AITA for not buying my cousin something to eat when we went to the beach?

A Reddit user shared a situation about taking her 6-year-old cousin to the beach alongside her own kids. When they stopped to eat, she opted not to buy a separate meal for her cousin due to her picky eating habits, suggesting they share instead.

Despite her cousin’s complaints about not having her own meal while the kids did, the user felt justified in her decision, especially since her cousin often wasted food.

After the outing, the user received a text from her aunt questioning her choice. Now, she wonders if she was in the wrong for not getting her cousin a separate meal. Read the full story below.

‘ AITA for not buying my cousin something to eat when we went to the beach?’

I (F25) took my cousin (F6) and my kids (M4 & F6) to the beach this past weekend. I offered to take my cousin because she’s around the same age as my kids and they get along great, so I thought it would be fun. While we were there, we went out to eat.

My cousin is extremely picky and anytime I buy her food while we’re out or cook anything, she takes a few bites and throws the rest away. I told her I was not buying her any food and that her and I could share something and she could have as much of it as she’d like.

Well she didn’t like that because I got my kids their own meals (which they ate all of). We ended up sharing anyways and she like I thought, she took a few bites and then said she was full.Thwe rest of the day was fine. Well flash foward to after I drop her back home.

I get a text from my aunt asking why I didn’t buy her, her own meal and that my cousin is telling her we shared while my kids didn’t. I explained the situation to her and she told me I could’ve packed her food up to go if she didn’t eat it.

But I don’t see the issue seeing as she did exactly what I thought she would do and she also had other food throughout the day that we packed such as snacks and sandwhiches. So aita ?

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

CraigJDuffy −  NTA – as long as you ensured she was able to eat enough to be not hungry it’s fine.

TheMightyKoosh −  I think you phrased it wrong. You should say you didn’t get yourself a meal and you just ate her leftovers.

StAlvis −  NTA  – She took a few bites and then said she was full. The child’s needs were met while under your watch. End of story. I get a text frommty aunt asking why I didn’t buy her, her own meal. Because enabling wastefulness is wrong.

positmatt −  NTA – while it would have been nice for her to have been “included” the post implies that in the past you have been more than willing to buy her meals, but she either chooses not to eat and/or throws them away.

If the mother knows that she is a picky eater, than the best recourse is for them to pack a prepared meal for the trip. This is how my family has done these type of excursions if they knew there was going to be food that I could not(or would not) eat.

JohnRedcornMassage −  NTA – You should edit your post to add that you let your cousin choose the shared meal (chicken tenders and fries).

If you hadn’t let her choose, you would have been the A, but you’re good. I personally can’t stand it when anyone consistently orders too much food and ends up throwing tons away, especially when I’m paying.

Neither-Candy-545 −  YTA not because of your actions, but because of the way you talked to her. She is only 6 and felt left out. She didn’t understand you were eating with her, she understood she wasn’t allowed to eat like her cousins.

KLG999 −  YTA. You singled her out from your children for different treatment. Just from your description it comes off as a kind of punishment because she doesn’t eat the way you think she should.

Most of the people agreeing with you also have the tone that she is somehow misbehaving and deserves whatever treatment you decide to give her.

Kami_Sang −  NTA – I’m not wasting my money and buying you food I know will be wasted or go home just so you get your own meal. If her mom wants that, she can send the money for it.

IndependentMindedGal −  YTA. You bought 2 of 3 kids a meal. This is evil stepmother behavior in my book. You could have skipped your own meal and ate her leftovers if the waste issue was so important to you. But you don’t short a kid a meal, period.

Thequiet01 −  YTA for how you handled it. You made her feel singled out and “less than” instead of just letting them all get a meal and then finishing her “leftovers” yourself.

Do you think the user was right to share a meal instead of buying her cousin one, given her picky eating habits? How would you handle a similar situation with a picky eater? Share your thoughts below!