Man Gives Nieces 'Choice' Of Eating His Food Or Nothing At All During Holiday Dinner, Igniting Debate

Dec 08, 2022 by apost team

Parenthood entails a lot of difficulty in many aspects. For some households, disciplining their children might be an easy task to do, but for some, it's one of the most arduous. Others might say that problems in raising children are a walk in the park, but surely every case is different from one another. 

Perhaps, one of the most stressful tasks of being a parent is training your children not to be picky eaters. According to The Washington Post, a 2016 study indicates that picky eating ranges from 14 to 50 percent in preschool children and from 7% to 27% in older children.

Commonly, children around the age of 1 to 8 years old are picky eaters. However, teenagers, even those who are on the edge of adolescence going to adulthood, being picky eaters were quite uncommon. 

This is the dilemma of u/Suspicious-Cart1021, a 44-year-old man, who took his problem to a Reddit thread as he was being bothered by his thoughts about whether he was in the wrong for not allowing her kids to eat what they liked during a Christmas dinner he hosted. 

OP’s sister, who has two daughters, already 15 and 18 years old, always comes to parties with their own box of pasta and a bag of frozen chicken tenders to cook for her picky teenagers. 

However, OP, who was in charge of the dinner, refused to let her sister cook in his own kitchen because of his displeasure with how picky her children are in eating whatever’s in front of them.

OP, who was aware that this has always been the routine for his sister and his nieces, found the whole deal "very annoying," especially when he was being disturbed on his own cooking time while his sister took up much space in the kitchen cooking their pasta and chicken tenders. 

“This year I told my wife we will not be letting my sister in the kitchen this year and the girls will have the choice of eating what I prepared or not eating.” he shared. 

However, OP, who pushed back the idea of her sister cooking in his own kitchen, was on the receiving end of hurtful comments from her sister and nieces.

“My sister accused me of being a cynic and getting joy from watching the girls be uncomfortable. I told her they are old enough to eat like adults,” he posted. 

OP elaborated that his menu for the Christmas dinner was not that complex and complicated for normal eaters, picky even. 

“Also the food I make is pretty standard. I do a fillet roast, bbq ribs, cheesy potatoes, stuffed artichoke, breaded cauliflower, ratatouille, and a salad. Certainly some of these must be foods that an 18 and 15-year-old should be able to eat,” he further explained. 

The nieces still ate in spite of OP’s refusal to let their mother cook their own meals in the kitchen, but they only gobbled on some bread and butter, all while roasting their uncle for how “gross” his prepared dinner was. 

“I looked to my sister to calm them down but they told me I deserved this and it’s not their fault for being picky eaters. I know I could have just let my sister do her thing but it was the principle of the situation,” he continued to say. 

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OP’s problem on the thread sparked a debate among Redditors, conflicted about whether he is actually in the wrong for refusing his sister and nieces to eat what they want. 

For some, OP’s nieces are basically young adults who should not be picky eaters anymore, considering they do not have any food allergies in the first place.  

“They are 18 and 15, not little kids. They can be picky, you don’t have to accommodate that. It’s very annoying to have someone come into the kitchen and taking up space when you’re cooking a big meal,” someone posted. 

“This is how people turn 30 and still refuse to eat anything but pizza and chicken nuggets. No ones (sic) being forced at gunpoint to eat what you make. They can eat before or after the party if starvation is such a risk.,” another echoed. 

“At 15 and 18 they should be able to eat more than just pasta and chicken tenders. Per OP’s comments there’s no allergy/intolerance, they’re just picky. And rude,” a user shared. 

Meanwhile, others are saying that OP should have made a compromise or even extended an olive branch to accommodate at least their smallest needs. 

“YTA if you won’t let her bring pre-prepared food or something that needs to be heated in the microwave. It’s reasonable to not want her actively cooking while you are preparing the group meal, but refusing to allow your nieces any food they can eat is an AH move,” a Redditor said. 

“A compromise could have been made: you could have made the effort to add a dish (or replace one with) that they liked, and they could have eaten it. But you chose to be rigid and cause tension because of principles,” one user suggested. 

Do you agree or disagree with OP? Would you have let his sister cook in his kitchen or tolerate the nieces for being picky eaters? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and parents who you think would have made a good case!