TODAY

Drama Queen candidates
Bad mamas

Contestant No. 1
Contestant No. 2
Contestant No. 3

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TABLE TALK

Public vs. private schools: Does it make a difference in the end? Discuss education choices in the Mothers area of Table Talk

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ARCHIVES

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Mamafesto
By Camille Peri
Why it's time
for Mothers Who Think

[ CONTESTANT No. 3 ]

LOSING HER MIND -- AND HER WAISTLINE
By Jennifer C. Klein
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Well, maybe it wasn't the absolute worst thing, but it's representative of the environment I grew up in.

Mom was always obsessed with weight. Our weight -- my sister's and mine. My mother leaned toward heavy but always took the time to comment on our appearance. This, among other things, manifested itself over the years into eating disorders for the two of us. But my sister felt the effects worse -- she not only had anorexia, but bulimia too. And for 20-plus years, she binged and she purged.

About six years ago, my sister finally entered a residential treatment center to get her food issues under control. The decision to get help and go into the center was fairly swift, and our mother happened to be out of town on vacation at the time. I promised my sister that I would talk to her when she got home. My sister left a message on her machine about the center and then I left a message asking her to call me to talk about it.

The whole family was trying to be supportive, even if they didn't quite understand. They were shocked -- they thought this was a recent problem that erupted out of the blue. I understood why they were so shocked -- only my sister and I truly knew this part of each other.

When my mom arrived home from vacation, she called. She sounded genuinely concerned, and I talked to her for about half an hour, being careful not to blame her, and stressed the support my sister needed. I told her it had been going on for years. My mother seemed to be listening and trying to understand at first, but then I could tell she was bored so I stopped. She then proceeded to tell me about her trip and the hikes she took and so on -- and was very animated in her storytelling.

Finally we were about to get off the phone and she said, "Well, I seem to have gained about five pounds on my vacation. I think I'm going to go on Ultra Slim Fast for a few days."
SALON | June 10, 1998

Contestant No. 1 | Contestant No. 2 | Contestant No. 3 | Vote now!