Just for fun: visiting parents bringing food

[Anonymous]

Mom, why would I want your about-to-expire produce and milk in my fridge, when you don't want it in your fridge? You really brought me 1/8 of a carton of milk from Indiana? Why?

MIL, why would we want to eat your leftovers from dinner three nights ago? Do you really think we need 1/4 of a jar of pickle relish because "we might make tuna salad for lunch one day"?

Stop the madness. We have our own leftovers and "questionable" good to eat down. Just visit, knowing we've stocked up for guests and have plenty of food. Get your shyt outta my kitchen!

[Anonymous]

OMG -- OP must be my SIL because my MIL does the same thing. After 20 years of making sure my fridge is so full she can't put any of her nasty stuff that just endured an incorrectly temperatures 6 hour drive, she's starting to get the picture. Who travels with two coolers got a weekend at her child's house? And I cook! From scratch! Often using her recipes because her don likes them!

Let it go. . .

[Anonymous]

Sorry for all the typos -- I was so excited to see that I'm not alone!

[Anonymous]

Just say thanks and throw it out when nobody is looking.

[Anonymous]

And it's always like...totally dead-looking celery and carrots that have that nasty white coating. My MIL brings all of their salad dressing. Lady, we have salad dressing!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just say thanks and throw it out when nobody is looking.

Yes. It's like a deep urge, that one you have to see that your people are fed. It doesn't really go away. Once my oldest son grew up and moved out, and later married, I still found myself welling up with this urge to make them take my food, anything, even some random old jar of olives, because . . . MUST FEED MY BABIES!

And I'm not even terribly domestic. You'll find out one day, when you notice yourself bringing along some lame food item to visit your grown kids, and hopefully you'll laugh and remember how it looked from a younger point of view. So be kind about it to the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just say thanks and throw it out when nobody is looking.

Yes. It's like a deep urge, that one you have to see that your people are fed. It doesn't really go away. Once my oldest son grew up and moved out, and later married, I still found myself welling up with this urge to make them take my food, anything, even some random old jar of olives, because . . . MUST FEED MY BABIES!

And I'm not even terribly domestic. You'll find out one day, when you notice yourself bringing along some lame food item to visit your grown kids, and hopefully you'll laugh and remember how it looked from a younger point of view. So be kind about it to the parents.

I don't think this completely explains it.

I think it's more like, I'm going to be away from home visiting these people for X number of days and the food will go bad at home. So, I'll bring it and share it. How nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just say thanks and throw it out when nobody is looking.

Yes. It's like a deep urge, that one you have to see that your people are fed. It doesn't really go away. Once my oldest son grew up and moved out, and later married, I still found myself welling up with this urge to make them take my food, anything, even some random old jar of olives, because . . . MUST FEED MY BABIES!

And I'm not even terribly domestic. You'll find out one day, when you notice yourself bringing along some lame food item to visit your grown kids, and hopefully you'll laugh and remember how it looked from a younger point of view. So be kind about it to the parents.

Sigh. I am kind about it. Did you miss the "just for fun" in the thread title? It's just fun to anonymously discuss life's little quirks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just say thanks and throw it out when nobody is looking.

Yes. It's like a deep urge, that one you have to see that your people are fed. It doesn't really go away. Once my oldest son grew up and moved out, and later married, I still found myself welling up with this urge to make them take my food, anything, even some random old jar of olives, because . . . MUST FEED MY BABIES!

And I'm not even terribly domestic. You'll find out one day, when you notice yourself bringing along some lame food item to visit your grown kids, and hopefully you'll laugh and remember how it looked from a younger point of view. So be kind about it to the parents.

If you must feed your babies, bake a pie or pick up the pizza tab! Don't junk up a fridge. See how that works?

[Anonymous]

My mom always brings food. But 90% of the time it is something she has stopped to get (like Panera) and the other 10% it is something she just baked. So, I'm cool with it. Your MIL sounds weird. Is she a hoarder or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom always brings food. But 90% of the time it is something she has stopped to get (like Panera) and the other 10% it is something she just baked. So, I'm cool with it. Your MIL sounds weird. Is she a hoarder or something?

Depression-era mindset, maybe?

[Anonymous]

Omg the coolers taken to the beach. Could we just eat out. We're on vacation!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just say thanks and throw it out when nobody is looking.

Yes. It's like a deep urge, that one you have to see that your people are fed. It doesn't really go away. Once my oldest son grew up and moved out, and later married, I still found myself welling up with this urge to make them take my food, anything, even some random old jar of olives, because . . . MUST FEED MY BABIES!

And I'm not even terribly domestic. You'll find out one day, when you notice yourself bringing along some lame food item to visit your grown kids, and hopefully you'll laugh and remember how it looked from a younger point of view. So be kind about it to the parents.

I thought it was just my mom. The other day before I left her house, she went through about 10 items, "do you want this leftover pasta salad? Do you want this muffin? Here, you can take this jar of spaghetti sauce..." And she seems so perplexed and sometimes offended when I say no. So, as long as you're not offended when your kids say no, it's ok.

When I was 20 and my fridge contained only ketchup, salsa, and a block of cheese, sure I'd take home whatever food my mom wanted to give me! But now days, that cool whip container of leftover casserole will most likely be just another forgotten item in my fridge which I'll have to throw away in a week. it's the thought that counts, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg the coolers taken to the beach. Could we just eat out. We're on vacation!

Yes! Why does a 3-hour car trip require a cooler of sandwiches and a sad half-jar of pickles? Can we please just go to Wendy's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just say thanks and throw it out when nobody is looking.

Yes. It's like a deep urge, that one you have to see that your people are fed. It doesn't really go away. Once my oldest son grew up and moved out, and later married, I still found myself welling up with this urge to make them take my food, anything, even some random old jar of olives, because . . . MUST FEED MY BABIES!

And I'm not even terribly domestic. You'll find out one day, when you notice yourself bringing along some lame food item to visit your grown kids, and hopefully you'll laugh and remember how it looked from a younger point of view. So be kind about it to the parents.

If you must feed your babies, bake a pie or pick up the pizza tab! Don't junk up a fridge. See how that works?

This, Mom! Thissssssss!!!