3. Avoid the idea of 'being perfect.' Studies have shown that individuals who consider themselves perfectionists are more prone to developing an eating disorder. With this finding in mind, parents should take care not to exert too much pressure on their children to be 'perfect'. While all parents should encourage their children to excel in many areas of life, they should refrain from pressuring their children into the role of sports star or student achiever. Parents should also refrain from reigning in their own instinct to be a perfectionist; parents will often convey the anxieties associated with perfectionism in an unconscious manner to their own children.