How to respond to friend and her child?

[Quirkyle]

I don't know if I'm being over sensitive? I'm away with my friend she has ds7 I have ds7 and ds10.

We have very different attitudes to a lot of things inc food, but she makes constant comments 're food to me. I don't usually let mine have cola buts it's not a never item.

I said to my boys while at a resturant you can choose a glass of cola or a pudding. They always choose pudding. Friend made a dig and her 7yr spent all dinner saying I got both! I got both! I said nothing as I didn't know what to say.

Her son always says I don't want siblings my life is better because I don't have to share. He is the Apple of his mum's eye and she never blinks or says anything.

This is the first and last trip away should I respond to a 7yr old?? If I say something to my friend she will be very offended, but I'm annoyed at the digs from the both of them!

They both sound like shits

This. I have a sister the same...

Just to say I think coke or pudding is a good rule- mine used to like milkshake and would have that instead of pudding somewhere like GBK. I agree it makes sense from a sugar and cost perspective if you eat out a lot (obviously doesn't matter at all if you only eat out twice a year or so! But lots of people eat out weekly).

When I quizzed my parents over why I didn't have siblings they gave me the same"benefit" to shut me up. It doesn't surprise me if a 7 year old would bring this up to gloat as that's what 7 year olds do! The mum really should encourage him to be more polite if she was within hearing range however.

It is really tricky holidaying with other parents and kids. I am very live and let live but not everyone is. I am always amazed at how confident other people are about their choices and how quick they are to criticise others' choices without taking the trouble to understand why someone else might raise their kids differently. I don't let my kids have coke but I certainly wouldn't be disapproving of people who do.

I'm one of the water-only people. My DCs are late twenties now. I believe hands cover aghast face my Perfect DCs might have a coca cola or two at uni when they discovered gasp that it's a good hang over cure. Having said that have a friend whose DS only drank cola throughout his life and is now having appalling problems with tooth enamel. Yes, of course there's a mid-way.

But I agree with PPs that OP should have discussed basic rules with friend before going on holiday and should have said something gently to intervene with the 7 year old rather than stewing over it. Though I can see if he'd already disrupted a paid for activity just because he didn't want to do it that day - ok OP went with her DCs but there would have been kerfuffle - OP might start seeing his behaviour as of one piece.

It's up to her if she wants to let her kid have coke and a pudding, but yes, she should have pulled her son up on his gloating. I think if I'd been in your position I would have said in a cheerful voice, 'Oi, Friend's Child - I know you have different rules to ours that's fine but gloating about it isn't very nice, so we'll have no more of that please! Anyway - what shall we do after dinner?'

Regarding the 'I like being an only child' thing, I don't really see a problem with that. Most kids think about the pros and cons of having siblings and a 7-year-old is likely to be relatively straightforward about expressing them.