This story had me shaking my head.
A husband/father took to Reddit to seek validation. Does he get it?
I have been married to my wife for 5 months, living together for almost a year before marriage.
My stepdaughter Ann (16f) used to split time between her parents but is currently with us full time as her father will be oversea until August. I also have a son, Leo (17m), who lives mostly with my ex-wife and with me on weekends.
The kids go to different schools and have a decent relationship.
The man’s wife and stepdaughter come from a different cultural background than he and his son.
My wife and Ann are great cooks. My wife’s parents came from another country and she and Ann regularly make exotic dishes from their homeland which are delicious.
Both my son and I appreciate the dishes though we still have problems learning what is what.
A few days ago Leo stopped by for something he left. Nobody was home so he let himself in.
Leo said there was a big pot of stew on the stove and it smelled delicious and he asked if he could have some. My wife or Ann often made a huge batch of food when they cook, so it was nothing surprising.
I told Leo to go ahead and just leave some for us.
To curb Leo’s appetite it took a hefty serving size.
Now Leo is a wrestler and he eats a lot.
A while later he sent me a photo, showing me how much stew was left in the pot.
I could tell there was at least 5 servings left, so I thought nothing of it.
When the stepdaughter discovers the missing stew, she is upset.
An hour later Ann called me, upset. She asked if I had eaten the stew she made. It was a special recipe from her grandma and she invited her friends over to try it.
She said the stew was supposed to feed 9 people and she invited 6 friends but someone obviously had eaten almost half of her stew.
I told her it was Leo and apologized, telling her she could order pizza for her friends and I would pay for it.
Yeah, that didn’t go over well…
Ann said it was poor compensation for her friends looking forward to her stew which she spent hours preparing but she did take my offer.
When I later apologized and had Leo call to apologize himself, she said she accepted our apologies though she has been rather quiet around me.
My wife later told me I should not just allow Leo to eat whatever he wants in our kitchen as sometimes she and Ann have plans for their dishes.
I think it’s completely ridiculous that Leo is not allowed to eat things from his own father’s kitchen and if my wife or Ann has a special plan for their food, they should put a note on it.
Otherwise, things in the kitchen should be up for grabs as the kitchen is a communal space for food and I pay for most of the groceries.
The father is worried that his son will feel unwelcome.
I think if Leo is not allowed to have the food then it’s like he’s not part of the family.
I am willing to talk to him about portion control but other than that I think he should be able to eat what he wants in the kitchen unless there’s a note saying not to.
AITA?
Readers of this story were there to defend the mother and daughter duo instantly.
One person went in on the man for his entitlement.
This reader also sensed entitlement from the writer and instructed him to cook the food if he wants control over it.
Once again, a similar sentiment. No cook? No touch.
Hopefully this father and son duo will learn better than to bite the hand that feeds them.
Yeesh!