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AIBU?

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She ate all the biscuits

565 replies

Imissmusic · 19/03/2026 21:24

I got a pack of chocolate chip cookies for today after dinner for everyone to have a few-Dd has a balanced diet but we don’t have a dessert or biscuits, crisps etc every night or in the house that often-more on weekends or if we bake something.
I hid the rest of the biscuits away for another day.
I went to have a shower, when Dd came up to bed, she told me she looked everywhere for them, found them and ate them.

Would you be cross? She’s 7

OP posts:
Happyjoe · 20/03/2026 00:46

Aquarius91 · 20/03/2026 00:42

“Looked everywhere for them, found them and ate them all”
Guess I’ve interpreted this differently to you. Only the OP knows I guess, perhaps she will clarify.

She probably came to tell me as she knew she shouldn’t have.

Didn't sound like a gloat? Apologies if I missed a post, but this is what I read and was referring to.

Happyhappyday · 20/03/2026 00:45

Imissmusic · 19/03/2026 21:57

She probably came to tell me as she knew she shouldn’t have. I don’t know…is it so strange for a child to want to eat chocolate chip biscuits and to be massively tempted? Probably not

Not strange to be tempted but I’d say unusual to eat anything junk if it’s not hidden. We had a TON of crap food around growing up but were not allowed it that often and I literally never would have gone into the drawer and taken it without asking. My DC has a drawer full of candy but literally would never take a piece without asking and she gets desserts less than once a week. She rarely even asks for it.

Aquarius91 · 20/03/2026 00:42

Happyjoe · 20/03/2026 00:40

But the child didn't gloat? The OP said she told her later at night, presumed because the child knew what she did was wrong. Sounds like a confession, not a gloat.

“Looked everywhere for them, found them and ate them all”
Guess I’ve interpreted this differently to you. Only the OP knows I guess, perhaps she will clarify.

Happyhappyday · 20/03/2026 00:40

Velumental · 19/03/2026 21:27

Not really. She's 7, left to her own devices and there were biscuits left out, she clearly didn't think it was off limits as she told you about it. If shed sneaked them and said nothing I might be concerned. You say she came up to bed like she was just wandering round by herself and appeared upstairs not like she was brought up to bed.

But she did sneak them. OP said they were hidden away. I would be cross but DC (same age) know that sweets are special occasions and also that sneaking is absolutely not acceptable.

Happyjoe · 20/03/2026 00:40

Aquarius91 · 20/03/2026 00:34

I actually remember “gloating” to my brother that I had sweets left and he had eaten all of this (I reckon I might have been a bit younger than 7 actually?). My mum overheard me and made me share. That taught me!!

But the child didn't gloat? The OP said she told her later at night, presumed because the child knew what she did was wrong. Sounds like a confession, not a gloat.

Happyjoe · 20/03/2026 00:36

HDJH1234 · 20/03/2026 00:04

Yes it is odd.

It is also odd that your H wasn't supervising her as she had enough time to search for the biscuits and eat them all behind his back. That must have taken a while, unless she rammed them in her mouth in seconds. He was wrong to leave her to her own devices in the kitchen

I would be furious with her for being so greedy, but also very concerned that she is binge-eating when after a evening meal she should be full still.

It wasn't a whole pack. Which may explain that it probably didn't take long in your eyes!
A 7 year old shouldn't need to be supervised every waking hour in their own home surely?

You'd be furious with a 7 year old for eating the remaining biccies? Furious really? I'd hate to see what you'd be if a 7 year old did something more seriously wrong. Apoplectic? 7 year olds are still learning, they are not even teenagers yet and lord knows they still make a ton of mistakes. I find it odd that people forget children are children.

Aquarius91 · 20/03/2026 00:34

I actually remember “gloating” to my brother that I had sweets left and he had eaten all of this (I reckon I might have been a bit younger than 7 actually?). My mum overheard me and made me share. That taught me!!

Aquarius91 · 20/03/2026 00:32

Happyjoe · 20/03/2026 00:29

I was wondering the same of you 😂

Com on. Kids show all kinds of undesirable traits. It’s part of personality development, and they mostly grow out of it. I’ve had three kids and seen my fair share!! Doesn’t mean they’re a bad kid! It’s our job to teach them otherwise.

