'As a mother of a child with celiac disease, I am shocked': Parents drops off 9-year-old with gluten allergy at an acquaintance's house with no food instructions, won't reimburse them for food cost

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 29, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Allergies are not a simple matter. If you don't have experience dealing with one, you might not know just how much goes into making sure your food is safe. You might think it's as simple as avoiding the allergen, but it's more complicated than that. You have to make sure that wherever you go there is something you can eat. If you're eating out you have to make double-sure there aren't any hidden allergies. And then there's always the risk of cross-contamination or airborne contamination. If you're the one with the allergy, then you're probably pretty used to dealing with it. But if you're doing it on someone else's behalf, then you're bound to mess up.

This is especially true if the one with the allergy is a child. As much as they might know that they're allergic to something, they might not know exactly how to navigate the world with it. Plus, they're not used to feeding themselves.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10499582720
    via Providence Doucet

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • That's the situation one adult was put in when they were unwittingly put in charge of a child with an allergy. And after they did the best they could with the information they were given, it wasn't quite enough. Read on to see what happened and make your judgment about who was in the right. 

  • 02

    AITAH for disavowing responsibility for needing to feed a 9 y.o. girl after her mother dumped her on us and she got sick the first time I fed her?

    Background: my wife is in a training program that takes place one weekend a month for a few months. It started two months ago. This weekend, she invited a woman over to stay with us who needed to drive 3 hours to attend. She brought along her 9 y.o. girl who cannot eat gluten. My role was to watch her and our two boys, both under the age of 8, both Saturday and Sunday.
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 03
    Wife and the woman left around 830 on Saturday. Knowing that I was on watch for lunch, I asked the mom what her daughter could eat. (The boys had soccer games before and after lunch, and the girl would come along). I suggested Chipotle, and the mom said, "yeah, that's perfect. She loves chipotle."
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 04
    We get to the soccer field, and the girl immediately says "I'm hungry." Okay, first test. Nothing was discussed about snacks so I went to a concession tent and she picked out some hot flaming chips and a ring pop. I asked her if she could have the chips and she said yes, she's had it before.
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 05
    When lunchtime came around, we went to Chipotle. I asked the girl what she wanted (kids meal hard shell corn chips, veggies, rice, and avocado. I got a burrito for me and the boys each had a kids meals.) I asked her if she could have corn since it has gluten. She said yes, as long as it was no more than twice a day. Okay fine.
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 06
    We start eating and she says she's nauseous. She goes to the bathroom and throws up twice, then loses her appetite with the meal barely eaten. We finish our meals and go back to soccer. She complains of a stomach ache and "feeling worse," and I arrange my in laws to come watch the boys while I take the girl back to my house. But before I do this, I call the mom during her lunch break. She was not very helpful, saying things like "yeah her stomach does these things, it's no one's fault" etc.
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 07
    I take her back and she starts feeling better. When my wife and the mom come back from training, mom takes daughter to go eat by themselves and I start telling my wife that I'm not responsible for feeding the girl on Sunday (today), given that mom never supplied us with any
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 08
    instructions let alone brought food for her daughter, basically setting us up to fail and I'm not doing that again (while paying for it all and her not offering to reimburse--I would have declined anyway. It's the point that counts). Also, the mom's bit about how it's "no one's fault," was not really accurate. It was your fault, lady.
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 09
    So my wife told the mom this morning that she needs to arrange for lunch for her daughter and instead mom dragged the daughter along to her training all day today before they make the 3 hour trek back home. AITA for disavowing responsibility for feeding the girl on Sunday given what happened the day before?
    via u/Fair-Slice-4238
  • 10
    Cheezburger Image 10499583232
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 11

    Commenters weighed in on if they though this parent was responsible.

