September 2013 Update

N just began his senior year!  I can't believe it.

He continues to do really well.  He is driving and dating.  He is busy with a part-time job, 3 AP classes, publishing some of his poetry, and being part of the high school's top choir.  He's been brave lately - trying out for the choir as well as some solos, asserting himself and speaking up in class, and letting go of some friends that had been dragging him down

It was a rough semester when he switched friends.  He spent a lot of lunches eating by himself.  Now, though, a new group of really good kids have pulled him in.  He talks about how much better he likes being with this new group.  N is such a good kid and I can tell that these kids really like him, too.

There haven't been any issues with anorexia at all.  I took him shopping for jeans for the school year without incident.  He is really busy and I've seen a few sack lunches come back uneaten.  In every case, he has had a legitimate reason.  I'm so quick to remind him that he can't skip meals.  EVER.

I need to teach him how to eat while on the run.  He is often late leaving  for school, which means he just grabs a yogurt.  If he isn't home for dinner, he isn't good about warming up what we had.  He'll snack like crazy instead.  That probably isn't a good pattern either.  Soon he'll be responsible for his own meals.  He has to be ready or he'll set  himself up for a potentially relapse.   He knows how to cook, but it isn't always convenient to put an entire meal together, but it has to be a priority.   Most of the time, we still eat together as a family, but it's these little glimpses of his independent eating that have me a little worried.   I've still got this year to teach him and help him put better patterns in place.