Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?

[Anonymous]

IMO if they are at home and not working/otherwise busy doing something productive, they can fend for themselves.

Thoughts?

My teen ds disagrees. He’s had a busy schedule of sports practices and camps this summer, but today he mostly laid around and hung out with a friend. I worked all day, paid bills, made doctors appts, walked the dog etc. Why should I also have to make a perfectly able 16 yo a meal?

[Anonymous]

Are there other family members in the house?

[Anonymous]

They’d love it if I do, but no, I don’t. They get 2 nights a week to figure out dinner for the family and another 2 nights to clean the kitchen. I cover the remaining 3 nights. In reality, because of schedules they usually on do one night a week.

It can be anything from omelettes to rotisserie chicken to a big salad. I don’t care what it is, but I have to know by noon if I need to buy anything. They are 12 and 14.

[Anonymous]

Yes, all four seasons of the year.

[Anonymous]

They do not expect it, almost would wish I did not, but I do it, because I want to keep teaching them about healthy and *balanced* meals, expose them to foods they are not familiar with, show them how easy it is to nourish themselves, etc. If I left them to their own devices (two daughters, 13 and 17), each meal would be mac and cheese, frozen individual pizzas, or cereal. Maaaaybe they would eat a few baby carrots, or an apple, or a banana, or a peach at each meal to call it “healthy.” 😞

[Anonymous]

I subscribe to 3 meals a week from Hello Fresh in the summer and the teens have to cook those. They can choose which nights to cook, but they are in charge of all three.

[Anonymous]

We try to always eat together as a family. Sometimes, I cook. Sometimes, one of my teens cooks. Sometimes we get take out. But whoever cooks or procures the food cooks or procures for all of us, or at least whoever is home at dinner time.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't say expect. But I am the default cook in the house. When/if I tell them to handle it themselves they do.

[Anonymous]

Do you mean lunch or dinner? I make dinner just about every night, year round. Breakfast and lunch they can do on their own, especially in the summer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't say expect. But I am the default cook in the house. When/if I tell them to handle it themselves they do.

Same. They never object, and will patch together a meal for themselves, but they definitely prefer my cooking!

[Anonymous]

My teens fend for themselves for breakfast and lunch, but we try to eat dinner together as much as possible. So someone makes dinner for the whole family every night. But that someone isn’t always me. Each teen has one night each week that they are responsible for making dinner for the family.

[Anonymous]

My 18 yr old enjoys cooking so she handles most of it. I do the dishes. 15yr thinks magically appear on the table and can’t seem to fathom how items get from the fridge to the table.

[Anonymous]

Of course. Is this an American thing, to not cook for your child when they're still living with you? My teens sometimes make their own meals, if they don't like what their father and I plan on cooking. Sometimes we all decide to have what they're cooking, so they make enough for everyone. But the default is that the parents cook, and more generally, provide for the family - we are paying and will pay for their colleges, for example.

We are originally from western Europe and have relatives in East Asia, and everyone we know has a similar lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't say expect. But I am the default cook in the house. When/if I tell them to handle it themselves they do.

Same. I cook dinner most weeknights, DH cooks some on the weekends. But teens will cook if I ask, and/or fend for themselves as needed.

Breakfast and lunch everyone is on their own, most of the time.

[Anonymous]

We don't treat the summer any different than the rest of the year.