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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I am not a personal chef!

373 replies

prettymushrooms · 23/06/2021 15:22

Back story
I WFH i am the main cook and I do the shopping.
DH self employed works very very long hours - sometimes depending on how big the job won't get home until 10pm.

There is no set arrangement when DSS will come to us, as he's old enough now to make his own arrangements he will just ring up last minute "Im on my way home" and that's the only notice we get. Sometimes if I'm lucky I'll get 24 hours notice. We can't refuse him because his mum sometimes doesn't come home at night, (don't ask - whole other thread needed for that!) so DH isn't happy with him being in the house on his own overnight as he gets scared very easily.

Because of this casual arrangement I have no idea how many people i'm cooking for, DSS has a large appetite so not like I can just give him a bit of mine and a bit of DH's - he would need a big portion. It isn't always things that can be frozen either and I'm reluctant to keep making extra portions on the off chance DSS will want to eat.

He also has allergies (not life threatening, just makes him itchy) so when he does come here if i haven't cooked something he isn't allergic to I then have to cook a whole different meal for him

Sometimes hes already had food when he comes here and isn't hungry, other times hes had food and still wants more when he gets to us, other times he hasn't had anything and I won't know until the last minute - we have our evening meal around 8pm on the nights that DH gets home at a reasonable hour so if DSS eats at 5pm after school he will want another meal at 8pm or depending how big the meal was he might not want much just something small.

DSS cannot cook for himself and in any case our kitchen is really really tiny so 2 people in the kitchen cooking at the same time would not work so it's always left up to me to sort. If he is at his mums he just orders takeway.

Three nights ago he had told us the day before he was coming to us and would be having food with us - great - i can then plan.
So i cooked enough for all three of us, ensured it wasn't anything DSS was allergic to, then he rocked up as i was plating up and casually said oh yeah i'm not hungry I had KFC with my mates half an hour ago...

DH doesn't think its a big deal and just says its fine, ill just eat his portion but its really not the point IMO! I think it's really disrespectful towards me as I'm the one worrying about what to buy, what to cook, having something quick in the freezer that i can just throw in the oven if he turns up.
DH doesn't worry because he doesn't have to plan, cook, go shopping and thinks i'm massively over reacting about something so petty.

AIBU to insist either he eats with us or he eats at his mums and to let me know which one within plenty of time??
He's a very sensitive soul so bringing this up usually leads to floods of tears that its not his fault he was hungry so he already ate etc - of course i'm not saying he shouldn't eat if he's hungry but to at least let me know??

OP posts:
KikiniBamalam · 23/06/2021 17:16

@Lulola

Hmm, it’s a tough one but you do need to suck it up a bit. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill here. Go with the flow, don’t be the one who complains about cooking at the last minute, make him feel welcome, it must be hard enough for him as it is. Will this matter in a year? Five? Ten? No, it won’t, so be nice, be kind and just be accommodating

What a long winded way to say “be a mug”

Maybe I’m just nicer than you.
Lulola · 23/06/2021 17:17

Maybe I’m just nicer than you

Or easier to be taken advantage of!

Funnylittlefloozie · 23/06/2021 17:17

If he's eating KFC, he doesn't need gluten-free pasta!

OP, I think you just have to put your foot down a bit. I know being a step-parent is thankless and you're always trying to walk that fine line (my DP has similar problems with my DD). But honestly, someone has to be the adult in this kid's life. His actual parents sound a bit useless, and you sound like you're actually doing a good job within, so just put these silly notions of "spite" out of your head, and start coaching the kid into adulthood.

If he has a meltdown about his dinner, let him. Personally I'd video him doing it and play it back to him later, so he can see what a total wet wipe he is.

KikiniBamalam · 23/06/2021 17:18

@Lulola

Maybe I’m just nicer than you

Or easier to be taken advantage of!

No, I’m definitely nicer. Smile
RubyGoat · 23/06/2021 17:18

Next time, don't cater for him. If he asks for food, tell him to sort it himself. Or get his dad to. And that you'd assumed he'd have had a KFC before he arrived, like he did last time. Not your problem any more.

He is going to grow up to be one of those adults who can't actually function in the real world unless someone makes him do some stuff for himself.

londonmummy1966 · 23/06/2021 17:18

Since DH doesn't think its a problem, if DSS turns up and says he prefers the look of his father's dinner to a pizza then give him his father's portion and DH can fix himself something else....

BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush · 23/06/2021 17:19

I have loads of sympathy with this. It used to drive me mad with my husband's kids. Never knew it they'd be there or not. But talking to other people, it's a really teenage thing. It does pass.

