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What would you do if you’re child was diagnosed as clinically obese? Well, the most obvious option is to make sure she’s eating healthily, but, according to Jezebel.com, one mom went overboard, placing her on an extreme diet and humiliating her in public.
This would be shocking enough, but the determined mother published her story without criticism in Vogue Magazine. Dara-Lynn Weiss spilled the beans in an article which revealed more about her vanity and self-obsession than her daughter’s diet-challenges.
Self-loathing across the generation gap?
Weiss’ daughter was diagnosed as clinically obese, following which Wiess projected her dislike of obesity by forcing the young girl to adopt extreme diets, similar to the Weight Watchers programme, and often subjected the 7-year-old to public humiliation. Weiss, herself, admits to having used appetite suppressants and laxatives as a teen.
According to the piece in Vogue, Weiss says the following:
“I once reproachfully deprived Bea of her dinner after learning that her observation of French Heritage Day at school involved nearly 800 calories of Brie, filet mignon, baguette, and chocolate. I stopped letting her enjoy Pizza Fridays when she admitted to adding a corn salad as a side dish one week. I dressed down a Starbucks barista when he professed ignorance of the nutrition content of the kids' hot chocolate whose calories are listed as "120-210" on the menu board: Well, which is it? When he couldn't provide an answer, I dramatically grabbed the drink out of my daughter's hands, poured it into the garbage, and stormed out.
I cringe when I recall the many times I had it out with Bea over a snack given to her by a friend's parent or caregiver … rather than direct my irritation at the grown-up, I often derided Bea for not refusing the inappropriate snack. And there have been many awkward moments at parties, when Bea has wanted to eat, say, both cookies and cake, and I've engaged in a heated public discussion about why she can't.”
Do you hear a mother’s compassion in her words? We don’t, either. Lots of shame, though.
No code word!
According to Doctor Dolgoff, who designed the “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right” diet which Weiss adopted (and then adapted), Weiss made some fundamental errors:
"The program has to be run by the child," she said, "and the truth is that making a child feel bad only causes problems. It's not going to help with weight loss, and it's definitely not going to help the child emotionally."
Dolgoff continues: “Parents aren’t supposed to react in public”, commenting that they are actually supposed to have a code word to remind their children of the diet when in a public setting.
Weiss’ daughter posed for the magazine to prove the “success” of her mother’s efforts, although she reportedly wept as she recalled her year of extreme weight-loss.
Do you think this mom was too hard on her formerly obese kid?
What would you do if you’re child was diagnosed as clinically obese? Well, the most obvious option is to make sure she’s eating healthily, but, according to Jezebel.com, one mom went overboard, placing her on an extreme diet and humiliating her in public.
This would be shocking enough, but the determined mother published her story without criticism in Vogue Magazine. Dara-Lynn Weiss spilled the beans in an article which revealed more about her vanity and self-obsession than her daughter’s diet-challenges.
Self-loathing across the generation gap?
Weiss’ daughter was diagnosed as clinically obese, following which Wiess projected her dislike of obesity by forcing the young girl to adopt extreme diets, similar to the Weight Watchers programme, and often subjected the 7-year-old to public humiliation. Weiss, herself, admits to having used appetite suppressants and laxatives as a teen.
According to the piece in Vogue, Weiss says the following:
“I once reproachfully deprived Bea of her dinner after learning that her observation of French Heritage Day at school involved nearly 800 calories of Brie, filet mignon, baguette, and chocolate. I stopped letting her enjoy Pizza Fridays when she admitted to adding a corn salad as a side dish one week. I dressed down a Starbucks barista when he professed ignorance of the nutrition content of the kids' hot chocolate whose calories are listed as "120-210" on the menu board: Well, which is it? When he couldn't provide an answer, I dramatically grabbed the drink out of my daughter's hands, poured it into the garbage, and stormed out.
I cringe when I recall the many times I had it out with Bea over a snack given to her by a friend's parent or caregiver … rather than direct my irritation at the grown-up, I often derided Bea for not refusing the inappropriate snack. And there have been many awkward moments at parties, when Bea has wanted to eat, say, both cookies and cake, and I've engaged in a heated public discussion about why she can't.”
Do you hear a mother’s compassion in her words? We don’t, either. Lots of shame, though.
No code word!
According to Doctor Dolgoff, who designed the “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right” diet which Weiss adopted (and then adapted), Weiss made some fundamental errors:
"The program has to be run by the child," she said, "and the truth is that making a child feel bad only causes problems. It's not going to help with weight loss, and it's definitely not going to help the child emotionally."
Dolgoff continues: “Parents aren’t supposed to react in public”, commenting that they are actually supposed to have a code word to remind their children of the diet when in a public setting.
Weiss’ daughter posed for the magazine to prove the “success” of her mother’s efforts, although she reportedly wept as she recalled her year of extreme weight-loss.
Do you think this mom was too hard on her formerly obese kid?
