To ban cooking for teenage boys

[Boysfood]

I have 3 teen ds 15,17 and 19.

They cook all the time. Breakfast lunch , I make dinner they then cook in evenings and when getting home. My electric bill is too high.

I’ve asked them to have cereal or toast or instant porridge etc for breakfast. Sandwiches etc for lunch and snacks to be something that doesn’t need cooking. We always have these type of things available but they ignore me and start cooking. I can’t remove the oven etc and they often do this when I’m out or in bed. Only 19 year old works so I can charge him more rent to cover his share but others still in education and I don’t know what to do .

No, it is not a joke.

They are eating everything she cooks for them, all the snacks she provides, all the snacks they provide, then hoovering up the one special food that is hers and that she has asked them not to touch. They are basically telling her with their actions that she is not important and unworthy of their consideration.

Teenagers- especially boys- need to learn to have respect and consideration for others- especially girls and women, especially their mums.

Where do you think all these entitled men on Mumsnet who hoover up all the treats set aside for their partners or children come from? They have been raised to assume that their needs trump everyone else's.

Very dramatic!! My boys hoover up food and sometimes forget about leaving empty packets which does drive me mad but onthe other hand are lovely boys who have the upmost respect for me and their sister and all the women in their life. And in no way do they feel entitled. So apart from the fact that I understand op’s frustration, you speculating that they will turn out to be awful human beings is just a step too far!

Well bully for you 🙄
However, it appears that OP's teenage sons do not have "upmost" respect for her, doesn't it?

Someone else who doesn't realise that the added cost of running the cooker constantly can impact some people. I have a key meter. I could not afford this.

Im truly unsure what your asking.

You seem more annoyed that they are ignoring you than anything else.

Most parents are saying their kids are lazy and do nothing for themselves. You seem to be switching from financial reasons to being annoyed they don't listen.

They are old enough to cook for themselves so I'm going to assume they are at an age where safety isn't a concern.

So is this a lack of control problem? They are growing up and becoming adults with minds of their own and not looking to you for their needs to be met?

That can be difficult. You no longer have the majority control here so things feel overwhelming as they find themselves and become independent.

You can't tell them to use less as your power over their pocket money back fired. So you can't control them financially.

It may well be that the more your trying to claw back power over them the more they push back.

You have a choice I suppose, you either allow them room to grow or you push them away. And let's face it. They already don't care what you say as it seems the taking things away from them has just made them stubborn.

They are teenagers. Probably going through that teenage power play themselves. They are 15 going on 30 in their minds. They know it all.

Just step back and allow them to find themselves squeeze to tightly and it will blow up.

PP asking about punishment, suggesting you remove food from the house? Dear god, you have children who are prepared to cook and presumably, as you haven’t mentioned anything, clean up after themselves and you are complaining?! Just ask them to move out and be done with it.

She's complaining about the cost. So would I, if the cooker was on so often. I'm on a key meter, I can make £50 last 2 months, because I have to, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford food or bus fares to work or the jobcentre.

Teenagers eat a lot, they are growing. This is completely normal. Talking about punishing them further eating is not normal.

It's excessive use of the cooker that's the problem. I just couldn't afford it. DS 14 doesn't eat breakfast, he or his carers will make a cooked lunch and dinner. He has plenty of healthy snacks available. The OP has 3 teenage sons all using the cooker at different times. That's the issue.

Teenagers throughout history have been 'growing'. They don't all ignore their mother's requests to stop using the cooker, some of them are not that entitled.

If it was truly about hunger they would eat cold food more often - they're not so it's a preference, nothing more. And their preferences do not trump their mother's, or deserve her endless funding.

Exactly this! All the morons claiming it’s sooo healthy and wonderful that they’re cooking….ergh have you missed the part that their cooking bacon and sausages every morning along with white pasta daily. Oh they might be baking some protein brownies, but THAT is what people want for focus on. A mildly health snack amongst a load of crap. Wow.

And that without the added disrespect towards their own Mother asking them to reduce their multiple cooking times (which is totally fair enough as the home owner).

I would be delighted that, at their ages, they are keen to cook. Obviously, they need to be more mindful of the costs involved, but overall, I'd say they're doing fine. I know of so many parents whose teenage kids don't even know how to boil an egg which, in my view, is a distinct disadvantage.

But each cooking separately? I'd be homeless and starving. Many people are ignoring the cost of running a cooker several times a day.

The kids are paying for the extra energy costs. She has no grounds to complain.

Teenage boys have very high levels of hunger and need way more calories. My son was the same, but cooking on the hob or microwave costs very little. I used to buy a lot of baked beans and similar to warm in the microwave to have on toast. I also taught mine to make egg of toast and baked potato in the microwave. But sandwich and toast just isn’t enough for them at this age they need high calorie filling meals g be because of their caloric needs at this age.

Oven use is worse so discourage that and I agree with the air fryer idea and it’s way cheaper and faster than using the oven.

I think u will find it’s running computers constantly and the oven that cost the most tbh. My best buys when the kids were younger was slow cookers and a rice cooker. Porridge can go overnight in the sc for a hot breakfast or a big stew/ pasta sauce/chilli etc in the morning for them to eat later.

I think u need to accept young men need extra meals not snacks at this age. It’s biology unfortunately.

Or is it that teenage boys are self indulgent and greedy?

You sound very controlling. Poor lads.

They don’t need constant cooked meals. Crackers and cheese, rolls , bowl of cereal etc will be fine for snacks.

They pay for the food and the gas.

We are not taking teenage boys needing a few hundred more calories than an adult woman. They need upwards of 3000 calories a day or more. Snacks are great but don’t get them to that level with good balance of fibre and protein etc. you are looking at 4 meals a day plus snacks tbh. If they are paying board to OP she should be covering what they need food wise or give them some back to buy food for themselves.