I'm very concerned with my 7yr. old step-daughter. When with us, 2 weekends a month, I try to provide very balanced healthy meals, limiting the sugar and processed foods, and give her a multi-vitamin. The problem is the other 26 days of the month at her mother's where she eats mostly fastfood, candy, chips, soda and sugary juice paks, no vitamins to supplement, not made to eat any vegetables, fruits or meat if she doesn't want it. She has always been given whatever she asks for, and children don't ask for the healthy stuff. Only eating bread, toast, poptarts and loading up the salt on everything. She is hyper but tired at the same time, has dark circles under her eyes, constantly scratching at her crotch (told me it always itches and burns) Constantly sick, trouble with concentration not just at school, anywhere. Some of it I think is just a training issue, teaching a to sit still during a movie, etc. which her mother won't even take her to a restaurant, movie or to her older sister's choir performances because she doesn't want to "deal" with her. (I already have two grown and have been through this, my husband only has the 7 yr. old and is doing his best when he has her). Dealing with homework is an ordeal, she whines and tries to get you to give her the answer before she has even tried. Again some of which I believe is mom's lack of wanting to deal with her. She is struggling in school, reading poorly, math skills (counting money, switching gears from addition to subtraction, etc) very difficult for her. She is in second grade. How much of a role is playing in all of this and how much is just poor parenting skills? I personally feel that she is malnurished by looking at her. She is tall for her age but seems very much under weight, size 5 Toddlers still fit around her waist. Also, all her molars have cavities. What, if anything, can we do to turn this around? I forgot to mention the peeling, smelly feet, with no other symptoms of athlete's foot, no burning/itching, etc.