Parent Refusing To Share Food With Eldest Child Sparks Debate: 'Selfish'

The internet is divided over a mom of three who asked their eldest child not to eat the snacks intended for the younger two.

In a post shared on Mumsnet on Monday, the mother, under the username User3billion, explained that her eldest had come home and asked to eat a small prepackaged crepe. However, the mother refused, saying they were for the younger children.

But the child didn't listen to her and ate the crepe regardless. "There were two left in the pack - went to get the youngest one this morning as she asked for it for breakfast and eldest has eaten BOTH. He's also denied it but it couldn't be anyone else," the mother wrote.

Most users on the thread believed the mother was playing favorites, which turns out to be quite a common practice among parents.

A study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found that 74 percent of moms and 70 percent of dads reported preferential treatment toward one child. Even though parents in the survey did not indicate which child they preferred, siblings can often tell.

Research by the Survey Center on American Life found that 40 percent of Americans raised with siblings believe their parents had a favorite child.

User3billion went on to say this wasn't the first time her eldest child has helped themself to food they weren't allowed, such as an instance when they ate some of the fancy chocolates the mother had received as a birthday gift.

Among the 321 users who left comments in the thread, most thought her behavior wasn't fair to her eldest child, but others said it was reasonable.

One user, georgarina said: "I think you need to make it clear if something is to be kept for someone or something (ie used in a recipe) otherwise it's for everyone."

And MichelleScarn asked: "Is there a reason youngest can have the special treat food oldest can't? Had they already had their share or was this literally 'I have bought younger 2 treats and you aren't to have them?' Why could younger not then [have] all the bread, cooked meats, cheese, a selection of cereals, fruit, yogurt, etc to eat instead?"

Another user, mountainsunsets said: "I do think it's a bit odd to have food that's for one child and not another (dietary restrictions excepted)."

And RoomOfRequirement wrote: "How odd. It's a crepe! I can't imagine allowing younger siblings to eat most of the packet and then not allowing the eldest 2! That stinks of some weird favoritism thing."

Another user, itwasntmetho said: "Yeah that's really rude and the type of behavior that will make other members of the family obsessive about food, as if they don't get it straight away they won't get those fair share."

And ZealAndArdour wrote: "I think if I was your eldest I'd wonder why I wasn't allowed a crepe but the others were. I always found the "because I said so" type of parenting difficult to respect. The situation with your birthday chocolate is unreasonable though."

WhenISnappedAndFarted added: "I think [YouAreBeingUnreasonable] with the crepes, I don't think that was fair to make it just for specific children. [YouAreNotBeingUnreasonable] with your birthday chocolates. They were a gift for you for your birthday."

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the case.