‘My sister refused to let my daughter grab a third plate at family dinner’

“She told me I should've taught my daughter manners...” 

A mum has blasted her sister for not letting her 16-year-old grab a third serving at a recent family dinner.

Sara* is incredibly proud of her daughter, Riley*. 

At 16 years old, the teenager works two part-time jobs to earn some extra cash for herself and for her university intuition. So it’s safe to say that she works up an appetite after a busy day studying and earning money.

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Three servings was too much. Picture: iStock

Aunt denies teenage niece from a third serving of dinner

Recently, Sara and her daughter attended a family dinner hosted by Sara’s sister, Julia*. 

“It was one of those ‘just because’ dinners, no special occasion,” Sara explained on Reddit. “My sister is a great cook and she made tons of food for that one night.”

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The family were on their second serving of dinner when 16yo Riley stood up with her leared plate. 

She had just finished her shift, hadn’t eaten all day and usually didn’t get to eat until 7pm or 8pm, so she was feeling particularly peckish. 

“Once she finished, she asked if she could get another one,” Sara wrote, agreeing her daughter could grab a third plate. “I didn't even blink twice when she got up to grab her third plate.”

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Sara’s sister, however, didn’t seem pleased with the idea. 

“My sister (her aunt) looked at her with a shocked expression and said ‘Another plate?’” Sara wrote. Standing in the kitchen awkwardly, Riley “turned around and gave a somewhat uncomfortable look”.

Speaking to her sister, Sara explained that her daughter had been working all day without food, and it “won’t hurt for her to get another plate”. Considering her sister “made tonnes of food” and everyone had already finished their second serving, there shouldn’t be a problem. 

But to Julia, there was a serious issue. 

“My sister started yelling saying something about how it wasn't my place to say if my daughter could get more of her food that she made,” the post read. 

Still standing in limbo, Riley ultimately decided to not get a third plate. Instead, “the vibe was awkward … so we just decided to go”. 

However, before the family left the house, Julia pulled her sister aside and continued berating her about the teenager’s request. “[She] told me I should've taught my daughter manners and how it isn't right to get more than one plate at someone else's house,” Sara said. 

After a bit of back and forth, the sisters’ voices start to increase, with their argument bouncing off the walls of the house. Eventually, the sisters’ mum walked into the hallway and gave her own two cents.  

“She agreed with my sister and [said] it was rude for my daughter to eat that many plates,” Sara said, horrified. “I started to get fed up when they began telling me I wasn't teaching her proper manners, so I left.”

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“No one goes hungry in this house. Ever.”

Online, people simply couldn’t wrap their heads around not letting a child eat more food at a family dinner. 

“Her sister doesn't seem very empathetic or welcoming,” read a comment. “If it was my nephew and I had lots of food, of course I would share. My kids are still growing at this age too and are hungry teens. It's just food. Her reaction was unwarranted.”

“How do you have a family that’s close enough to have a ‘just because’ dinner but want you to ask permission to eat seconds?” someone asked. “If I’ve invited you to my home to eat, then you may eat until it’s gone and then I will find something else to offer you.”

“If my niece was at my house and all the food was gone from dinner and she was still hungry...I would be walking her into the pantry to show her all the snacks..and leave her there to pick what she wanted and help herself,” a third wrote. 

“I get that for some people budget doesn't allow this, but no one goes hungry in this house. Ever.”

“People deny family members food?” asked another. “Weird.” 

*Names have been changed

Originally published as ‘My sister refused to let my daughter grab a third plate at family dinner’