Mother appoints her brother to be her 3 under 10-year-old children's unpaid personal chef: '[She] expect[s] me to make something every day for the kids'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Nov 11, 2024 6:00 PM EST

Meals are undoubtedly one of the most important daily chores, along with sleep. Being properly fed is one of the things that everything else in a successful and happy life stems from. But providing healthy meals for your family isn't cheap… Have you seen the price of groceries these days? And the time it takes to cook and clean for an entire family can't be understated. So, undoubtedly, the combination of those two things, the time and the price of the actual food, would be supremely valuable. 

Of course, you can just trick your sous-chef brother into cooking for your three children instead. Surely, if he's willing to do it once for free, you can just ask him to do it again and again. Even when it comes to family, there's a limit to the favors you're expected to perform, and there's a point where demanding favors just becomes freeloading and entitlement. 

Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10427074048
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

    Image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Image is for illustration only and subjects are models.

  • 02
    AITA for refusing to feed my sister's kids for free every day? My older sister (37F) has 3 kids under 10. I (25M) don't have kids yet but I'm a junior sous- chef and I cook a lot in my spare time. During some recent time off from work my sister asked if I could babysit her kids after school for three days. I said yes.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 03
    I watched the kids. She paid me for it and I thought that would be it. But then she asked me what the kids ate with me after the week had ended and then she wanted to know how I got her kids to eat a full meal.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 04
    Her kids are picky eaters. They are typically the kids who will eat what they like off a plate (meat and potatoes, rice or noodles) and then leave the rest (veggies, sauces). According to my sister and BIL, even if you give more veggies than something else they won't eat them and they'll wait until their
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 05
    next meal and if you give all veggies or insist they eat the veggies before anything else, they'll skip the meal. I sorta knew that about them before I babysat so I blended veggies and other good stuff into their dinner the first day with me and the second day I served them but I did them but hid them in plain sight and on the last day I just served them in a way they don't get them normally and because they knew they had them they ate them without an issue.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 06
    But they wouldn't eat them for my sister or BIL after. There was some back and forth between us and I shared some recipes but my sister said she couldn't get them to eat the food. So she wanted me to make food for her kids every day. I asked if she was going to pay me for spending all that time and money and she told me I should do it as a way to help my nieces and nephews stay healthy. I told her it's a big ask. She told me I have the chance to really help and put my skills to good use for fami
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 07
    I feel like it's asking a lot because they expect me to make something every day for the kids. But my sister feels like I'm being a bad brother and uncle. AITA?
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 08
    OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the a hle: I refused to cook for my sister's kids for free every day. I do cook for a living and I know the kids would eat better if I agreed. And I'm not a struggling chef exactly so it's not that I would be really struggling if I did it. But it's a lot to ask for someone to do 7 days a week without getting anything. But still, I could do it without suffering which is why I could be TA.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 09
    • MrsNobodyspecial... 10h ago • NTA. Does your sister know how much food costs? If she wants to buy the food and bring it over, and provide the disposable to go boxes then I think you should do it. I cook for people all the time for free, but they pay for the food. If you enjoy it, it gives you experience. But only if she pays for the food and costs associated with it.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 10
    thick-standards90 • 10h ago • So she's willing to pay you to watch them, but won't pay you to feed them? That math ain't mathen. NTA.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 11
    Discount_Mithral • 9h ago • NTA. Has she seen how expensive a bag of groceries is lately?! And she wants you to increase your grocery spending by three-fold for free?! Not only that, but your time and effort to cook a nice meal should be compensated. I used to work service industry, I know a lot of cooks that ate like garbage at home because they spent all day cooking for other people, so the last thing they wanted to do when they got home was cook more food.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 12
    It's close to the holidays, I might offer to either spend time with her teaching her how to cook or getting her some cooking lessons so she can mimic the meals you made for her kids. Clearly the kids like the veggies when cooked a specific way. (My mom used to just boil brussels sprouts; I HATED them as a kid. I finally had them roasted as an adult and thought - why couldn't they have been like this? | would have eaten them more often!)
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 13
    SmartQuokka 9h ago. • They want to offload not only the cost but the food prep labour onto you. NTA Helping family is an occasional babysitting or taking the kids out for the day to the local fair, not being a long term personal chef, on your dime.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 14
    Glad_Bobcat92 · 10h ago • NTA Sounds like your sister is trying to leverage your relationship with her to get a favor. You are totally justified to ask for groceries to be covered and your time to be paid for. Otherwise, they're really just trying to get free groceries
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 15
    000ps-Crow_No • 9h ago • Also she and her husband can just learn to cook & model good eating behavior instead of focusing on the kids' eating vegetables-the kids likely feel pressured & resistant whereas with you it was no pressure & a pleasant dining experience. My niblings love to eat at my house bc I don't make the whole meal about getting them to eat, and try to involve them in the process where possible, and I eat the same food with them. Tell sister to check out "Kids Eat In Color" for ton
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 16
    Dominique-Gleeful 9h ago • Nta they aren't your kids or your problem. SHE chose to have them SHE can feed them.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 17
    1568314 • 9h ago • Don't let her delude you into thinking an unpaid personal chef is something her children are entitled to. This isn't even like her asking you to give them free haircuts because you're a stylist. She's asking you to take on a whole- part-time job so she doesn't have to put effort into getting her kids to eat healthy.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 18
    You can be sure that while she's telling you it's no big. deal, she's dreaming about all the time she's going to have because she doesn't have to cook dinner anymore. The time saved on dishes alone! You did more than enough by teaching her kids that healthy meals can taste good and giving her recipes. She can drag her bt to your kitchen and roll up her sleeves if she's serious about getting her kids to eat better. NTA
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 19
    llama_llama_48213 • 9h ago. I am in no way undermining OP's professional skill. But sister could easily look up on Google different ways to present veggies to kids. There are blogs and books devoted to this topic. Rather than guilting her sister about putting her skills to good use for the family, da$m, ask OP for advice.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 20
    fiestafan73. 9h ago. Being a good brother does not mean becoming her personal chef. Your sister is entitled AF. Give her some recipes and tell her to feed her own kids. NTA
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 21
    East Parking8340 · 10h ago With the prices of groceries these days..... NTA - your parenting her children and saving her the trouble.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 22
    GSD_enthusiast . 9h ago Muahahahaha. No. NTA she can buy the ingredients and you can show her how to cook it. Once. If she keeps stop baby sitting. Simple
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 23
    Routine-Friend-7585 9h ago. Thats taking advantage of you.
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 24
    Particular-Lime1651 9h ago What? No? Obviously. If she was going to pay for the food, and something for your time.. Then absolutely not. Nta
    via ClassroomBoring115
  • 25
    Cav-2021 · 9h ago • Your sister is taking advantage of you. Tell her if she wants you to cook for her kids she needs to pay for the food and your time period.
    via ClassroomBoring115

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

childcare karens family drama aita entitled parents wedding drama kids brother siblings moms family feud parenting wedding dad entitled family reddit thread parent Reddit raising kids weddings Parenting Fail karen parents children entitled people
Scroll Down For The Next Article