Mom Demands Her Son Pay for Cheese & Meat for Thanksgiving Dinner or He Won’t Be Eating

A woman had explicitly instructed her teenage son to avoid the meat and cheese on the charcuterie board she had devoted hours to preparing for Thanksgiving. Despite her clear directive, when the son declined to adhere to her request, she gave him an ultimatum.

In late November 2023, an anonymous female contributor turned to the "AITA" subreddit to share her story. Keeping her narrative concise, she described the family tradition of having a charcuterie board before the Thanksgiving meal at 6 p.m. every year—a pre-dinner snack to curb hunger.

Her 16-year-old son, an avid cheese lover, prompted her to label items he couldn't eat. Despite her efforts to mark everything reserved for Thanksgiving, a problem emerged.

A Mother's Dilemma

A day before posting her Reddit account, the original poster recounted how her son went and consumed all the premium meat slices and blocks of cheese she had purchased for the charcuterie board. This left her genuinely upset, especially considering the additional hours she had worked to afford these items, given the current high prices for quality cheese.

OP's son thought his mom was being unreasonable for telling him to skip Thanksgiving over such a trivial issue.

Expressing her displeasure, OP gave her son an ultimatum. "I told [my son] he needs to go to the store to replace all of it which would cost him around 70 dollars (one of the cheese he ate was 18 dollars) or he doesn't get to eat thanksgiving meal [sic]," recalled OP.

However, despite his non-compliance, OP's son had no intention of covering the costs of the cheese and meat he had eaten. Citing his plain refusal, the woman told him he was more than welcome to eat a sandwich and keep his eyes and hands off of the Thanksgiving dinner.

OP's son thought his mom was being unreasonable for telling him to skip Thanksgiving over such a trivial issue. Interestingly, he wasn't alone in his stance; he also had support from his father. "My husband is on his side," OP said of her spouse, who didn't understand why she was so furious.

In the wake of her son's blatant refusal and her husband's lack of support in the matter, OP couldn't help but wonder: "AITA for telling my son he will pay back for the cheese/meat or he won't be eating [Thanksgiving] tomorrow?"

OP's Final Decision

The woman, having made a firm decision, provided an update in her narrative. Expressing appreciation, she revealed that she had informed her mother-in-law of the predicament, and her MIL had graciously offered to bring a delightful cheese board if her son continued to resist making amends.

Many commenters opined that her son was old enough to comprehend the instructions he had received and should have known that his non-compliance could result in an unpleasant situation.

Undeterred, the woman outlined her son's final ultimatum: he could either cover the cost for the consumed items, forgo Thanksgiving, or work for 11 hours to cover the expenses—an option she found appealing from a Redditor's suggestion.

Skeptical about his willingness to choose any of these alternatives, she resigned herself to the likelihood of no Thanksgiving. Despite this, she remained hopeful that her relatives would understand the challenging circumstances.

The Online Reaction

The woman's story amassed incredible support online, with a large majority of Redditors deeming her "NTA." Many commenters opined that her son was old enough to comprehend the instructions he had received and should have known that his non-compliance could result in an unpleasant situation.

Several users criticized the woman's husband, contending that he erred by not supporting her in disciplining their son. Others endorsed the woman's method of imparting a lesson to her son, asserting that, given his age, he should unmistakably understand that actions have consequences.

What is your perspective on this story? Do you feel OP was a little too harsh in the way she treated her son? How would you handle a similar situation if you were in OP's place?

Click here to read another story about a woman who left her mother-in-law's Thanksgiving dinner after the latter threw out the dish she had brought.