Perhaps your son’s aversion to food is a symptom of a wider anxiety – finding ways to talk about it is key to discovering its causeEvery week Annalisa Barbieri addresses a problem sent in by a readerMy husband and I have two teenage boys, the youngest being 14. Our younger son has struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem, issues that were exacerbated during the Covid pandemic. One of his primary challenges is around food. He is very underweight, ranking in the lowest 1% for both height and weight.While my husband and I generally agree on the nature of the problem and the potential solution-seeking help from health professionals and carefully considering how to support our son’s weight gain, we find ourselves constantly at odds.Every week, Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to ask.annalisa@theguardian.com. Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions.Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure the discussion remains on the topics raised by the article. Please be aware that there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.The latest series of Annalisa’s podcast is available here.&