My 13 year old cousin came to stay with me for the weekend recently. It was her first time away from home on her own (she lives in a very isolated area of Scotland), and my first time having a 13 year old stay with me. She has been homeschooled for the last few years as she had difficulties settling into school.
Her mum hinted that she might be embarrassed eating in front of people when I asked her if she would have sandwiches on the coach on her way here and I just laughed it off, but when she was here it was pretty obvious that she was very uncomfortable eating around the dining table as whenever we talked to her she would put her food down and wait til our attention was diverted before she ate again.
She was very uncommunicative, and would just randomly take herself off to the toilet and then straight to her room. She would be in the bathroom for ages and then in her room for ages and so eventually I would knock her bedroom door and ask if she was okay. When I went in her room would smell strongly of perfume, although I never smelt it on her during her time in our company and sometimes she would be sat in the bed in the middle of the day. She was only with us for 3 nights and this happened many times.
I caught a bit of a documentary about eating disorders recently and they mentioned that sometimes a sufferer will use perfume to mask the smell of vomit. My best friend has been hospitalised many times with her bulimia and I'm worried that these are perhaps early signs, and that if I tell my aunt she can do something before it progresses. On the other hand I remember doing all sorts of odd things as a teenager and I'd hate to worry my aunt unneccesarily.
WWYD?!!!