I just got DH to discuss it with them, he just said what can we have in that's quick and easy that you like in the freezer. They ate a lot of breaded chicken and chips - but they liked that.

If there was enough of what we were having they had that.

The middle kid was really difficult, whatever we had wasn't right, but I just tried not to cause a fuss and generally left them to it. If I was cooking and didn't know they'd be there they'd have chicken and chips. If Dh was cooking and they just turned up he'd sometimes pop out and shop for more/something different.

But really it does get better.

Bryonyshcmyony · 23/06/2021 17:20

I'd make sure I had things in the freezer he liked, and if I made extra and he didn't want it I'd eat it for lunch the next day or give it to dh for lunch. This happens all the time here (teenage kids). It's not worth stressing over.

Bryonyshcmyony · 23/06/2021 17:21

All the posters saying don't cater for a 15 year old who has a rocky home life sound pretty mean tbh.

KikiniBamalam · 23/06/2021 17:21

@BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush

I have loads of sympathy with this. It used to drive me mad with my husband's kids. Never knew it they'd be there or not. But talking to other people, it's a really teenage thing. It does pass.

I just got DH to discuss it with them, he just said what can we have in that's quick and easy that you like in the freezer. They ate a lot of breaded chicken and chips - but they liked that.

If there was enough of what we were having they had that.

The middle kid was really difficult, whatever we had wasn't right, but I just tried not to cause a fuss and generally left them to it. If I was cooking and didn't know they'd be there they'd have chicken and chips. If Dh was cooking and they just turned up he'd sometimes pop out and shop for more/something different.

But really it does get better.

The first sensible, real to life reply, apart from mine. So many nasty, judgemental, cold people here. Have a word with yourselves. Be nice! It’s a good feeling.
Jellybabiesforbreakfast · 23/06/2021 17:22

Sorry, but I think YABU to change what you're doing based on whether DSS decides to come at the last minute or not.

If he doesn't give you any notice, cook what you were going to cook and tell him there isn't any for him and he can either make himself a pizza or some Pot Noodles. If he wants something else, he can ask his dad to sort him something when he gets home. You don't need to get so involved and you certainly don't need to provide chef service.

KikiniBamalam · 23/06/2021 17:22

@Bryonyshcmyony

All the posters saying don't cater for a 15 year old who has a rocky home life sound pretty mean tbh.
Absolutely they do.
HerbivorousRex · 23/06/2021 17:22

Is there an opportunity for you to sit down with DH and DSS at a time when everyone is calm and try to discuss with them how you can solve this.

DSS is more than old enough to understand that you are a person with feelings too. It sounds like he has a tough home life with his mum so I’d make it really clear how much you like having him and don’t mind him turning up at short notice (I would have hated being in the house overnight on my own at 15).
Explain that you start cooking at 4pm (if he genuinely doesn’t cook at all he probably has no idea how much time and effort is involved and why you need notice), so if he wants dinner then he needs to let you know by then.
By the age of 15 he should definitely be able to prepare some simple meals (I decided I was going to be vegetarian when I was 11 and basically did all my own cooking from then on, and by the time I was 15 I was working in a cafe/cooking for the children I babysat after school).
It sounds like you’re willing to help him learn so I’d suggest a few easy options that he could make for himself with minimal stress/mess/ingredients (I’d suggest; pasta with sauce or pesto, omelette, cheese toasties with salad, cous-cous with feta and tomatoes, jacket potato with tuna or beans). None of these require much that can’t be stored in the cupboard or that you wouldn’t have in the fridge anyway. He might prefer to watch TV (wouldn’t we all!) but it’s probably not doing him any favours to let him get away with refusing to try to learn.

You need your DH to back you up (or ideally take the lead). One of his jobs as a parent is to make sure that his son is ready for adulthood and that means having basic skills like being able to cook a meal, wash his clothes, and plan his time/communicate.
You can support and facilitate this if you want to but just doing everything for him probably isn’t helpful in the long term.

If your DSS is getting upset/weepy over small things then it might be worth having a conversation with him about whether things are going ok more generally and try to find out if he needs more emotional support (sometimes teenagers can act helpless if they’re feeling insecure/unsettled/stressed and want to feel ‘looked after’).

ThinWomansBrain · 23/06/2021 17:23

*nope, he honestly does not know how to use an oven"

would have been nice if his mother had taught him jf that's where he lives mostly, but given that she hasn't, wont it save you time and hassle in the long run to show him how to do it?

TurquoiseDragon · 23/06/2021 17:23

@Greenrubber

Why don't you have a meal in the freezer as like a standby that you know he likes? So if he comes you always have something ready and you don't need to worry about anything
This is what I was thinking when I read the OP.

