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Weight is a sensitive subject for teen girls — and one that must be handled with extreme care. Both eating disorders and obesity are on the rise among teens. Helping the teen in your life make healthy exercise and diet choices is important, but you should also help her define smart weight goals and recognize her ideal weight, considering her frame, lifestyle and body-mass index.

Being overweight might be an awkward phase your child is experiencing, or it could be a precursor of things to come. When a child is overweight, he may feel uncomfortable or inadequate and continue to feed those negative feelings with more food. As the child ages his feelings may turn to despair and he may settle for a life without physical activity, which will not be healthy. As a parent, you can change the course of this unhealthy cycle. It’s important not to comfort the child with food when he is sad or upset. Affection, kind words and listening may be all the child needs, rather than an ice cream cone or a treat. Focus on the child’s behavior, and call out the behavior not the child. Eating candy before dinner may be a bad idea for an overweight child, but that does not mean the child is bad. Thwart the behavior without hurting the child’s feelings if you want to help the overweight child reach a healthy weight.