Dad gives teen son 'adult responsibilities'; MIL says 'you're stealing his childhood.'
Being a parent to a teenage boy is tough, especially when your MIL is pressuring you to raise him a certain way. When this father is annoyed with his MIL for criticizing his parenting style, he takes to the popular Reddit forum to ask:
"AITA for giving my teenage son adult responsibilities?"
heresafishingrod writes:
My son, 16M, makes dinner for the entire family one night a week. My wife and I trade off the rest of the week. He also cleans his room, does his own laundry and cleans his bathroom.
My MiL is staying with us and is annoyed that we make our son do 'so much.' She said we are stealing what should be 'the carefree years of his childhood.' The bathroom he cleans is the shared bath for both his room and the guest room.
My MiL declared she will clean this bathroom now even though she is a guest because my wife and I are 'too lazy' to do it ourselves. My wife tried to argue with her, but I convinced her to let it be, because if she wants to create work for herself, God love her.
The issue is with dinner tonight. My son was putting some stuff in the crockpot and my MiL got all fussy and said she would make dinner if my wife and I are 'too lazy' and my son got upset because he was excited to make this dish.
So my wife and I booted her from the kitchen. Now she is in her room pouting and complaining about us on her phone to all my wife's relatives about how we are terrible lazy parents that robbed our son of a happy childhood. Are we a$@holes?
Let's see what Reddit had to say.
hardpassyo writes:
NTA. Please teach more teenaged boys how to cook and clean for themselves! Especially since he gets excited about cooking?? How freaking cool!! Let grandma pout who cares.
rubycaper brings up this interesting point:
I’m wondering if grandma would have the same reaction if OP’s child was a girl. Would it be “so much” for a teenage daughter to help out?
evenrose5766 writes:
NTA. Having responsibilities is part of life and he is doing his own piece. Besides, he was EXCITED to make dinner! That alone should clue your MIL in that he doesn't feel oppressed doing that.
My brother and my nephew are both chefs and they started experimenting/creating with dinners for family in their teens. I personally don't enjoy making dinner, but they certainly did. And do.