Kiran is a four year old girl who is so thin she still wears clothes for a one year old. She is shorter than anyone in her class and weighs almost the same as her one year-old sister. She is like this because ever since being weaned she has refused to eat anything apart from sweets and sugary snack.
Every meal-time is a three hour battle with her despairing parents. At times Sophia has tried letting Kiran go hungry but rather than encouraging her to eat when offered food, this tactic has seen Kiran hospitalised and on a drip for dehydration. And once again her desperate Mum falls back on giving Kiran the only foods she will eat, sugary drinks, sweets and ice-cream. This too his having a detrimental effect on Kiran's health. Although she is only four Kiran has ten fillings in her teeth.
They have tried everything from involving her in the cooking process and rewarding her but have now resorted to force-feeding her. The tantrums are getting worse and are beginning to dominate family life. Her health is suffering and she's falling further behind her peers. She has poor concentration and her low energy levels during the day are affecting her quality of sleep at night.
Since the birth of Kiran's sister the problem has become more severe as she tries to compete for more attention. She tries to manipulate her parents through her refusal to eat. Her mother is worried that force-feeding will damage their relationship and isn't a long term solution and that her eating issues could develop into a serious disorder such as anorexia as she gets older.
Mum Sophia feels she has failed her daughter by not teaching her good eating habits. She longs for Kiran to be a healthy four year who has a good relationship with food. Sophia knows that she shouldn't give in to her daughter's demands but finds it hard to fight these daily battles.
