that trait from me.

I talked to her about healthy eating (avoiding the word fattening) and gradually just stopped buying crap - if it's not in the house she can't eat it - and just filled up with really nice fruits, healthy yoghurts, loads of fresh veg in the fridge etc. She can eat these freely. Like I said, she still eats all her meals, just has a large appetite, and I wanted to avoid her going down the rocky road of eating crap whenever she wanted.

(It is a bit of a bugger when I want to have some Boasters and there are none, though!!)

Will just add that she is an only child, so don't have to consider other children in this.

sorry - we've been through this before on here and I know I should just let her get it all out of her system, I just feel really low today and her attitude has just got me in tears and I've sent her to her room because if I hadn't, I think I may have just beaten her senseless.

She's nicked half of dp's packed lunch then denied it.

She says she doesn't want any tea
well of course she bloody doesn't I wouldn't if I'd eaten a couple of pork pies, a packet of crisps, a chocolate bar, an entire packet of biscuits and a banana (and they're just the thinks I've noticed have gone missing today)

Not to even mention dd2's hair bobbles and clips

Definitely stop buying biscuits and crisps. Substitute wholewheat bagels, no-sugar peanut butter, fruit (obviously), yoghurt. Don't starve the poor girl, just redefine her choices.

Is she actually eating them? Or are you just finding the packets. Just crossed my mind she may be bingeing? Hopefully not and she's just a teenager with hollow legs.

Well my ds 13 doesn't have to ask if he wants something,unless it's really special, but ours have a cupboard where they know they can take things from.

We also have to hide biscuits etc from them otherwise they don't last 2 minutes.

I also thought she might be bingeing. Is she allowed goodies sometimes normally or is she not allowed them? I read on here in a very recent report, that denying children goodies all the time can result in overeating or bingeing on them

no, she's not bingeing and she is allowed treats but she has to ask.

I insist that she asks because there are three children in the house and if I don't have too many left, it is unfair that one child gets to have so many more than the other two. If we've got loads in she can pretty much have what she wants as long as she runs it by me first (partly so I can keep an eye one what she's eating) but if we are running low, she may be told she can't have something.

Yesterday was a bad day. Hopefully, today will be better. Thank you for your replies