Cook as normal, and if he turns up he can have something from the freezer.

And if your DH objects, he can do the cooking, meaning planning and shopping.

lastcall · 23/06/2021 17:24

Your DH needs to tell him to prepare his own meals when he rocks up unexpectedly, end of.

And he should have apologised for eating elsewhere when he'd said he was coming and you cooked for him.

Stop cooking for him for a while and tell your DH to sort it. He'll have to come home and do it or teach his child to cook.

Bryonyshcmyony · 23/06/2021 17:24

@KikiniBamalam it's quite upsetting actually. Poor kid.

Bryonyshcmyony · 23/06/2021 17:25

@lastcall

Your DH needs to tell him to prepare his own meals when he rocks up unexpectedly, end of.

And he should have apologised for eating elsewhere when he'd said he was coming and you cooked for him.

Stop cooking for him for a while and tell your DH to sort it. He'll have to come home and do it or teach his child to cook.

This kind of response borders on abusive in my opinion. I can't imagine anything nastier and more unwelcoming.
gurglebelly · 23/06/2021 17:27

@prettymushrooms

Yep - see the thing is i am MORE than happy to look after DSS that is totally not the issue, i knew he had a child when i met him and to be fair to DH he doesn't just "expect" me to look after him when hes working late, he will always ring me and say im stuck, could you please help me out and collect DSS, or could you please help me out could you put his uniform on to wash.

Half the time he will drop whatever he's doing and come back home to be there for DSS but there have been times he can't get back so I've more than happily been there for when DSS arrives.

It's literally just the flakiness of him turning up whenever he feels like it without notice and expecting to be fed.
As i already mentioned we have a tiny kitchen which equals tiny freezer so as much as I'd like to have a freezer full of pizzas and ready meals, it just isn't practical. I only have 2 freezer drawers which have to accommodate vegetables, meats, bread, a tub of icecream and one or two things for DSS that he isnt allergic to that can be cooked at short notice.

I think if DSS turned up and I told him to cook for himself i think he would have a full on meltdown...

Well let him have a meltdown then? Perhaps it will give him the message that he needs to think about others and can't expect them to be psychic
Jellybabiesforbreakfast · 23/06/2021 17:28

I don't think it's abusive to ask a 15 year old boy to prepare his own meals if he turns up unexpectedly, so long as there are some easy meal options in the house.

But the OP does have to be willing to share the kitchen.

Fupoffyagrasshole · 23/06/2021 17:28

Omg calm down it’s so not a big deal! Have some freezer food in or frozen portions of dinners he can take out and defrost - teach him how to use a bloody microwave to heat up

I can’t think of much food that you can’t have leftovers of to be honest so you are being over dramatic
If you make too much and he doesn’t want it then can’t your husband or yourself just have it for lunch tomorrow 😂

CanofCant · 23/06/2021 17:29

The OP has gone into detail over the limited freezer space she has. She has also tried to teach her DSS how to cook but he has not been bothered and preferred to leave her to it and watch TV instead. It sounds as though she has already tried most of the suggestions that have been put to her.

BronwenFrideswide · 23/06/2021 17:29

I do have one or two things he can eat if he does turn up unexpected but then i get the sad "oh i really like the look of what you and dad are having" and then i sound spiteful by saying tough, you should have let me know.

No, you don't sound spiteful saying that if you'd let me know as I ask you to then I would have made sure there was enough for you and if he bursts into tears over that then his dad needs to step in and talk to him, back you up and reiterate the message that his failure to do something as simple as keep you informed has led to those consequences.

Seriously, your husband needs to sit down with him and explain that you are more than happy to cater for him but you need to know if you are expected to cater for him and need to know within a reasonable time frame, husband needs to point out to his son how inconsiderate he is being towards you and that it is neither kind nor acceptable for him to behave that way and tears and meltdowns will be ignored, there needs to be give and take on both sides not just yours.

What you are asking for is just basic common courtesy, that's not something a 15 year old should find difficult or taxing.

Bryonyshcmyony · 23/06/2021 17:31

Can you not divide a meal for two between three occasionally? Pad it out with garlic bread and salad? It's NICE that a 15 year old boy wants to eat with you! I'd encourage it.

KikiniBamalam · 23/06/2021 17:34

He probably feels unwelcome wherever he goes, he’s 15, this isn’t about food, it’s about (or should be) making him feel welcome. Whether op likes it or not (and all the other cold hearted step parents on here who seem to think they don’t have a responsibility to their step children) he is family. Bloody well cook for him! I can’t believe these replies, some of them do border on abusive and really mean.