Anonymous
07/17/2025 12:00
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I feel so sorry for all these kids whose parents don’t feed them dinner! OMG.
Agreed! Where is the nutrition?
Don’t be so melodramatic. These are teens and young adults, not helpless babies. If there is a house full of groceries/healthy food items or access to $ to go grocery shopping, why shouldn’t a young adult or teen make their own dinner or dinner for the family?
Some of you people are raising entitled brats, and from what I can see on the college Facebook groups and from my college professor friends, it is a huge issue. Many of you don’t know when to stop babying your kids!
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:58
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If you aren't cooking for your teens, what are you doing for your own dinner? Are you talking about situations where you have dinner plans out?
Otherwise, are you cooking dinner for yourself and not adding a portion for your kids?
No. I don’t cook a big dinner for myself and refuse to give any to my children.
Sometimes I have a big lunch at work, so I’m not hungry for dinner. Or, alternatively, I skip lunch at work, eat snacks when I get home, and am not hungry for dinner. Or I might have carrots and hummus and olives and a chunk of cheese. Or I might heat up some soup or grab a salad from the day before and eat it with a hunk of bread and some fruit.
There are a lot of alternatives to feeding yourself besides making full on meals three times a day.
Wow. Well, we eat normal meals in our house and so we eat dinner together every night. I usually cook because I like it, but husband and kids help most nights.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:57
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If you aren't cooking for your teens, what are you doing for your own dinner? Are you talking about situations where you have dinner plans out?
Otherwise, are you cooking dinner for yourself and not adding a portion for your kids?
No. I don’t cook a big dinner for myself and refuse to give any to my children.
Sometimes I have a big lunch at work, so I’m not hungry for dinner. Or, alternatively, I skip lunch at work, eat snacks when I get home, and am not hungry for dinner. Or I might have carrots and hummus and olives and a chunk of cheese. Or I might heat up some soup or grab a salad from the day before and eat it with a hunk of bread and some fruit.
There are a lot of alternatives to feeding yourself besides making full on meals three times a day.
DP. When I was a teen, my mom ate a big lunch everyday at work and wasn’t very hungry for dinner, so I usually had to fend for myself or deal with a teeny tiny, unsatisfying dinner that suited her needs. One of many factors that led to years of disordered eating. I make sure to nourish my kids and never assume that they’re not hungry just because I’m not.
Eating a big lunch is much healthier
True. I eat most of my food at breakfast and lunch, and just have a small snack at night. But I still make a full meal with kids at dinner time and sit with them.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:56
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:I feel so sorry for all these kids whose parents don’t feed them dinner! OMG.
Agreed! Where is the nutrition?
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:55
Subject: Re:Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
If they are working or studying, I do it. But then they have to do clean up. If they are off part or all of the day, they are expected to help prepare and clean up or prepare meal for family themselves.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:52
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
I'll make dinner but they are on their own for breakfast and lunch
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:49
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
I feel so sorry for all these kids whose parents don’t feed them dinner! OMG.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:49
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If you aren't cooking for your teens, what are you doing for your own dinner? Are you talking about situations where you have dinner plans out?
Otherwise, are you cooking dinner for yourself and not adding a portion for your kids?
No. I don’t cook a big dinner for myself and refuse to give any to my children.
Sometimes I have a big lunch at work, so I’m not hungry for dinner. Or, alternatively, I skip lunch at work, eat snacks when I get home, and am not hungry for dinner. Or I might have carrots and hummus and olives and a chunk of cheese. Or I might heat up some soup or grab a salad from the day before and eat it with a hunk of bread and some fruit.
There are a lot of alternatives to feeding yourself besides making full on meals three times a day.
DP. When I was a teen, my mom ate a big lunch everyday at work and wasn’t very hungry for dinner, so I usually had to fend for myself or deal with a teeny tiny, unsatisfying dinner that suited her needs. One of many factors that led to years of disordered eating. I make sure to nourish my kids and never assume that they’re not hungry just because I’m not.
Eating a big lunch is much healthier
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:48
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Dw here.
In my family, we are usually running in every direction, so unless I hear in advance everyone will be home, we won’t cook a big meal. Dh and I are light eaters. Kids are heavier eaters but I’m the primary breadwinner so I generally leave the cooking to dh or my teen/young adult.
There is absolutely no reason the dw should be the primary cook in the family. Ridiculous.
