How are things today, JO?

Jo, you have been given a lot of good advice and I hope it is followed up on. However, the parents have to do most of the follow up, since they are legally repsonsible for her. You have the role of "support person" and lots of ways and means to provide that support have been suggested. You have some excellent ideas yourself--once a week letters, the shirt, ect. Don't hound her about eating; be positive in your support and love, no matter how she eats or acts. As someone who has been involved with teaching or volunteering with the local school system for 20 years, I feel safe in saying that once school starts, you may want to contact the guidance counselor at the school your granddaughter attends and relate the behavior you observed this summer, with the parents' knowledge that you are doing this. Note I said "knowledge" and not "permission". The guidance office should then be in contact with the home, and set up counseling and/or support groups. By involving the school (at least here in MD), the health department/social services become involved, and the home situation is looked into. Hopefully, that situation will become more stable, and there won't be as much of this "unsettledness" that your granddaughter is experiencing. An unstable home situation is not always the cause of such a problem. In our church, a girl from one of the most happy families we know, ended up having this secret problem, and had to spend three weeks in a special treatment program in Philadelphia this spring, to the shock of all of us! And she was a perfect weight, college bound, active in the community, sports, the kind of girl you urge your daughters to be like! I was the same way my junior, senior years in high school and freshman year in college, but with the help of some wonderful friends and trips to the on-campus counseling office, I was able to get the treatment I needed. Your granddaughter is too young to help herself right now, so the whole family needs to work together to help her get the help she needs. I wish you luck, and prayers.