Humiliated by the parents of a boy who came to tea. Come and tell me there's no need.

[Spidermama]

DS's friend came home for tea. I made a three course meal but he didn't fancy the creamed leak and potato soup, nor the cheese and lentil bake with delicious restaurant style creamy tomato sauce and finely shredded cabbage. He then went on to refuse the pears and ice cream.

As I cleared up my efforts, his father arrived to find his son and all my kids huddled around the PC doing Club Penguin.

'OH NO! SCREENS!' He exclaimed. 'We've banned them in our house'.

What a good job then, he didn't find out that before tea his son was initiated into the delights of Tracey Beaker and other such cultural riches.

I DID say to DS a couple of times 'Don't watch telly/play computer when your friend is here' but to be honest I couldn't be arsed to make a big deal of it. I'm busy. It's Friday etc etc.

I feel like a shit parent now though.

I hope you told him "You may have banned screens from your house - but this isn't your house, it's mine."

Well his son wasn't exactly complaining was he?

Everything in moderation.

What a nob.

Wot an utter knob.
Humiliated?

You must be mad woman.

definitely no reason to be humiliated! Boys father is probably getting dragged over the coals by his dw for being so goddam rude, if he even tells her, that is!

I wouldnt!!!!(smile) sorry but think he needs to realise that he cant stop his son from not looking at screens the rest of this life.

Can I come and live at your house?? [puppy-dog-eyes]

loving 'oh no! SCREENS!'

freak

why are you humiliated?

he is the one that has shown him self up to be a silly arse.

worry not.

Why would you be humiliated by someone so totally lacking in social skills and basic manners?

What is the relevance of the three course meal, please?

Thanks. That feels better. I resisted the temptation to double trump his smugness with tales of how my kids ate every mouthful of dinner and his didn't touch it.

It's so de-motivating having kids back for tea.

The key words there were

"In Our House".

It's your house. Your house, your rules, if they had prohibitions in place, it's something that should have been raised before the invitation was accepted, and reasonable people would accept that in this day and age it's unlikely that the majority of people subscribe to a 'no screens' rule.

No screens. Pshaw.

Oh I see!

I mention the three course meal because it has compounded my misery. I love it when kids eat what I cook and it was awful taking away plate after plate full of the food I'd lovingly prepared for him.

mmmm, Spidermama, can I come for tea sometime?

I have visions of this chap stalking into his son's place of work in ten years time and having a conniption.....

that will be why the boy wants to watch the screens at your house then... banned goods are a great grab at someone elses house.

My firend down the road didn't have tv at home and so would come to my house and refuse to play- she would have her nose glued to the tv until it was time to go home

Next time you see the parent, just mention that of course all he will want is the banned goods

??? does he mean there is no TV or PC in their house? If so they canhardly expect this will be the same in other people's houses surely????

don't feel humiliated - these folk are plain rude.

It is never worth getting offended over what other people's children eat/won't eat as you don't know what their diet is like at home. Bit unusual not to like pears and ice cream though..or at least just the ice cream.

It sounds delicious, especially when I remember that I am having a tin of Heinz tomato soup for my own dinner

What a cock. Dinner sounds lovely, by the way

i think it's rude and a bit odd nowadays.

ds(7) just joined club penguin tonight, kiss my mn time away now

Don't let it get to you spidey. Many kids are fussy eaters and some parents are ott. Not your fault at all.

Thanks. You lot are great.

Tell him to send his son to the steiner waldorf school - they believe the devil lives inside tv and computers, they call it ahriman. Having lived amongst these loons, one of their children happened to be playing at our house one day, the tv wasn't even on and the father seeing the screen suggested I cover it.

They sound like prime canditates

The meal sounds utterly delicious, imo Spidermama, and the father sounds like a total fathead. His son will probably end up producing reality tv shows out of pure rebellion!