Anonymous wrote:She is in ninth grade at a new school. She loves salads. Dd has them for dinner a couple of times a week, and each day on the weekend. She just really likes the taste.
She is now bringing them to school for lunch a couple of times a week. Apparently other girls are spreading rumors that dd thinks she's fat and has an eating disorder. Neither is true.
How can I help her deal with this?
Teach her to not care what other people think. There will always be some queen bee/mean girl/jerk. Some idiot will spread rumors because they're jealous, or stupid, or acting out their own sadness and frustration. Teach your daughter to confront bullies (if that's what you think them to be), and to ignore idle gossip. Teach her that she is as worthy of compassion and kindness as everyone else (and should act accordingly). Teach her to be confident about her decisions. 9th grade is as good a time as any to learn this skill set; she'll have several opportunities to practice!
If the mean girl crap continues after your daughter has had a chance to deal with it herself, then you can get the school involved.
PS - I don't mean this to offend or worry you, but this sort of "they're gossiping about me" approach was my own, passive way of telling my mother I had an eating disorder. It is entirely possible that she really does just like salad. But if you are at all concerned, maybe having some body confidence talk(s) alongside the social confidence talk would be beneficial.