DEAR ABBY: My best friend "Julie's" 13-year-old daughter, "Marci," used to be a little overweight, but she has recently lost most of the extra pounds. Julie keeps telling Marci how great she looks "now." (I never heard her tell her daughter that she looked great when she was heavier.) I compliment Marci by telling her she looks terrific, but that I always thought she was beautiful -- no matter what her weight was.
In this day and age of eating disorders in young girls, what is the proper way to offer a compliment when a teenage girl loses weight so that she won't go overboard from suddenly hearing a lot of praise? -- CONCERNED FRIEND IN DEERFIELD, MASS.
DEAR CONCERNED: Your way. To do otherwise could cause a girl to develop an eating disorder, if she doesn't already have one. You should also compliment her on her other good qualities because it's important that young women feel valued for more than the number on their bathroom scale or their dress size.