Drives me nuts! BF's 7 year old does this all the time! First she's starving and two bites later she's done. I showed her how to make her own cup of instant cocoa once, even let her play with the whipped cream, but all she did was make cup after cup of cocoa, eat the whipped cream off the top and dump the cocoa down the sink.

She never finishes anything.

Except that large pastry he gave her one day. Which she puked up all over my living room.

I always let the kiddos make their own breakfasts and had a variety of options-frozen pancakes, waffles, microwaveable sausage, cereal, etc-they've all been able to do this since they were little. Well, when ss lived with us-he would rush out to the kitchen in the morning (although he was supposed to be completely ready before eating)so that he could get first pick of what was available. But then one of the other kids would come out and get something that ss didnt see or perhaps he did, IDK, but he would decide he wanted what they had. So whatever portion he still had left he would throw in the trash and then fix what they had. Drove me nuts.
That's the only situation in which he would not finish his food-otherwise we had the opposite situation-he would gorge himself on food until he was forced to stop. He used to throw up all the time because he had gorged. I mean, he would sneak into the kitchen at night and eat an entire big package of nutter butters, vomit, and then ask me what is for breakfast a few hours later. He could eat an entire carton of little debbie snack cakes in one sitting, an entire jar of peanut butter-all in the middle of the night.

Don't get me wrong wasting food is something I can't stand either. However, you keep saying how bad you feel that you had to yell at your son instead of just SS. From what I gather about your post your son threw food away too. No matter the amount of the banana gone it was still food. I am not saying I think it is wrong to be yelled at over food I am just saying it sounds a bit hypocritical to only want to yell at SS when your BS did the same thing. Now as for a suggestion, if you don't want them throwing food away, possibly watch the amount of things they consume and adjust the serving accordingly, then there is less change of food going into the garbage. I do that with my skids, I give them small amounts and if they are still hungry then I will give them a little more. It really saves on waste (like that even happens here whatever no one eats my BF hoovers)

My skids think I am a super freak because I have had numerous meltdowns regarding chip clips. We are week on/week off. So they will put a particular kind of chip they like and I'll get a bag. They open it up, eat a couple - put it in the cupboard and then go to BM's for the week. Guess what happens during that week? THEY GO STALE! Now I have wasted an entire bag of chips!! UGH! SD is now trained for the most part and really good about it. SS always thought I grew a second head when I would go off about it until he started buying his own chips. One day he actually told me I was right and the chip clips make a difference! Amazing! Meanwhile, I always felt stupid for pitching such a fit about a clip. It really shouldn't be that big of a deal but it made me feel like it was so wasteful!

SD11 NEVER finishes her food. Now, when DH serves her her food, I can't get too upset if she doesn't finish everything. But sometimes, she'll take a second portion of something...and not even touch it. It infuriates me...something I know I need to let go, but....grrrrrrrrrr!!!!
I mean, yeah, the dogs will be delighted to split her wasted food...but still. WHY take food you're not going to eat?

Shortly after I moved here 1.5 years ago, DH had xSIL over for dinner. She's divorced from BM's brother. They spent much of the meal discussing how SD just picks at her food, and how that's just like BM, and how BM always keeps herself soooooo slender. Yeah, that's JUST what I want to hear about, while the two of you ignore me and eat the meal I've just prepared.

Yes, I did talk to DH about that, how I felt they were rude, and how little I enjoyed a meal full of talk about BM. He's stopped socializing with xSIL, which isn't exactly what was required to keep me from being upset, but, hey...that works for me, too.

he probably knows it will infuriate you. like my ss likes to wipe blood on the wall, from a cut or whatever. i've found it several times, and i think he laughs when he envisions me finding it. put it in perspective, its a kid and a pop tart. don't yell at your kid for that skid. i can paint over blood. and they grow up EVENTUALLY. its cheaper than paying child support

oh yea, we have 7 kids and my ss would take and heap up his plate to get the most and never eat it. it was so annoying. now he's a pothead and a super loser. it makes me miss the days he was just an idiot.

Both kids threw food away you even said your son did it too while frustrating why are you only coming down on ss? Did u see him throw the food out? After your more recent blogs I came here to see if u had a reason to dislike ss and I'm not finding a single one. This kid will never do right in your eyes regardless of what you say. I think you should be thankful he's semi decent and displaying normal kid behavior I hope his dad opens his eyes and sees you for the evil step you are and I really hate calling steps evil but honey you deserve it.

