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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Right that's it- no cooking for a week!

30 replies

NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 09/02/2016 18:14

Dd1 (15) is a bloody fussy eater, I try to accommodate her (kept thinking it was a phase and didn't want to make it an issue) but still try to get some healthy meals in to her. Tonight she threw her toys out of the pram when I mentioned tonights dinner. I'm completely sick of it so I've given her £10 for any odd ingredients, plus access to home food and told her she will be cooking her own meals for a week. She's lazy and not a great cook, I'm hoping this will be painful for her so that after this she will either stop moaning or cook more of her own meals.
Is this a stupid idea? Do you think it will backfire?

OP posts:
Sallyhasleftthebuilding · 09/02/2016 18:15

She'll buy chips - good luck might make her sit up and think a bit!!!

expatinscotland · 09/02/2016 18:16

Sounds like a plan to me! She may be leaving home in 3 years. Who will cook for her then?

MrsPnut · 09/02/2016 18:17

It will either make you appreciate your cooking more, make her actually get up and sort herself out or make you seethe whilst she enjoys eating random crap for a week. Wink

If my 9 year old doesn't want what I'm cooking for dinner then she has to make herself something else never mind the 19 year old.

MrsPnut · 09/02/2016 18:17

her not you

Original poster
NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 09/02/2016 18:19

We live in the sticks so no chance for chips unless out at the weekend. I bet she'll go to uni and turn all adventurous (on the food front!!) and come home to say 'why didn't we eat squid and avocados?'
Honestly, sometimes this parenting teenagers can be so tedious.

OP posts:
IHaveBrilloHair · 09/02/2016 18:22

Strangely mine is fussier now at 14 than she ever has been, but I'm ok with it so long as she doesn't moan/whine about the meal.
What she likes one day she doesn't the next.
I suppose I have the advantage in that I love cooking, I don't see it as a waste of money as eaten or not the money is spent.

I went through a similar phase as a teen so remind myself of that.
The alternative is value noodles though, not a whole new meal.

MyKingdomForBrie · 09/02/2016 18:22

Surely if she's got £10 for ingredients she can buy oven chips?!

StandoutMop · 09/02/2016 18:22

Sounds fine to me. I hate not the cooking but the thinking of stuff that won't mortally offend all 3 of mine in some way or another (or at least will upset them all equally Grin).

I long for the day I can leave them to it in protest, although we don't live in the sticks, so chips are more than likely, or pizza from the local supermarket.

Let us know how it goes.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 09/02/2016 18:25

did she want pancakes?

LineyReborn · 09/02/2016 18:25

OH did this with his DD (who lives with him) at a similar age. She's 17 now, and can cook quite well - lots of pasta dishes, noodles with veg, and salads as well as cakes and other puddings.

The only downside is that their ridiculously narrow galley kitchen isn't big enough for two people to be cooking at the same time (OH cooks for himself and his DSs) so the odd flounce still happens.

I think she gets a similar amount of money, about a tenner-ish a week, and access to store cupboard / fridge.

She certainly looks happy and healthy.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 09/02/2016 18:31

What was tonight's dinner?

AtiaoftheJulii · 09/02/2016 18:40

I get mine to cook - once a week each on a good week. It hasn't made them less fussy, but it has made them complain less, as they have realised how annoying it is to have people moan about what you've produced!

Original poster
NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 09/02/2016 18:45

A simple stir fry was dinner. Nothing new or untested. We've all had ours now but eldest just plugged in to headphones ignoring us. I was planning on doing pancakes after, not sure what to do about that now.
mop like you, it's not the cooking but the thinking of ideas that everyone will eat- so boring.
I'm not sure what she will buy, maybe oven chips? Surely even she would be sick of them for a whole week? It might be worth it anyway as it still involves sorting her own meal which will be more of the punishment.

OP posts:
LineyReborn · 09/02/2016 19:21

Do the pancakes. Smile

BackforGood · 09/02/2016 20:02

I suspect if anything like my dd she'll be quite happy living on pasta or pizza for a week.

Completely by accident, the way I cut out 95% of the moaning about whatever was for tea, was when we moved to everyone in the house taking turns to cook the evening meal during the week. I suspect it was partly because they all got their turn, but mainly because they began to understand that when you've been out all day, then come in and made the meal for everyone, to have everyone just moan about it gives you the complete rage, so (although that wasn't the reason behind us starting to do it) most of the moaning stopped.

leonardthelemming · 09/02/2016 20:58

Sounds like a plan to me! She may be leaving home in 3 years. Who will cook for her then?

Actually, she could in principle leave home at 16. Not saying she should, but she definitely needs to learn to cook.

Incidentally, I posted on another thread (and got criticised for it) that DS2 lived by himself during his A levels. He's a brilliant cook now - we love going to visit!

cdtaylornats · 09/02/2016 21:08

After a couple of days if she's eating bad food then give her a couple of pounds extra "for spot cream".

HormonalHeap · 09/02/2016 21:31

My ds same age is like this. If I don't cook he just buys crisps. Won't even make toast. I'm just looking forward to him going to uni and fending for himself..

specialsubject · 10/02/2016 18:32

genius. Stroppy brat, take no prisoners!

letting this go on does her no favours, as well as being unpleasant for you.

Original poster
NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 10/02/2016 19:47

Bloody hell this is hard, she woke up defiant and said she's not cooking - gave me back the £10. This strengthened my resolve as I think if an apology had turned up then I might have caved. I cooked dinner this evening for everyone else and she just lounged around making sure we could see she wasn't eating.
I asked what she was having and she said 'I can't cook so I'm not having anything'..... looking wistfully into distance

If I don't follow this through now, then I lose respect, don't I? She didn't even try. Bet she's got some sort of stash in her bedroom.
Ahhhggg wine.

OP posts:
IHaveBrilloHair · 10/02/2016 19:56

The stash probably is biscuit crumbs and toast crusts under her bed, which she will eat if desperate and her room gers a bit cleaner.
You win Grin

Dancingqueen17 · 14/02/2016 10:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bloodybridget · 14/02/2016 15:18

It seemed like such a good response, I hope things worked out!

rainbowstardrops · 17/02/2016 15:42

Hope it's going ok op and your DD now appreciates your dinners Grin

Original poster
NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 17/02/2016 20:04

Hi, we lasted about 4 days until she apologised. We agreed to call it a truce and she has agreed if she doesn't like it, then she can cook her own. She really hated cooking, God knows what will happen when she has to.

Btw both DH and DD2 thought I was being way too harsh (kind of needed the support to last 7 days) yet everyone outside of the house thought it was fair.
I hope she will put a bit more thought to her comments from now on.

OP posts: