Watching her dance was one of my favorite things.

From the time she could walk, she danced.
Where there was music, she moved.
And it moved me.
The connection between her body and the song was undeniable.
It filled her soul, and she smiled.
This is what she was born to do.
I could have watched her forever.
I didn’t want it to end.

Then everything changed.
Her ballet technique was perfected,
but her strength was gone.
Her sparkle was nowhere to be found.
I could see her heart pounding through her bony chest.
I thought she might break or even die.
My beautiful dancer had withered away.
I couldn’t wait for it to end.
I don’t know if she’ll dance again.
In six short weeks while away at a summer ballet intensive, my 15 year-old daughter lost over 20 pounds. She was dancing 5 or 6 hours a day, and eating “healthy.”

Throughout the intensive we talked on the phone, and she said she was homesick, but she was enjoying the dance training. I was proud of her for her positive attitude, and I was happy for her because she was doing what she loved—dancing.

When I went to pick her up at the end of the intensive, I was shocked and scared.

At that moment, I knew she had anorexia.

It took me a while longer to realize that anorexia had her.

I started this blog to share my story.

My story is about being a mom.
It’s about finding strength I didn’t know I had.
It’s about becoming confident in my ability to face the confusion, overwhelm, and uncertainty that I felt about getting my daughter to eat.

Mostly, it is about loving my daughter.

If you are the parent of an anorexic teen ballerina, I’d love to share with you how I used the tools I learned as a certified life coach to get my daughter to eat.  Contact me at jenni@peacemealcoach.com for a free 20-minute mini coaching session.