Happyjoe · 20/03/2026 00:29

Aquarius91 · 20/03/2026 00:19

Yes, have you ever met one 😂

I was wondering the same of you 😂

Onelifeonly22 · 20/03/2026 00:27

I’m surprised by lots of these posts suggesting the OP has caused this! I really think some of us are just wired to find sweet stuff harder to resist. I have always struggled not to overeat sweet stuff and I would go searching in the cupboards. I even ate my mum’s nice gifted chocolates once and I was so well behaved in all other areas. I felt ashamed about it but compelled to eat them knowing they were there. I honestly don’t think my parents did anything wrong. We had sweet stuff pretty often, neither banned nor fetishised by my parents. I still am not someone who can have chocolates and biscuits in the house without finishing them off. I really really wish I was! I would address it in the moment if it happens again but very lightly and definitely don’t call her greedy as some have suggested! A teacher called me greedy once and it made me feel so ashamed for years.

ThisSunnyBee · 20/03/2026 00:26

sploshsplash · 19/03/2026 21:34

Unfortunately I feel like this is the result of making treat food such a big deal.

Using the words "Treat food" is a big deal

Aquarius91 · 20/03/2026 00:19

Happyjoe · 19/03/2026 23:46

Do 7 year olds gloat?

Yes, have you ever met one 😂

ButlinsReward · 20/03/2026 00:11

My 7 year old would probably do this. The four year old less so, because they are smaller and have a smaller appetite. The 7yo seems to have hollow legs at the moment and being taller and cleverer than a year ago, would be proud of being able to reach higher up and search smarter to solve the mystery of the hidden biscuits.

I try not to buy too much and I get DC looking at the recommended portion size on the pack, so it's not just me claiming they've eaten enough, it's the biscuit bosses.

EEHHH · 20/03/2026 00:10

Maybe she was still hungry or maybe she just wanted a bit of junk food.
I could not begrudge a child wanting to eat.

HDJH1234 · 20/03/2026 00:04

Imissmusic · 19/03/2026 22:07

Is it odd she ate the pack? Could other kids not do that? She has plenty of food choices, is tall, slim and active…she just loves sweets, chocolates and crisps

Yes it is odd.

It is also odd that your H wasn't supervising her as she had enough time to search for the biscuits and eat them all behind his back. That must have taken a while, unless she rammed them in her mouth in seconds. He was wrong to leave her to her own devices in the kitchen

I would be furious with her for being so greedy, but also very concerned that she is binge-eating when after a evening meal she should be full still.

EEHHH · 20/03/2026 00:03

My mother would hide food restrict food, geuss whos been no contact since leaving home.

Imissmusic · 19/03/2026 23:58

ISpyNoPlumPie · 19/03/2026 23:55

I didn’t say that. I said the only child I know that what do what your DD did has serious general problems with impulse control behaviours. I asked about your DD more generally. Does she struggle with impulse control around food only, or around other things too?

She doesn’t have any serious general problems, no. What is the issue with this boy?

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 19/03/2026 23:58

Honestly I would be a bit concerned. Firstly because generally not being able to control herself around treats is highly unusual. My 7yo (with ADHD) and my 4yo would and do leave food untouched if we say no more, that's enough for today. We wouldn't need to hide them. They are physically able to access all the crisps, biscuits, yoghurts, ice lollies etc in the house but they don't sit and eat them all. They ignore them most of the time and then ask for them at times when it seems appropriate to them, and accept the answer given (though they might plead or whine a bit if we say no).

At 7, she ought to be able to resist temptation, especially when a, she's already had some and b, it's out of sight. It's not at all the same as leaving a plate of biscuits/bowl of sweets etc out in the open and expecting her not to have any at all, or giving her a big bag of crisps and asking her to only eat half. Or e.g. her being at a party buffet and having more than her fair share of something. Those are more normal things it wouldn't be fair to be cross about.

Going out of her way to "look everywhere" for them is really unusual, unless it's a behaviour you've almost sort of encouraged accidentally?

I am just thinking - my eldest (now a teenager) used to be so persistent about having more of foods that I did literally used to hide things from him, partly because he was so insistent and I didn't know how else to stop him asking but partly because I was absolutely crap at holding any boundaries (I was a young parent). I have a better understanding now and see that hiding things and saying they were all gone was not holding a boundary, it was just lying to him and avoiding setting the boundary. He never really twigged about me hiding stuff but if he had come across it and been like "Look Mummy I found some more, they aren't all gone!" then he would have genuinely felt he was in the right, and I probably couldn't really blame him for that. However if your DD knows you've put them away because they're all done for today, but she's gone seeking them out on purpose in order to eat them, that feels a bit sneaky and like she's going against what you've said, which is not really on.