Saying stuff like my kid did it too but I'm not mad at him really shows your true feelings. You say your trying but your not a lot of us steps struggle with bonding or blending with our stepkids you really irk me because you don't have anything but petty issues. While I understand your struggle we've all been there I don't understand your hostility towards your skid both kids threw out a banana. It's kid behavior and you either enforce rules in both or neither it's not right to just punish the skid when your own kid did it too. If your not mad at your kid why are you mad at the skid for doing the same thing?

Sorry, but I had the same reaction to your post as Butter did...

Look, if you made a mistake, try to learn from it and make changes. But, all kids don't get punished the same for the same offenses. For example: my SS10 keeps his room pretty clean so every time a few clothes are on his floor I just poke my head in and say "It's getting a little messy in here" and he hops to it. My DD6 is chronically throwing clothes on the floor so I really stay on top of her and divvy out more punishment to her for clothes on the floor b/c she does it ALL THE TIME. It is a pattern of behavior for her as opposed to her brother where for him it's occasional isolated incidents. But, conversely, my SS10 gets in trouble for throwing away utensils. It's hard to keep count of spoons and forks, but if I had to count I'd say he's probably thrown out more than 30 over the years. My DD has done it twice in her life. So the two times she's done it I've had to tell her "DD, this is not acceptable and you need to be more careful." When SS does it - it becomes a whole big thing with consequences and maybe withholding of a privilege. There's a lot of factors that go into how a kid needs to be disciplined. Sometimes it's not the offense but the frequency of the offense. Or the fact that it's a part of a pattern of behavior. And I also don't know the ages of your kids/skids.

If you're harsher on skid just b/c he's a skid, then, ya know, you might want to rethink that strategy. But I don't agree that all kids should always be disciplined the same way for the same offenses.

I'll say it....I think you are way overreacting. Think about it...your kids didn't eat their bananas? And you yelled at them? Over a piece of banana?

And organic poptarts? I didn't even know they made organic poptarts.

Sweetie, you sound like you are wound up tighter than a drum. Relax. They are kids. Eating a regular poptart won't kill them. No one will think you are a bad mommy if you give your kids a freakin' poptart for breakfast.

My oldest is almost 22. My others are 18, 17, 15, and 8. I've been doing this parenting thing for a long time. If you get this upset over a banana, how are you going to handle the bigger stuff.

Step back. Take a deep breath. And ask yourself why you are so angry about a banana. And don't tell me it is about waste. I don't believe that and neither do you.

I am really cheap these days and I get very p.o.'d when DH! even would waste food, unless he got tired of hearing it from me.

He would never ever close anything, like the chips, so they would be basically wasted and I can't afford that!! so finally he figured out, don't do it.

If you never object the kid will never learn not to do it. I personally don't think this is a sinister plot against the skid.

I came home tonight to find two full cups of milk on the counter. DH had just dropped his kids off at their grandparents house for the night. I said to DH, "So are these cups of milk just going to sit here and curdle? Your kids aren't capable of putting their own drinks in the refrigerator?" And DH said, "I will just dump them out." WHAT?! No flippin' way! I told him no way in hell are you dumping them out... They can finish them tomorrow. DH and I go through milk like it's nothing in the first place. I swear we have bought 3 gallons in the past week because I am 9 months pregnant and can't stop eating cookies! As if I wasn't annoyed enough that those damn kids can't put their own stuff where it belongs, DH had to say that. The three of them are going to drive me comepletely insane!

my SS6 will sit down to eat, take afew bites and say I'm done and DH swears if he dont eat hes not cooking him something later... so later on SS comes whinning he's hungry and what does DH do.. goes and fixes him something like ravoli or chic noodle, but instead of heating in the microwave he dirtys another pot (for me to clean.. and the bowl) or say I am eating cereal and he sees it, weather he's hungry or not he decides he wants some, so DH makes him some just for him to sit and play in it, eat like 2 bites and leave it sittin.. he thinks he wants is just cause someone else has it, then wastes it. or pouts because DH or I get the last piece of food... knowing he doesn't want it and won't eat it, DH gives it up to him, just for him to set there and poke and play with it on his plate or mix it with other food so DH can't eat it after he decides he really didnt want it... Pisses me off to no end!! We went to MCDs for breakfast one morning and I got a meal and so did DH but SS6 got just a juice and Bis&Grav.. he gets pissy cause DH has a hashbrown and he doesnt so DH gives him his... SS smushes it with his fork, puts ketchup on it then smears it with gravy... of course he doesnt eat it, but it kept dad from having it so it didnt matter.