In my family, we are usually running in every direction, so unless I hear in advance everyone will be home, we won’t cook a big meal. Dh and I are light eaters. Kids are heavier eaters but I’m the primary breadwinner so I generally leave the cooking to dh or my teen/young adult.
There is absolutely no reason the dw should be the primary cook in the family. Ridiculous.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:02
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If you aren't cooking for your teens, what are you doing for your own dinner? Are you talking about situations where you have dinner plans out?
Otherwise, are you cooking dinner for yourself and not adding a portion for your kids?
No. I don’t cook a big dinner for myself and refuse to give any to my children.
Sometimes I have a big lunch at work, so I’m not hungry for dinner. Or, alternatively, I skip lunch at work, eat snacks when I get home, and am not hungry for dinner. Or I might have carrots and hummus and olives and a chunk of cheese. Or I might heat up some soup or grab a salad from the day before and eat it with a hunk of bread and some fruit.
There are a lot of alternatives to feeding yourself besides making full on meals three times a day.
DP. When I was a teen, my mom ate a big lunch everyday at work and wasn’t very hungry for dinner, so I usually had to fend for myself or deal with a teeny tiny, unsatisfying dinner that suited her needs. One of many factors that led to years of disordered eating. I make sure to nourish my kids and never assume that they’re not hungry just because I’m not.
Pp here. I agree with you. I did this for 20+ years.
I thought that the question was whether you still make the big meal when your youngest kids get to be older teens and are home over the summer.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 11:00
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
I cook about 4 times per week, my DS cooks once per week, and my DH sometimes cooks once per week. You should tell your son that he is in charge of 2.mral per week.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 10:58
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
I have breakfast and lunch options in the house. Breakfast they assemble what they want to eat themselves, but I hang around in the kitchen and eat too. My 17 yo has an internship so he eats lunch there. My 15 yo is mostly home at lunchtime this summer, so he and I coordinate if we are going to grab something, order something, or make at home. Dinner all together mostly—this is a great thing about summer bc few evening commitments.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 10:47
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If you aren't cooking for your teens, what are you doing for your own dinner? Are you talking about situations where you have dinner plans out?
Otherwise, are you cooking dinner for yourself and not adding a portion for your kids?
No. I don’t cook a big dinner for myself and refuse to give any to my children.
Sometimes I have a big lunch at work, so I’m not hungry for dinner. Or, alternatively, I skip lunch at work, eat snacks when I get home, and am not hungry for dinner. Or I might have carrots and hummus and olives and a chunk of cheese. Or I might heat up some soup or grab a salad from the day before and eat it with a hunk of bread and some fruit.
There are a lot of alternatives to feeding yourself besides making full on meals three times a day.
DP. When I was a teen, my mom ate a big lunch everyday at work and wasn’t very hungry for dinner, so I usually had to fend for myself or deal with a teeny tiny, unsatisfying dinner that suited her needs. One of many factors that led to years of disordered eating. I make sure to nourish my kids and never assume that they’re not hungry just because I’m not.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 10:41
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
Anonymous wrote:If you aren't cooking for your teens, what are you doing for your own dinner? Are you talking about situations where you have dinner plans out?
Otherwise, are you cooking dinner for yourself and not adding a portion for your kids?
No. I don’t cook a big dinner for myself and refuse to give any to my children.
Sometimes I have a big lunch at work, so I’m not hungry for dinner. Or, alternatively, I skip lunch at work, eat snacks when I get home, and am not hungry for dinner. Or I might have carrots and hummus and olives and a chunk of cheese. Or I might heat up some soup or grab a salad from the day before and eat it with a hunk of bread and some fruit.
There are a lot of alternatives to feeding yourself besides making full on meals three times a day.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 10:38
Subject: Do your teens expect you to cook meals for them over the summer?
AS a teen I would have expected the summer to be the same as the rest of the year. So if you cook dinner all nights of the other 3 seasons, why not the 4th season, summer?
BUT if you want to change things and request that your teens help more in the summer when they aren't so busy with after school sports, homework, whatever, then you need to DISCUSS this and come up with a plan - Tues and Thurs you are responsible for your own dinner. There are plenty of leftovers to have, or you could make a sandwich, (or whatever skills they have, like omelet, etc)
BUT if you want to change things and request that your teens help more in the summer when they aren't so busy with after school sports, homework, whatever, then you need to DISCUSS this and come up with a plan - Tues and Thurs you are responsible for your own dinner. There are plenty of leftovers to have, or you could make a sandwich, (or whatever skills they have, like omelet, etc)