I did get a bit cross at DS1 later on at some point when he would finish things without considering whether anyone else would like more of them, but to be fair to him since then he's always asked and been considerate of this - I think it had genuinely not really occurred to him before. I do sometimes bury things like the spicy breaded chicken breasts in the freezer so he doesn't notice straight away that we have them otherwise he will inhale several at once and nobody else gets a chance. But things like that are pretty much considered fair game so it's not especially wrong of him to want to eat them.

Out of all 3 DC, DS1 would eat entire packets of things like sweets/biscuits in one go, he doesn't have an off switch and won't self-regulate, although other foods he has never had much of an appetite for at least until his teens. He also has ADHD. However he doesn't touch things belonging to other people or which are "communal", and wouldn't have at age 7.

DS2 does have a point where he will stop and put the rest away for another day, even for his own sweets, and is a stickler for rules so we could have told him not to eat something from about age 2 and he would have followed it (he is probably AuDHD TBF, rather than purely ADHD). But he has no patience so if he thought that something rightfully belonged to him and he wanted it, he would have it as soon as he wanted it rather than wait according to the rule set by somebody else.

DS3 goes through phases where he eats everything in sight and in general really seems to gain much more enjoyment from all kinds of food than the other two, but he will also stop when asked to, and if they have something like an Easter egg each, he will eat more of his than DS2 but he will also follow DS2's example and ask us to wrap the rest up and store in fridge.

ISpyNoPlumPie · 19/03/2026 23:55

Imissmusic · 19/03/2026 23:30

Never seen her take food out of anyone’s hand

I didn’t say that. I said the only child I know that what do what your DD did has serious general problems with impulse control behaviours. I asked about your DD more generally. Does she struggle with impulse control around food only, or around other things too?

Happyjoe · 19/03/2026 23:46

Aquarius91 · 19/03/2026 23:43

I’d be cross. She knows she did something naughty, came to find you and gloat about it. That’s bad behaviour and at 7 she should have better impulse control. It’s selfish and greedy to eat all the biscuits that she knows are supposed to be shared.

Do 7 year olds gloat?

Aquarius91 · 19/03/2026 23:43

I’d be cross. She knows she did something naughty, came to find you and gloat about it. That’s bad behaviour and at 7 she should have better impulse control. It’s selfish and greedy to eat all the biscuits that she knows are supposed to be shared.

Happyjoe · 19/03/2026 23:38

Imissmusic · 19/03/2026 23:24

I have thought about doing something like this. Her friend on the road has this (as a result she loves going to his house) he barely touches it…however, he’s a very different child to Dd..! Very calm, compliant in all ways…Dd is energetic, strong willed…they’re different types of kids. My fear in trying this is it would be gone in a day

As a side, my dad (many many years ago) caught my 11 year old brother smoking. So dad, being old school, gave him a packet of 20 strong cigs, asked him to smoke them all, one after the other, hoping that it would make him very ill and put him off for life. It did neither of those things. Same way of thinking with the sweets though.

Children are very different. A drawer full of chocolate would never have worked in our house because we were all sugar freaks and as you say, gone in a day and every day after that if replenished.

Angelicake · 19/03/2026 23:37

Prada Willi is a genetic disorder where one of the defining features is that someone with it eats all the time because they always feel hungry. I think its so unlikely that DD has it! Absolutely not something to worry about. If DD had this you would definitely know all about it already

Quite. It was a pointless comment. Not to mention tasteless. Ignore.

Wellretired · 19/03/2026 23:35

Imissmusic · 19/03/2026 23:27

What is prada willy 😬

Prada Willi is a genetic disorder where one of the defining features is that someone with it eats all the time because they always feel hungry. I think its so unlikely that DD has it! Absolutely not something to worry about. If DD had this you would definitely know all about it already

Angelicake · 19/03/2026 23:34

Maybe she has prada Willy

Prader Willi is a rare genetic syndrome and there's rather more to it than
finishing off a packet of biscuits. Even though it's rare I imagine there are some people here who have it in their family.