    Connect Tackle2... • 19h ago Nta if you have no experience with a gluten allergy then you should have been given explicit instructions on the dos/don'ts. You can't trust a young child to be completely honest with you when they see things they want and know the adult in charge doesn't know
    via u/Connect_Tackle299
  • 12
    Worldly_Act5867 19h ago NTA, mainly because the mother did not give enough instruction and she should have offered to reimburse or brought food
    via u/Worldly_Act5867
  • 13
    Tboogie-1 .18h ago I'm sorry but I would think if your child had special food requirements you would bring appropriate snacks. and such with you, as well as give the brand new person watching said child a specific list of things she can eat to be helpful. It doesn't sound like this mom takes her daughters food requirements seriously. She's the AH, not you.
    via u/Tboogie-1
  • 14
    theunassumingw... . 18h ago As a mother of a child with celiac disease, I am shocked. My kid would be sent with carefully wrapped snacks, wipes, and thorough instructions
    via u/theunassumingwarrior
  • 15
    AmbitiousReveal... 19h ago You did exactly what you should have; girls MOTHER HOLE. IS THE A
    via u/AmbitiousReveal4806
  • 16
    whyknotgiveitago · 19h ago • definitely NTA. I feel bad for the kid having a mom weaponizing her this way.
    via u/whyknotgiveitago
  • 17
    Fickle_Pirate5617 • 18h ago Nta. Mum should have gone through what she can't eat. At a minimum. If she was likely to throw up and be unwell, that also should have been communicated. It's not ok for the mum to hand over a sick kid to a stranger. For you or the kid.
    via u/Fickle_Pirate5617
  • 18
    The daughter would have been better off staying with a relative, or someone else who knew her, while the mum stayed with you.
    via u/Fickle_Pirate5617
  • 19
    TranslatorOk3977 19h ago Corn doesn't have gluten.
    via u/TranslatorOk3977
  • 20
    vinsdelamaison 19h ago • No but not all tortilla chips are 100% corn. Chipotle has a gf menu. Most restaurants will tell you if you ask. Many spicy potato chips have gluten in the spice mix. But OP has zero experience in this so NTA. Allergy parents usually send allowable snacks and instructions of what to watch for.
    via u/vinsdelamaison
  • 21
    visceralthrill • 18h ago NTA That mom is playing with her daughters well being, ugh. I get general gastric upset, so it does sometimes happen for people with other allergies and sensitivity of the digestive system. But that can be
    via u/visceralthrill
  • 22
    greatly reduced by planning. She should have picked up snacks, lunches, etc. I did this for my kids with food allergies, for a reason! She's making her daughter miserable when she doesn't have to! Ugh.
    via u/visceralthrill
  • 23
    Inherently_Rainb... . 19h ago NTA. Her mom said Chipotle was fine, and 9 years old is plenty old enough to have taught the kid what she can and can't eat if the gluten allergy/intolerance is severe enough that she can't have any at all.
    via u/Inherently_Rainbow
  • 24
    Blueydgrl56 18h ago • 100% NTA My daughter has celiac and I would never leave anyone else responsible to feed her, especially someone that doesn't know the ins and outs of keeping her safe. It should never have been your responsibility.
    via u/Blueydgrl56
  • 25
    empresskeyyyy . 15h ago NTA. This is insane and dangerous. Every kid is unique with food allergies, anxieties, preferences and a million other things. How are you supposed to any of that. Stay out of it.
    via u/empresskeyyyy
  • 26
    Maida_G 18h ago • NTA I hate parents that do this. Take your kid's allergies seriously. You never know when it could get worse and end up with them really hurt or de d.
    via u/Maida__G
  • 27
    SomethingHasG... Mom sounds pretty 15h ago neglectful. She also left her daughter alone with a strange man. Nuts.
    via u/SomethingHasGotToGiv

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

Tags

childcare aita kids teenagers food allergy moms parenting babysitting dad allergy reddit thread parent Reddit raising kids Parenting Fail parents children Parenting FAILS
Scroll Down For The Next Article