How do you deal?

[llamafarm]

Hey everyone! It has been awhile, but this has bothered me for years. What do you all do to deal with the lack of cooperation? How do you keep sane? My son is almost 18 and going to be a senior. He eats all the time. He also cooks. He does not join in family meals, if he does he does not help with any part of prep or pick up. His dishes are always left throughout the house, and he doesn't realize that the animals (pets) are making a mess because he refuses to to put food and used dishes away. I have locked all pantry goods that he cannot have in my room so he does not inhale them when I bring them home from the store, but fridge and freezer items end up being up for grabs. Ice cream - gone, milk - gone, crescent rolls (raw) - gone.

What do all of you do to limit and/or train your teens appetite and mess making?

 

[GoingNorth]

Hmmm...the only thing I can think of is going to a two fridge/freezer situation. One, smaller fridge/freezer holds food that is available to all.

The other, holds food you don't want your son to get into. That one is locked.

Other parents on here have had gotten to the point of having to lock up food.

So long as a balanced diet is available to him, there is absolutely nothing that CPS can say about the locked fridge/freezer.

You're not under any obligation to provide him with ice cream, etc. In fact, I wouldn't. I'd provide a basic diet. Protein, carbs, fruits and veggies. Basic nutrition in large quantities because he's growing right now. (unless he's overweight) No one needs a gallon of milk a day. 24oz is enough to get all the calcium etc., you need.

No one needs ice cream. Ice cream is a treat. I eat a half cup of it every once in a while.

There are ways around this, but he's gonna throw a fit.

As regarding leaving dirty dishes and food laying around. He gets one set of dishes and one set of silverware. If they are dirty, he either washes them, or eats off of dirty tableware. Lock up the other stuff.

You're not gonna train him at this point; you're going to prevent the behavior by making it impossible for him to behave in this way.

 

[Crayola13]

Tell him you have been seeing mice because of the food he leaves around. Lying is lying, but sometimes creative story telling is necessary.

My 3-year old nephew would stand in a chair and get five popsicles out of the freezer everyday. If one was a flavor he didn't like, he would just throw it down on his bed. They put a lock on the freezer, but he figured out how to unlock it. His parents also tried to hide the candy and cookies, but he always found them and ate like there was no tomorrow.

If your son is willing to go to nutrition counseling, it might help. Most insurance plans cover it now.