I left my 16 year old at home for 24 hours and he ate...

[mrsm43s]

A ready meal (mac & cheese)
A pot noodle
A family sized pizza
A full tub of 40 cocktail sausages
At least 2 big buckets full of buttered popcorn (maybe more, but only evidence of two pots where he melted the butter).
4 and half bags of crisps
Several bowls of cereal (I'd guess about 3 or 4 from the number of bowls left)
Multiple rounds of toast/sandwiches- about half a loaf worth, with a mix of fillings - choc spread, jam, cheese, soft cheese
A block of feta
A 2 person packet of fresh tortellini
and something chocolately that came in a plastic tub that I can't remember what would have been in there, but there was definitely cocoa powder residue in the bottom of the container.

He did not eat the cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, hummus, apples, grapes, bananas or yoghurts.

He's as skinny as a rake!

I'm not complaining as we were away on a Uni visit with eldest, and he was alone overnight for the first time and the house was still standing, the cats and dogs were fed and let out appropriately (the dog wasn't actually walked, but we went early evening to early evening, so we've walked her early Friday then late Saturday and she's only a Chi cross that doesn't need hours of walking), but no poo, so he def did garden runs with her. The house was pretty tidy apart from the stack of dirty crockery and empty food packaging.

How would your 16 year old son have fared?

You do know that 16 year old's can join the army?

My son would have walked the dogs, I wouldn’t have been impressed if he hadn’t.

And he’d have eaten better food.

😬

Took the words out of my mouth!😝

We could tell if anyone came in by the Ring footage.

Because it's cheaper to unleash a large box of mutant robot locusts into the kitchen than leave a teenager with unsupervised access to food?

My boy kittens/juvenile cats are the same ... they eat EVERYTHING!
My 10 year old boy child has 3 breakfasts sometimes .. boys need food

I left home at 16, moved country and became self sufficient. Why wouldn't she leave a 16 year old at home?

@User3568975431146 i left home at 16 to live by myself, I'm her OP's DS would have been fine for 24 hours!

Really? Our son had holidays with his friends at 16 after GCSEs and we left him for a couple of weeks at home if he didn’t want to travel with us.

I used to leave 15 yr old alone on occasion.
He had friends round, but never any damage.
Depends on the child.

Well I could anyway, because he's not that way inclined. But because it was the first time leaving him alone, I had both side neighbours and the neighbour directly over the road on lookout (because he was alone and ICE rather than because I would expect a party). I would know if there had been visitors.

He's a geek. The kind of geek that's so geeky that they don't even realise they're geeky. All his friends are also geeky. They wouldn't bother meeting in person - they'll meet up online. And stay up all night coding and gaming.

So parties or weed? No, not worried. I do worry that he'll hack into something he shouldn't and end up on the news though. My eldest who we took to a Uni visit? Yeah, she'd totally have a party. Which is why I don't leave her alone - only with her brother, who would totally rat her out!

That was the first thing that came to my mind

Because I'd be a failure of a parent if my 16 year old was not mature enough and had not been taught the skills to manage by himself for 24 hours. Jeesh!!

Yes, I was left alone at 15 for 3.5 weeks when parents went away-
Loved it!
I fed cat and watered garden.
Win win. :)

Sounds normal for 16, assuming there were a couple of takeaways too 😅

There’s always one

and something chocolately that came in a plastic tub that I can't remember what would have been in there, but there was definitely cocoa powder residue in the bottom of the container.

Tiramisu ?

A round of applause to your ds op. My ds would have gotten take away the entire time.

When I was a teen, my neighbours used to turn a blind eye. Even geeks have parties, no one is that much of a geek. But parents are naive.

Because I'd be a failure of a parent if my 16 year old was not mature enough and had not been taught the skills to manage by himself for 24 hours.

OP I like you a lot

What do you mean by 24 hours? It sounds a lot for eg one day but that would be okay for 2 days of food. Still a lot but makes more sense that he managed to consume all that if he slept in between

Are you sure he didnt have friends over?

I think so too. 3 or 4 boys could polish all that off in no time. Of

24 hours was from approx 3pm yesterday to 6pm today. So a little more than 24 hours. That food covered Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although I suspect he grazed throughout rather than eating at specific meal times.

To be honest OP, my nearly-14 year old dSis’s never been left alone overnight, but he could probably knock that back in 24 hours given half a chance. He’d definitely swerve the veg too, but would have an apple at bedtime.