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?

Glad to hear it so's the dog

What kind of pot was it in the pot noodle???

Totally, he loved the opportunity to indulge in all his favourite foods. I would bloody love a weekend at home on my own indulging in food, wine, tv......even though I'm reasonably healthily most of the time.

He sounds like a very normal teenager, and person to me!

You know what though, I bet he was pleased to see you all when you got back?!

Totally agree, which is why this is an exceptional, rather than usual, diet for my DS.

He normally eats 3 healthy meals a day, and then supplements with cereal, toast and popcorn for snacking. Not the healthiest snacks, but definitely not the worst.

My 15 year old would eat all that but he’s going through a major growth spurt currently, he’s grown about 4 inches this year so far and is approaching 6 foot.

and yes I’d happily leave him next year, looking at a child free week but he’ll have 2 adult sisters in the house, ironically less domesticated than him.

No, but he's 15! So he probably is healthy....you can get away with a lot at that age. And it sounds like it was just one weekend of indulgence.....

At 16 they can move out, join the army, get married, have sex....

I've left DD for 48 hours before now she was fine. Our DCs have to become independent at some point.

OP your post made me smile. Sounds like he had a great time. Id nkt be surprised if he had a friend round though

Op I can tell you why he left half a packet of crisps
either he was mid game or conversation & forgot/misplaced it or got distracted (see previous)
simples
Boys had really rapid growth or need extra energy to do rapid growth in adolescence - some grow faster than others - check their feet size! (Feet tend to grow first before growth spurt)

Beef and Tomato, which both my teens think is the best one.

They're totally wrong. The best one is the blue Sweet and Sour.

OP you sound like a great mum, your DS sounds like a perfectly normal 16 year old. Some pp need to get their head out their arse

Why is no one understanding the tone of the comment ‘why would you leave a 16 year old alone for 24 hours?”

it was clearly tongue in cheek regarding their locust tendencies.

That’s all I came to say. And that I’m now hungry.

some of the usual suspects. I think it's a hobby.

Oh! I've just re-read that. No, no pot in the pot noodle.

But now you all know my favourite pot noodle, so I've nowhere to hide!

This thread is a fantastic microcosm of MN. We have the:

• competitive parenting of overeating teen boys
• competitive healthy eating (he’d eat all the bloody tomatoes and berries)
• parent shaming (why did you leave him home alone?! why didn’t he walk the dog??!! “How immature he is to have stayed up all night”
• the These Days posters “teenagers these days are infantile” “I left home and started a multi national biz at 12”
• and the ever bores “if this was a thread about a teen girl people would have asked about disordered eating”

It’s almost like Bingo 🤔

You do realise 16 years are capable of caring for themselves independently right?;do you think 16 year olds that join the armed forces have their parents live with them?

I feel a bit queasy at the thought of eating that volume of food in just one day. Reminds me of those crazy mukbang videos on youtube..

It would be he'd ate the mn chicken

The self-righteous and Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells posts come as no surprise. Epic fail, gluttony, irresponsibility, etc. Have we had references to the obesity crisis or broken Britain yet? 🙄

Your teen sounds fine to me, OP. Teen boys can and do inhale the contents of the fridge given the chance. And they may not leave a spotless kitchen, but I would wager that many MNers were once less than perfect teens themselves.

I just don’t understand the low bar. You only left him for a day. Why wouldn’t he just eat the same as he always does, put the recycling out, sort the dishwasher. Why did he need easy food, not be expected to walk the dog, instead you had to do it after a busy day and then you’re grateful for his ‘stacking skills‘. What the fuck. 🤣

@FayeGovan that was brought to feed a family of 6 for 5 days !!🤣

Are you sure the tiger didn't come for tea

I remember my son when gaming and doing the overnights when he was off school / work .. would be very similar ... ate anything and everything that was to hand , I had to try and warn him of the perils of energy drinks but for some reason all his mates and their age group
Seem to really enjoy them ! He's 24 now still tall and slim and can look after himself , your son sounds a great lad to me .. so what he didn't walk the dog ffs

This is what would happen if my husband left ME alone for 24 hours!

This is such a contrast to the other thread of a daughter the same age who doesn't help out round the house. Here the boy is being called all sorts, where as on the other thread, the girl should be left to be a kid and absolutely should not be doing anything to help out around the house.

Jesús this is well in excess of 10000 calories. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or horrified

What low bar?

I don't expect him to cook family meals for himself. I would also have ready meal/convenience food if there was a night when I was on my own.

I don't expect him to walk my (not his) dog, when I am available to do so. I do expect him to do it if I'm not, but I was. He did look after her, including lettingher out and poo picking and sleeping with her, when I was not around to do that for her.

Yes, he could have emptied my dishwashing out of the dishwasher and loaded his in. But, instead, he saw the dishwasher was in use/full, and neatly stacked crockery on the side. He also threw rubbish away and stacked the recycling neatly on the side.

My son is a young adult, not a house servant.