Teenager constantly eating all the food in the house
Teens eating household groceries faster than families can afford creates severe financial strain and leaves other household members going hungry. Parents are left feeling trapped between locking up food like a totalitarian or watching their entire grocery budget disappear overnight.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Trying suggestions from therapists and other parents
- 2Calling her while driving home to ask if she got into any food
- 3Considering locking up food
- 4picking battles and accepting it as a normal part of childhood
- 5giving children food freedom so they do not feel the need to sneak
- 6letting children experience the natural consequences
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I can’t keep anything in the house that she MIGHT get to.”source ↗
“I’m actively going hungry because I can’t keep food in the house and I can’t afford unlimited groceries.”source ↗
“I just can’t keep doing this. I don’t want to be a totalitarian parent that locks up food but I don’t know what else to do.”source ↗
“Three kids here, and somehow they become expert candy smugglers the second the lights go out.”source ↗
“Sent the kids to sleep, I check how is that going 10 min later... found out their candy stash in the open.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7Cat keeps eating string and dental floss
- 4Why does my toddler refuse to eat anything I cook?
- 6How to stop feeling like a full-time maid for young kids
- 3How to get a toddler to stop eating blanket fibers
- 6Why does my child behave at school but act out at home?
- 2Why does my kid come home from school with a full lunch?