Mrs Weiss wrote: “All I really had to do was give Bea less to eat. But it
wasn’t that easy.
“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, fillet 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 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.”
Not surprisingly, Bea herself was less than taken with the diet, leading to
painful conflicts with her mother.
Mrs Weiss, who is married with a young son as well as Bea and lives in
Manhattan, went on: “It is grating to have someone constantly complain
of being hungry, or refuse to eat what she’s supposed to, month after month.”
The article, in the April issue of Vogue, has led to scathing criticism of
Weiss’ approach, including from the doctor whose diet she based Bea’s
regimen on.
Doctor Joanna Dolgoff said her “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right”
diet is suitable for children only over short periods of time, and should be
introduced in a supportive way.
She told the Jezebel.com website, which described Weiss as the most selfish
women to ever grace [Vogue] magazine’s pages,” that she “wasn’t
thrilled” with what she had done.
The doctor went on: “The parents aren’t supposed to react in public.
They’re supposed to be on their child’s team.
“Another parent in [Weiss’] situation may have seen that, while weight
loss was progressing, there were some emotional issues.
“But she chose to continue dieting in her own way. I believe that if she
had continued coming, the end result would have been more than just weight
loss: she’d have weight loss and a happy child.” Psychiatrist Keith
Ablow told Fox News: “The obsessive concern with her daughter,
including writing for the public about her daughter, makes me fear that this
woman’s appetite could devour the child’s self-esteem.
“It’s nearly impossible to emerge from the household and interpersonal
dynamics described in the article without very unwieldy issues regarding
one’s appetite or appetites whether for food or substitutes for food, like
sex.”
Blogger Bonju added: “She is a monster.”
Despite the outcry, Weiss is now reported to have landed a publishing deal
with Ballantine, an imprint of Random House, for a book about the diet
provisionally called The Heavy.
The publisher described the account as: “an experience that epitomises
the modern parenting ‘damned if you do/damned if you don’t’ predicament.”
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