Everyone wants good neighbors whose houses they can just pop into for a cup of tea, or where their children can play safely. There are many people like this who are very welcoming and extend a lot of hospitality to whoever pays them a visit.
Unfortunately, one vegan mom took issue with her neighbor’s kindness because she felt they were overfeeding her daughter. She also didn’t like that they were giving the kid meat, and hadn’t yet said anything to them. The whole situation left her feeling anxious and annoyed.
More info: Mumsnet
Sometimes, friends and neighbors offer children food as a way to take care of them and make them feel like they’re a part of the family
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that her six-year-old daughter often played with the neighbor’s grandson, and that although she knew her neighbor, they weren’t as close
Image credits: Holiak / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The woman didn’t like that her neighbor, who was the boy’s grandmother, kept feeding her daughter full meals with things like sausage, trifle, and chips
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Apart from the fact that her daughter was getting fed so much, the mom also didn’t like that her neighbor was giving the child meat, as they were a vegan family
Image credits: AwayWeb
The poster’s husband felt that the situation was harmless, but the woman felt odd about it, as she hadn’t given the neighbor permission to feed her kid
It’s great that the poster’s daughter had a friend just next door with whom she could go and play anytime. The OP shared that her neighbor was the young boy’s grandmother and looked after him when he came back from school. Apart from that, the poster hadn’t really interacted with her next-door neighbor and had just waved or chatted with her briefly.
In situations like this, where parents have concerns about how their children are being treated or looked after in other homes, it is crucial first to vet the adults who live there. Taking time to speak to them and spending time in their house is the best way to make sure your little ones are in a safe environment.
It doesn’t seem like the mom was concerned about her daughter’s safety, but she was probably worried about the fact that the girl was being overfed. Many times, the girl had come back home stating that she had been given full meals, including dessert. This obviously left the mom concerned, as she hadn’t consented to her kid being fed all of that.
According to experts, feeding the neighborhood kids isn’t something that parents should go overboard with. Giving them a simple snack or juice box is good enough as a show of hospitality, and it doesn’t have to go further than that. It’s possible that the grandma felt that she was showing the young kid kindness by feeding her a lot, but it was proving to be too much.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster and her family were also vegan, and the child followed that diet at home, so it was also worrying that the little one was being given meat when she was next door. All of these factors made the OP uncomfortable, and she didn’t know what to do. Her husband didn’t think it was such a big deal.
It’s generally a rule of thumb that people should respect and follow the meal practices that each household sets for itself. In a case where a family is vegan, it’s respectful to eat their food and not request they eat or make non-vegetarian food. In this situation, since the mom hadn’t informed her neighbor about them being vegan, it’s understandable that she kept feeding the child other food items.
What many people suggested the woman should do was to go over to her neighbor’s house and talk to her about the situation. Rather than getting angry about it and stirring up drama, she could explain why she didn’t want her daughter to be fed so much and what the grandma could do instead.
Between the mom’s concerns and the grandma’s hospitality, the little girl was probably getting the best choice of food. Hopefully, she still gets to enjoy tasty meals, but maybe a bit more in moderation.
What do you think the mom should do in this situation? Do you think she’s fussing over nothing? We’d love to hear your honest thoughts on this story.
People were divided on the issue, with some thinking that the poster was getting too worked up, and others feeling that she was in the right
