Babysitting can be incredibly stressful, even when it's your own grandkids. Every parent has a different style, and every kid has different needs. No matter how experienced you are with kids, there are going to be adjustments.
In a popular post on the AITA subreddit, a woman asked if she was wrong for letting her grandson go to sleep hungry after he threw a tantrum over the food she made. She wrote:
Hello all. I’m 59, my daughter is 31, she’s been living with me for the past few months as they’ve had some financial trouble. Her husband is 38 and they have 4 children from 5 years old to 9 years old. I’m vegetarian so I don’t cook meat in the house, but her youngest is picky and usually doesn’t like my food.
My daughter cooks a few meals a week, and she’ll usually make something for the kids if I’m making something they won’t like. Last weekend my daughter said she was going out with her friends and I assumed she would be home by dinner, because she didn’t say anything specifically to me about doing anything for the kids.
She wasn’t back by 9 and the kids were hungry, so I called her but she didn’t pick up. Phone probably dead. I’d just made rice and steamed veggies for myself because I wasn’t too hungry or in the mood to cook properly. I offered some for the children and the two older ones ate, the 5 year old was upset though and asked if I could make chicken nuggets for him.
We did have chicken and breadcrumbs and I know how they’re made, but I didn’t feel good about cooking meat so I told him he can wait until his mom comes home. He got upset and threw the plate of food down and it broke. I picked up the ceramic pieces but had him help clean the rice, he was upset about that too. My daughter wasn’t back until 11 and the kid went to sleep after a little while.
My daughter was really upset that I let him sleep hungry, and I said it was one evening and he’s not starving. She said I could just get over myself and make the damn chicken. Then I told her he broke a plate and she got even angrier that I asked him clean like a “maid” when he’s a little kid. I think she coddles him and I told her so, what do you think?
RB1327 wrote:
"She wasn’t back by 9 and the kids were hungry."
ESH, Everyone Sucks Here. Your daughter is out partying, and you let kids as young as 5 stay up until 9pm wondering if they'll get dinner? Wtf.
And where was her husband for all this?
[Right on cue, OP comes back to "edit in" more information to justify her behaviour.]
DELILAHBELLE2605 wrote:
ESH (all the adults). The kids behaviour was not good. However, you let it get past the point of no return. They were tired and hangry most likely. There are plenty of things kids like that don’t involve you needing to cook meat. Your daughter sucks for oh so many reasons. Why is she popping out 4 kids she can’t house or be bothered to look after?
MarionBerryBelly wrote:
YTA he’s 5. It’s not like he can make his own food. If meat makes you uncomfortable, find something else he’ll eat. Toast, cereal takes seconds. You were the adult in charge, feed them properly. Take issues up with your daughter. Who tf starved their grandbabies…
forgeris wrote:
NTA. Kids need to be taught the real life lesson - every action has consequences. You break dishes and make mess - you clean it. You break something and you might even pay for it (not this case). You don't like food and refuse to eat - you sleep hungry. If you don't teach simple rules to your kids they will grow up as spoiled disrespectful monkeys and you will regret how you raised them later on.
Available_Doctor_974 wrote:
YTA - I am not justifying the tantrum but I will justify your expectation that a 5 year should just eat what you eat. A house with kids in it usually has an assortment of options from cereal to toast to sandwiches. The fact you could not be bothered to look for options is pathetic.
Edit: Lots of misunderstandings so I’ll be more clear. He ate some crackers before he slept, so not completely hungry. He only got hungry at 9 because he ate at 5, I thought an early dinner would be fine and he could sleep soon. He wanted to stay up and wait for his mom though. So I didn’t keep him hungry from lunch till 9. I offered him pb&j in addition to the rice and veggies.
Clearly, no one can agree on a unanimous verdict, which means we need your hot takes in the comments.