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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I told my family that I refuse to make more than two meals at our weekly family dinner...AIBU?

346 replies

waterbottle1988 · 25/07/2026 17:41

DH and I moved into our new house about 4 months ago now. We have 2 DC. For about 10 years now my extended family has all had dinner together almost every Sunday. My DM and DF have hosted for the past 10 years. But when I moved into my new house, we invited everybody over for dinner and we realised that there there was a lot more space at my house for the weekly family dinner. So my DM asked if I could start hosting the family dinner every week. I agreed.

In my family one person is vegan, one person is vegetarian, multiple people have cut out certain foods (no medical reason, they just are on a diet). 5 of my nieces and nephews are picky eaters but they will still eat a decent range of foods. 2 of my nephews have autism and will only eat a handful of meals due to their sensory issue. Then everybody else likes a wide variety of food.

So every Sunday me and my husband end up cooking multiple different meals. The main meal mostly everybody loves, a vegan version of that meal, multiple dishes for some of my adult family members who are on certain diets, a completely separate meal for my nieces and nephews who are picky eaters and another completely separate meal for my nephews with autism. Hosting has become so difficult, and I am also a mum of 2, my kids are 7 and 3. I am starting to dread Sunday's now.

So yesterday I sent a text to my family. I said: "Hi everybody, I can't wait to see you all on Sunday. I just thought I should let you all know that me and DH have decided to only make two meals this Sunday. Shepherds pie and a vegan Shepherds pie. Unfortunately I have started to find Sunday's very stressful because I end up cooking multiple different meals all day long. You are free to bring your own food, that is perfectly fine. But from now on, I am only cooking the main meal and a vegan version of that meal. This is nothing personal, and I am not angry at anybody, but I am just trying to decrease my own stress level."

I sent that text and got a private message from my mother. She said that I am being being an impolite host, and that it is rude to invite the whole family over whilst not being willing to accomodate everybody's food preferences. My DM said that she managed to make multiple different meals every Sunday for 10 years, which means I should be able to make different meals too.

AIBU?

OP posts:
ParsleySageToiletDuckAndBinBags · 25/07/2026 19:27

You're the only one with enough space, so it has to be at your house - fair enough.
It requires one or two adults to organise, prepare and cook the meal - are you the only adult in the whole family group?

Allseeingallknowing · 25/07/2026 19:26

The rest of the family have a cheek expecting OP to pay for their weekly dinner. Time to stop

Globules · 25/07/2026 19:23

Ponderingwindow · 25/07/2026 18:31

“2 of my nephews have autism and will only eat a handful of meals due to their sensory issue.”

They likely have or are on their way to a diagnosis of a condition called ARFID. It is a medical condition.

Yet people are much more willing to accommodate a person who just decides not to eat a category of food.

A autistic child with sensory issues over certain foods is just that. It does not mean they are automatically heading towards an ARFID diagnosis. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Most children, including those with an autism diagnosis, have some issues over some foods.

YANBU @waterbottle1988 Glad to see that you've taken control of the situation and made it manageable for you in your home.

Your family can bring their own food for their specific needs. If I were part of your family, and I was used to this regular gathering, I'd be happy that you were happy to offer your home on a weekly basis and would do what I could to support you in that rather than expect you to keep giving and giving and giving.

SylvanMoon · 25/07/2026 19:22

You are hosting just because your house has the most space, not because you have the time to do all that prep. I'd suggest changing the format to being a pot-luck buffet where everyone brings a dish. If you want, you can coordinate it so that there's a range of things on offer, but asking you and your DH to not only host but prepare all those different meals is outrageous. I'd be embarrassed to be expecting you to do that for me.

AnAutumnCrow · 25/07/2026 19:21

TheSunnySwan · 25/07/2026 19:20

Your mum doesn't like it she can go back to doing all the cooking

Or she can get some of the other family members to do the cooking at her house.

TheSunnySwan · 25/07/2026 19:20

Your mum doesn't like it she can go back to doing all the cooking

NuffSaidSam · 25/07/2026 19:17

SleepingStandingUp · 25/07/2026 19:11

a bowl of MICE? This is why no one is eating at yours....

Come on! They can have the vegan mice 😂

murasaki · 25/07/2026 19:15

YA totally NBU. I'd also cut it back to once a fortnight, or ideally, once a month. It's ridiculous that you have to do this.

ThisMauveTurtle · 25/07/2026 19:14

Your mum hadn't 2 young kids when she was cooking for her kids and grandkids.
Anyway, how do your siblings think it's ok to sit into a free dinner every Sunday.
Also, you need to start taking day trips on a Sunday with your own family.
How does your dh feel spending Sundays catering for your family.
I wouldn't like if my inlaws arrived every Sunday for dinner.
It was different for your mum, they are her adult kids and grandkids.
That's a different relationship

SleepingStandingUp · 25/07/2026 19:11

NuffSaidSam · 25/07/2026 19:05

I don't think YABU to make one meal, but I would try to make that meal more easily customisable.

Shepherd's Pie is difficult because it's all so smooshed together, whereas if you made a Bolognese , for example, you can keep everything separate and they can serve themselves. It's easy to do a bowl of mice, bowl of vegan alternative, bowl of plain spaghetti, bowl of cheese, two different veg, salad and garlic bread. Then everyone can find something to eat.

Edited

a bowl of MICE? This is why no one is eating at yours....

TheTortiePuffinNeedsHerBreakfast · 25/07/2026 19:10

You are not your mum, and are under no obligation to do things the same way she did. Life moves on. You have said what you're willing to do on a weekly basis. If people don't like it, then there won't be a full family lunch every week. And that's fine too.

mathanxiety · 25/07/2026 19:09

YANBU

You should have started the new tradition of a potluck. Or cut back the family dinners to once a month.

SleepingStandingUp · 25/07/2026 19:08

Yetone · 25/07/2026 18:58

I would say that your whole extended family is far too enmeshed. I could not commit to hosting weekly. There are so many other things to do. If it continues then why not do a buffet and everyone bring a couple of dishes.
As pp said. This is your Mums family, not yours, and she wants this to continue.

you don't consider your siblings your family? I find that really sad.
my sister is my family, are are my siblings and my extension so is BIL. My MIL is my family because she'sy husbands Mom and my children's Nan.

id be really hurt is DSIS referred to me as my Mom's family not hers

sittingonabeach · 25/07/2026 19:06

@waterbottle1988 how many do you host for?

Chloujo · 25/07/2026 19:05

How about a monthly dinner where everyone chips in for a decent takeaway?

NuffSaidSam · 25/07/2026 19:05

I don't think YABU to make one meal, but I would try to make that meal more easily customisable.

Shepherd's Pie is difficult because it's all so smooshed together, whereas if you made a Bolognese , for example, you can keep everything separate and they can serve themselves. It's easy to do a bowl of mice, bowl of vegan alternative, bowl of plain spaghetti, bowl of cheese, two different veg, salad and garlic bread. Then everyone can find something to eat.

DogearedPaperbackWriter · 25/07/2026 19:05

Hosting on a weekly basis, you simply shouldn't be held to the stringent standards your mother apparently expects. It's fine if that's the way she did things, but you're not the same people and you are not under any obligation to make the same choices. I don't think it's rude to tell people in advance what the menu is and allow them to choose whether or not they want to eat what you're serving, bring their own food, or decide not to come at all. Your mother disagrees. Oh well! I'd be very annoyed with her for daring to tell you that you were rude when you're going to the trouble of hosting everyone once a week. Simply providing a place for everyone to gather takes a certain amount of effort on your part, never mind the food!

YANBU.

Also, there's no reason people can't take turns preparing the food in your house if you don't have a problem with it. They may not have room to host in their own home, but they could certainly still bring finished dishes or ingredients to prepare in your kitchen.

TwentyYearsAndCounting · 25/07/2026 19:05

Well as someone with allergies in the family YANBU!
We’d always ask what was being made and bring substitutes if necessary to not inconvenience the host.

DisforDarkChocolate · 25/07/2026 19:02

Bloody hell, rotate!!

waterbottle1988 · 25/07/2026 19:02

sittingonabeach · 25/07/2026 19:00

How often do you see your in-laws? What happens if one of your DC has a sports club on a Sunday?

We see my in-laws often! And obviously some weekends extended family dinner doesn't happen :)

OP posts:
Shufflebumnessie · 25/07/2026 19:02

Is there a particular reason why it has to be every Sunday? Your parents started the tradition 10 years ago because it was what they wanted to do, and they didn't have young children. Perhaps it's time to reevaluate the expectation and reduce it to every other week, or once a month.
There must be times you'd rather be doing things with just your children on a Sunday, without having to navigate the pre-set demands of other family members.

If you want it to remain as weekly then;

your mum goes back to doing it as she was before (you all fit previously, it can happen again even if it's more crowded than at yours),

You alternate eating at yours, ordering take out or eating out,

As people contribute to the food it's a bit tricky to say you're not longer catering for their preferences, so everyone uses that money to buy/bring something they'll eat and have a buffet.

You strip it back to tea & cake,

Could you do a bbq in the summer months?

Personally, if your mum's not willing to take back control then I think it's time to tweak the tradition and adapt it to what works better for you & your family.

I've been guilt tripped into having Christmas the way my mum wants it, all my life. The resentment is now ingrained & I dread it each year. Don't be me (although I have started setting new boundaries over the past few years)! Don't sacrifice what you & your family want in order to appease other people's demands/expectations.

Onefairfish · 25/07/2026 19:01

You are being more than reasonable. Two versions of a meal is enough. Fusspots and those with particular needs can bring their own.

ChippyDinner · 25/07/2026 19:01

When we host extended family we usually have 10 - 12 different sets of dietary restrictions to deal with, so we’ve got pretty good at cooking the kind of meals that have lots of different component parts that all go together, so hopefully everybody gets stuff they like and it feels like we’re all eating the same meal.

So if you want to occasionally make the different meals for everybody (eg for Christmas/easter) then you could try that approach

eg for our last big family meal we went Italian - chicken Milanese, aubergine parmigiana, pasta that could be plain or with bolognese or with roasted veg or with cut up sausages, garlic bread, caprese salad, a white bean and courgette salad, plain green veg, focaccia. A lot of it could be made in advance or bought. Everybody got at least one protein, one carb and one veg that I thought they’d eat and everything went together.

We’ve also done Turkish, Mexican, American, etc.

Just throwing it out there.

sittingonabeach · 25/07/2026 19:00

waterbottle1988 · 25/07/2026 18:53

I actually do enjoy these meals. Cooking millions of meals isn't fun but I enjoy family meals. As does everybody else.

How often do you see your in-laws? What happens if one of your DC has a sports club on a Sunday?

Pokingbroccoli · 25/07/2026 19:00

It's ridiculous to do all that once a week. I'd switch to doing it once a month. It must completely dominate the weekend.

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