Most people have their own routines for their everyday life: when they wake up, eat breakfast, go to work or run some errands, lunch time, dinner time, and their nighttime routine. When a baby comes, the routine may disappear or become a total mess, but some people just adjust it and avoid chaos.
However, there is a great possibility for conflict to spark when one person has a routine for when they cook dinner and another insists on changing it. One Reddit user found herself in a similar situation after offering her grandson a snack before dinner, but ended up being scolded for not cooking a meal earlier.
A few days ago, one Reddit user shared her story online, asking community members if she was being a jerk for telling her grandkids to wait for dinner and eat some fruit if they are hungry. The post caught a lot of folks' attention and collected over 7.6K upvotes and almost 3K comments.
The original poster (OP) started her story by sharing that at least once a week, she babysits her grandkids. She makes them dinner and they usually eat around 6. However, one day OP's grandson was hungry and insisted she make dinner at 4. She refused and suggested he eat some fruit and wait for dinner.
However, the main issue appeared when OP's daughter came back home and her son went straight to her, complaining that he had to wait for dinner. Well, she started saying that OP must make dinner if at least one of the kids is hungry. The whole situation ended with OP being called a jerk and refusing to babysit her grandkids anymore.
The community members gave OP the 'Not the A-hole' badge in this situation and shamed the kids' mom for this behavior. 'Mom out here raising the next generation of entitled men that can't do anything for themselves,' one user shared their frustration. 'Say what now? Your daughter will regret her method of parenting at one point when her son tells her to back off when he's asked to do something. You took a reasonable and logical approach to the situation,' another added.
Most of the community members discussed that mom's reaction was wrong and in the long run, the kids won't care what she has to say and will just make things harder for her. According to Melbourne Child Psychology, saying 'no' is actually one of the best things you can do for your children. Parents who continuously say yes to their kids' whims are putting excessive expectations on them. Adults rarely succeed in their goals instantly; instead, they must work hard to achieve them. So kids should acquire this crucial lesson of the need to wait at a young age. Playtime, for instance, comes after schoolwork, dessert follows dinner, and so on.
Now, let's talk a little bit about the pros and cons of grandparents babysitting. Corporette Moms shares that the first positive aspect is the unique and priceless relationship that kids have with their granny. The growth and safety of the kids are important to grandparents, thus parents can fully trust them, knowing their kids are in good hands.
However, there are disadvantages as well, such as burnout. When setting limits, some parents are more adept than others. Additionally, grandparents are not always able to act like 'normal' grandmothers. One can't, for instance, spoil her grandchildren in the conventional sense because she spends so much time with them. Giving out treats would be a poor precedent.
And what is your take on this situation? Do you think grandma should have listened to the kid and started making dinner early? Or, as Redditors mentioned, was mom being unreasonable and her behavior will make her kids' behavior worse in the future? Share your thoughts below!
