Feeding Frenzy

Both Corey and Jessica have some strange obsessions with food, and I don’t know how to help them. I had hoped that enough time in a stable, loving home would let both of them know that food is something they don’t have to worry about. But still it seems that they do.

Corey’s and Jessica’s obsessions are similar. They both seem very worried that we will run out of food. If there is food left in a serving dish at a meal, they will both keep asking for more. Before they start asking, however, they will ‘keep an eye’ on the food – frequently glancing at it – almost as if they are afraid someone will take it away.

Both will also go into the kitchen when no one else is around, and they will take food to their rooms. They seem to be trying to hide the fact that they took the food. I will find the remnants of what they take hidden in strange places in their rooms – usually because I have been alerted by a strange smell. And, if we go out to eat, Corey will always order the biggest item on the menu, and he is very quick to ask for an appetizer or dessert.

For years – 8 years for Jessica and almost 4 for Corey – there has always been a lot of food in the house. They are never denied food, and we always have healthy (and sometimes not so healthy) snacks available. I understand that the trauma of their early lives has probably instilled these food fears in them, but I would really like to be able to help them move past the fear. I just don’t have any ideas…