Shall I leave dd to sort her own food

[Dustybrain]

Dd is 14 . I'm getting really fed up with her at dinner time. And it's every dinner time. I don't have the best food at the moment but dd does eat it. Its pizza , fish gingers, chips chicken nuggets. Pies Jacket potato's, pasta . Pasta sauce cheese eggs ham , veg fruit .

I'm awear this is not the best food. But she does eat it when it suits her. I m transferring over to uc which means I do not get much money at all until uc kicks in so I had to fill up the freezer.

Everyday she's asking for money for the shop . Every day I'm telling her I do not have the money.

Shall I tell her from now on she sorts herself out because I'm really fed up with it now.

But dd does eat the things I have listed when it suits her.

It's probably not about the food op. She's 14- it could be she feels different from her peers, or she wants to feel different from her siblings, or she wants attention, or something has upset her at school, or anything really that she is expressing by not wanting to eat the food you have. My guess is she has something going on that means she needs to feel special for a bit, and wanting different food is how she is showing it! Teenagers are complicated sometimes.

Possibly we did have a chat about feelings and stuff today .

You say she’s only 14 so she doesn’t know about money, but it’s probably about time she did, especially as you live on a fairly tight budget.

The example you gave about saying you’ve got no money for xyz but you then buy bread and milk later in the week is an important one she can learn. Maybe be more open with her about finances in general.

My kids were always well aware we needed tax credits to make ends meet. Even both working we were low earners and claimed in-work benefits, so the kids knew from early on that there was a lot of stuff we just couldn’t afford. I think it’s important to be honest with children about household finances, especially at the lower end of the scale.

OP it probably is just her being a young teen and if you had a supermarket full of food available to her she'd still grumble about something else. You are doing great and anyone on here who has criticised the food you are currently offering should be utterly ashamed of themselves for their lack of empathy for another woman and mother going through a shitty time.

My 14 year old has always been a fussy eater so he often won’t eat the meals I make. I insist he tries a few mouthfuls which he usually does whilst screwing up his face and making horrible noises. It’s so fucking rude. He’s been this way since he was around 4 though so I’m used to it now. He makes himself something unhealthy afterwards like beans on toast or cereal. The food you have in would be a dream for him, he loves anything beige…

Explain the financial situation to her and that you will sort more varied food once it’s fixed. For now she’s going to have to deal with what you have or starve, you don’t really have a choice.