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.

LOL at sausages in croissants.

The local children who travel by bus to the local secondary pass the steiner school on the way - they sometimes thump on the windows and chant chips! chips! chips! at the steiner children

Spidermama are they Amish?

He sounds like a complete pillock who has recently decided to reduce his son's overload of TV/PC and is trying to convince himself he is doing the right thing

...shame he has no manners though, eh?

Rofl! You've been out-lentilled!

I think my children would have eaten most of that meal. DD, probably only a mouthful or two of the cabbage. But I think serving 3 courses to a visting child is a bit OTT. None of the ones that come here every want to stay at the table longer than absolutely necesary. And a lot of food gets left.

What's kulfi? Does this kid's dad force him to eat it while he's hiding him away from the devil screens?

no no, psuedo-lentil weaver. My friend says I'm a hippy in denial.

unbelievably rude dad!

Spider I'll take you up on that if in the vicinity...!

..my friend in NZ related to me that she knowa a woman who "won't let her son play with plastic toys and he is not allowed in houses where there are plastic toys".
I think you can all work out this poor boy does not get out much...

And the dad must say "oh no, screens" every time he picks up his son from anywhere, maybe it's a pavlov reaction and he doesn't even realise how rude it is.

there's a lot ot be said for a ncie sausage

If they didn't tell you that SCREENS were banned how were you to know? sounds like a lot of fuss over nothing, don't they know friday is the chill down day!

isn't kulfi an Indian icecream?

What a rude man - please immediately ignore him and feel like a lovely mum to make such an effort to entertain your DS's friend - you have NO NEED to feel humiliated by this Puritan.

Loving the not-very-nice sausages in croissants!

Reminds me of the three year old who came to our toddlers Christmas party, saw the chocolate fingers and proclaimed "MUMMY! They have CHOCOLATE BREADSTICKS."

Poor deprived boy

psml at 'SCREENS'! And dd kept telling me I am weird and embarrassing. I have a lot of catching up to do, clearly!

well my kids are heathens and probably wouldn't have eaten you meal (which sounded gorgeous!)
But they would have appreciated the screens, big time.
Dad sounds like a nob. I know others have said that, but nob is the best word

LOL at being out-lentiled!

I bed the dad is just bitter at not being allowed to watch top gear. In fact I would place money on there being no screens in the whole house excepts for a TV and DVD player hidden under laundry in the parents bedroom!

Dinner sounds lovely by the way, so, um your place a 7 tonight?

It was fairly obvious that the friend didn't mention the NO Screens rule! I think his father has lost on that one. He probably has a limited range of food at home.

lol at this

Spidermama, if you are still reading can you tell me about the tomato sauce you made. I am going to try making your cheese and lentil bake tonight, despite never having eaten lentils before!

Bumper it's a little late but the sauce is just a straight forward fried chopped onions, add tinned toms, a little sugar, salt and italian herbs. I like to puree the sauce to eliminate onion controversy.

Good on you for cooking all those yummy dishes for everyone. The important thing is that your kids ate them!
Now, I will tell you that in my house the kids watch only videos, no normal channels, so we know what they are watching because I'm not going to sit down with them always to supervise them. I don't allow them to play with the computer and we don't have any console games. BUT when we visit, they are allowed to play with the wii thing and they enjoy it. When I think that they have played enough we thank the host and leave. Of course I would never say in someone's house "In my house we banned x". That's rude.
Given his strong believes, he should have very kindly asked you in advance if it was at all possible that the kids play with other toys and not "watch screens". What would you have answered to this, btw?

I am sure that if there was something really offensive on the screen you would have turned it off, I agree with poster who said it is your house. If they really do not want any screen time, they should let you know beforhand as in most families it is quite natural to watch a bit of tv. I think it iscommon sens to let the parents of the child who invited yours what are the special requirements you could have (special diet, wish your own child not to have desert if plate not finished, no Simpsoss pleas etc...)

It is OTT to complain afterwards IMO.