A Grandma Sends a Grandson to Bed Hungry After He Refused to Eat Her Food

A grandma who doesn’t eat meat got some flak on Reddit for admitting that she sent her youngest grandchild, who is 5 years old, to bed without dinner. This happened after a tough babysitting session at her house where the child refused to eat the food she had prepared.

The grandma sought help and advice on Reddit.

“Hello all. I’m 59, and my daughter is 31. She’s been living with me for the past few months as they’ve had some financial trouble. Her husband is 38, and they have four children, ranging in age from 5 to 9 years old.

I’m vegetarian, so I don’t cook meat in the house, but her youngest is picky and usually doesn’t like my food. My daughter cooks a few meals a week, and she’ll usually make something for the kids if I’m making something they won’t like.

Last weekend, my daughter said she was going out with her friends and I assumed she would be home by dinner because she didn’t say anything specifically to me about doing anything for the kids. She wasn’t back by 9, and the kids were hungry, so I called her, but she didn’t pick up. The phone is probably dead. I’d just made rice and steamed veggies for myself because I wasn’t too hungry or in the mood to cook properly.”

“I offered some for the children, and the two older ones ate. The 5-year-old was upset, though, and asked if I could make chicken nuggets for him. We did have chicken and breadcrumbs, and I know how they’re made, but I didn’t feel good about cooking meat, so I told him he could wait until his mom came home. He got upset and threw the plate of food down, and it broke. I picked up the ceramic pieces but had him help clean the rice; he was upset about that too. My daughter wasn’t back until 11; the kid went to sleep after a little while.

My daughter was really upset that I let him sleep hungry, and I said it was one evening, and he’s not starving. She said I could just get over myself and make the chicken. Then I told her he broke a plate, and she got even angrier that I asked him to clean like a ‘maid’ when he was a little kid. I think she coddles him, and I told her so. What do you think?”

People were quite harsh with her in the comment section.

• This is such obvious rage bait. Idarola / Reddit
• If you accept responsibility for someone else’s child, then yes, it is most definitely your responsibility to feed said child if they’re hungry. Ancient-Teacher6513 / Reddit
• Setting aside the part where Granny can’t even consider cooking meat, I love the part where there is no middle ground between rice and steamed veggies and the kid going to bed hungry. Granny has never heard of a grilled cheese sandwich. BarracudaGullible / Reddit

• He’s 5. It’s not like he can make his food. If meat makes you uncomfortable, find something else he’ll eat. Toast and cereal take seconds. You were the adult in charge; feed them properly. Take issues up with your daughter. Who starves their grandbabies? MarionBerryBelly / Reddit
• I am not justifying the tantrum, but I will justify your expectation that a 5-year-old should just eat what you eat. A house with kids in it usually has an assortment of options, from cereal to toast to sandwiches. The fact that you could not be bothered to look for options is pathetic. Available_Doctor_974 / Reddit

But she also received support.

• 1: Your daughter went out with friends (not an emergency) without organizing childcare (notifying you to watch the kids and giving instructions for dinner plans) 2: While rice and steamed vegetables are not the most appetizing meal for a child, they’re doable; it’s nothing super spicy, super gross, or out of their food realm. You are not their private chef, and without even proper notice, you did enough.
  3: The response of the child was out of the ordinary. I have a picky child; I did and do my food battles, but never smashed plates around. Make him clean up, and in bed, ‘hungry’ is appropriate. Slipping one meal won’t kill anybody, and if you are really hungry, you will eat. Overall, I am just more concerned about your daughter leaving without notice, not answering the phone, and just dumping on you the whole hot potato. It is also for the kids, because they deserve better than being dumped around without any care in the world. KikiMadeCrazy / Reddit

• If he was that hungry, he would have eaten what was offered. The tantrum he threw was him testing boundaries, and to give in would be telling him all he has to do to get his way is scream and break something. Also, you have made it clear that you will not personally cook or serve meat products, and as it’s your home, and you are helping out your daughter, that rule should be obeyed.
  Lastly, it’s unbelievably entitled that your 31-year-old daughter thinks asking your grandchild to clean up the mess he made is tantamount to turning him into a maid. She’s coddling him a little too much, and it will turn him into a brat. Angelblade92 / Reddit
• There are four kids in the house, aged 5 to 9 and the adults are being wishy-washy about feeding them, supervising them, bedtime, chores, etc. Yes, they are not your kids, so you don’t have to take on all the responsibilities or cave to all your daughter’s demands. But you should communicate clearly what your boundaries and expectations are and put some ground rules in place ASAP. spamz_ / Reddit

Some moms love to stuff their kids with tons of food, but not all are like that. There’s this mom who was so crazy about her favorite dish that she went and named her kids after it!