Teenagers stealing food

tara747

PasturesNew wrote: »

My friend's dad had 4 food thieves when he was growing up. His dad locked all the food away in a cupboard, with a padlock. They were only allowed to eat what their dad let them/brought out. As it was his dad registered as a restaurant to buy food in wholesale, because they all ate so much.

Why don't you lock all the interesting stuff away, in one of your holiday suitcases maybe.

What???????? :eek: A padlocked cupboard with all the food in it????????????????????

He sounds like a right scrooge, good Lord. I agree with all those who say that it is not normal to behave like this, what a joyless existence your friends must have had growing up. In our house, we didn't have a lot of 'treats' as my mum didn't believe in eating lots of sugary junk, and we were brough up to ask if we could have X or Y out of courtesy - but my parents would never have the attitude that we were STEALING just for eating a biscuit/packet of nuts or whatever without asking!!! As for locking all the food in a cupboard, that is just weird. :eek:

The OP should probably ask the kids not to eat X if it's for baking a cake, or to ask before having anything out of the 'treat cupboard' or whatever (as I would do myself, it is good to teach children manners and maybe (s)he hasn't done so up to now)... but I do find post #1 (and the one quoted above) really shocking.

And registering as a restaurant, hmm, that could be classed as fraud.

p.s. I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if I'm repeating what someone else has said.

poet123

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Now, I see biscuits as treats rather than staples, which is another difference. I would also be quite cross if there was no cereal left for someone's breakfast because someone else had finished it as a snack the night before.

Yes, I suppose that in the strict sense of the word they are not staples, I suppose I really meant I consider them staples because I always buy them.

With regard to cereals we eat so much of it that at any given time we always have several packets in reserve so there is rarely a danger of running out. I always have porridge, cornflakes, bran flakes, weetabix, etc in.

My kids dont actually snack much on biscuits, it is usually yoghurt or muller rice that they eat and I buy probably 48 pots per week. Food has never been an issue in our house, but they do eat a lot because they go to the gym every day and that makes them all quite hungry. So my food buying takes account of that.

I think it is whatever works for you as a family.

fantasia322

This is the same poster who posted this
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2601917
about her bullied 13 year old son being on the Slimfast meal replacement diet and raiding the fridge at the same time.
Might not be relevant but its food that seems to be the issue. Totally confused as to the contradiction in the 2 posts:eek:

Raksha

fantasia322 wrote: »

This is the same poster who posted this
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2601917
about her bullied 13 year old son being on the Slimfast meal replacement diet and raiding the fridge at the same time.
Might not be relevant but its food that seems to be the issue. Totally confused as to the contradiction in the 2 posts:eek:

Yes - that was posted nearly 6 months ago - I've updated that thread - he's lost the weight and doesn't take nearly as much food as the older one. I have two sons in this relationship BTW - the older one is the one who is stealing food (and money, when I have it in the house).

I know Slimfast isn't ideal - but it's working for us, there are 3 of us who are over weight in this house, and between us we've lost about 6 stone in 6 months. We have such a large weight problem that professionals have told us what us adults have achieved is nigh on impossible to achieve by yourself. I am a size 28, but I can still bend down and touch my toes (aged 50!)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Could he be creating a fuss over food because he knows it's an issue for the rest of you? Perhaps because he's uncomfortable with repressed anger from you and your past, from your OH over his wishes to be someone else (if he has discovered/already knew about your OH's specific issues), or from your youngest, who has got a load of attention over the past through his aggressive behaviour, food, bullying and now weight loss?


One possibility of overeating is that it is to swallow down anger, rage and hurt - by doing the Slimfast, there is no way to hide the emotions that would have been displaced by eating/crammed down underneath previously - perhaps you three are unleashing more powerful emotions because there you can't anaesthetise them anymore and he is caught in the crossfire?

How can he get rid of any anger he feels? Using the taking of food as a weapon - You've made me angry so I will eat all the treats and you'll go mad because I can stuff it when you can't? Trying to use it as a coping mechanism - it worked for you three, so I'll try it too? Because he has witnessed your OH's and your younger son's rages, he doesn't want to express his frustration like that, so turns to the passive-aggressive alternative? He's the odd one out at the moment, as there are the three of you proving the doctors wrong, all together, doing the same thing.


There is so much there to address, he may be needing a lot of help too.

rachbc

I'm totally lost - in this thread you say son 2 is 'stealing' and son no 3 has lost weight on slimfast is now happy.

In the other thread you say son no 2 is the one with weight/ bullying and anger issues...

" #3 son followed him into the living room to offer him his portion of Macaroni cheese, and that got thrown on the floor"

That aside I tend to agreed with the posters who suggest this might be a much bigger issue from what has been posted. have you tried talking to him without his overbearing father there to try and find out WHY he's taking stuff?

Primrose

Teenagers are always hungry. They have hollow legs and removing their internet acess won't stop them feeling continually hungry when they are physically growing so fast. Why not start making things like rock cakes or big tins of bread pudding which will fill them up and stop them scoffing all the treats you buy.

Or lock them away in your car boot or in the garage somewhere and bring them out only when they can be shared equally amongst the whole family.

*max*

I have visions of those boys getting mean looks when they dare to ask for seconds at xmas dinner. Or a third mince pie.

They don't have "issues", FGS! They're teenagers, they eat! Whilst i agree they shouldn't have eaten the nuts (!) without asking, it's not a big deal! So what? You can't make the so called "treats" you had planned. Well - with all due respect - maybe they don't see those as treats? Maybe they don't like them? What YOU see as treats, for yourself, maybe they don't? They're teenagers, not old women. They're not going to go all "Ooooh lovely!" at the sigh of a cup of tea and a dry biscuit.
I know I'd much rather have a handful of walnuts or whatever, than a piece of homemade flapjack (yuck!!!).

Ask them what THEY like and want for a snack, that is reasonably healthy and affordable. And please let them have it without constant supervision.

Caroline73_2

Raksha wrote: »

I know Slimfast isn't ideal - but it's working for us, there are 3 of us who are over weight in this house, and between us we've lost about 6 stone in 6 months. We have such a large weight problem that professionals have told us what us adults have achieved is nigh on impossible to achieve by yourself. I am a size 28, but I can still bend down and touch my toes (aged 50!)

Are you saying that a qualified dietician has told you that dieting using calorie control and a balanced diet doesn't work but slimfast will?

ceridwen

Caroline73 wrote: »

Are you saying that a qualified dietician has told you that dieting using calorie control and a balanced diet doesn't work but slimfast will?

I am confused between the mention of dieting on the one hand - and wanting to keep things of a more fattening nature in to make biscuits on the other hand....

I DO also wonder why Slimfast is being used when there are perfectly decent well worked-out diets available "on the market" - Slimming World and Weight Watchers for instance. Both those diets have been carefully worked out and there are meetings one can attend as well for support/advice. I cant see why anyone would want to use anything other than one of those 2 plans - and definitely NOT Slimfast...