To say our DC doesn't need to share their treats

I still remember to this day a scenario your explaining- sitting there whilst they exchanged presents and I got sweet F A

I'm sorry; that sounds terrible and I have no idea why adults would allow this to happen. When you know you're going to have kids at your house when presents are being exchanged then you make damned sure that those kids have something to open. It's mean-spirited and rude to do otherwise.😡

Shouldn’t it be the children’s dad who has more snacks in the house to prevent these issues?

If DH was intending to just do the quickest easiest thing and replace the chocolate eaten, I don't see the problem as your son wasn't going to eat it all in one go anyway.

Also maybe you should have more snacks in the house to prevent these issues.

If they’ve eaten a selection box each than that’s enough chocolate for the week surely.

How many of your stepchildren’s presents from their mother’s side come to your house to be shared with your child?

If your DH feels that his older children miss out on presents from family none of them can be arsed to visit, it’s up to him to redress the balance. It’s not his place to give away your younger child’s presents.

When children are forced to give away their own sweets to siblings who have already troughed their own, it just encourages poor eating habits as they feel that they either need to hide food, or eat it before it’s taken off them.

I don't think he's unreasonable, in our house my three kids and we always just share sweets and things. My ds is the youngest and was the only one to go out for Halloween and shared happily with his sisters.

As the ‘step child’ I always felt so… well… ‘step’ compared to my Dad and his wife’s full child (my half sister). It’s an awful feeling and likely why they make no effort to come and sit with your family. I still remember to this day a scenario your explaining- sitting there whilst they exchanged presents and I got sweet F A. They were all very nice to me, but I was an outsider.

Personally I’d of let them choose a couple of treats and replaced them. There just sweets, that’s all. Not toys or something expensive. No harm done and the teenagers wouldn’t feel outsiders, again. Your younger child didn’t even have to know.

Yes, agree. The OP doesn’t make clear if the 5yo was even in the room but I got the impression that he wasn’t, so not able to share or hoard, just discounted.

My dd’s father does this with her stuff when she’s not at his house and his gf kids are visiting. She finds it very upsetting.

Absolutely no! I’m a type 1 diabetic and would get a selection box or Easter egg when I was younger. Obviously, it would take me ages to get through them but my mother used to eat it and let my siblings do the same. I’m still annoyed about it!

There's nothing in OP's posts to suggest that is happening.

I think it would be nice if your son had offered something to his step-siblings. Not give them free rein to grab something whenever they want, but ask if they want something? I can’t bear when people are greedy around food and hoard things, my son can be like that and I make a point of asking him to share.

Yes I do agree with this actually. I suppose my initial thoughts were just do the right thing and I do think that is to share, same if it was the other way round. But hopefully he will have been consulted before sharing any in that case!

But yet kept posting ‘just share’.

My younger dc knew their older siblings got loads of frankly shite off their df.. Did lord it over them a bit but they got over it.. I never insisted they share it out... .. Hasn't affected their now adult sibling relationships... The younger dc got to do more day to day stuff with me and dh.. They accepted things were different..

🤣 bit theatrical! No wonder teachers are struggling!

Christmas is a time for sharing... but it should be DS's choice whether he wants to share his things and who he wants to share them with.

Absolutely not being unreasonable.
aside from the actual treats, it would give DS the message that his stuff doesn’t matter. They are his to eat or share as he chooses

But the kid is only five. I doubt he’s at the point of seeing beyond the joy of being the owner of a lovely pile of goodies from his lovely relatives. He hasn’t had that many birthdays and christmases to remember that feeling and get a sense of perspective about it just being chocolate.

If you’d taken time to read the whole thread, you’ve wouldn’t have needed to clarify what I’d already clarified!

It sounds to me like DH was trying to score brownie points with his teens by showing ‘hey look I’m willing to take sweets from your brother to give to you’. I’m glad you hid them away.

No one's making YOU eat it

Sounds like someone's had too much sugar and its made them lose their sense of humour🙄

Bloody hell, it's christmas. Of course they don't need it! Just like I'm sure you don't need your phone/computer that you're using to post on here.

Not unreasonable. I hate it when people expect children to share everything. I teach my son that it’s nice to share, but also tell him he doesn’t have to share everything and definitely not his favourite things

I feel sorry for your DS. The olders teens didn't bother going to your family get together (depending on their ages when you got together I don't think your family are obliged to treat them the same, especially if they're not interested in spending time with your family). They then ate theirs without sharing by the sounds of it (and i expect they get things from DH's side of the family that srent shared), and now DH thinks it's okay to give away some of DS's.

Surely if the teens have eaten their share and are allowed more chocolate, the dad can just pop to tesco? I would be rather miffed to be made to share my sweets if they didn't share theirs from their other side of the family. I still haven't forgiven my brother for nicking my toblerone in 1989 though, so I know how to hold a grudge!