Mike, one of our readers, reached out to us for advice on dealing with his girlfriend’s kids who constantly throw away good food. He’s worried this may strain their relationship.

Mike’s Story

Mike, who is 36 years old, shared his story, and it might hit home for many of you.

He began his letter with, “Hi! I’ve noticed many people come to you for advice and clarity, so I decided to be brave and share my situation.” He explained further, “I’ve been dating a wonderful woman for over three years. She has two kids, and I adore them. However, we handle money very differently.”

Continuing, Mike said, “She has always struggled financially, and I don’t mind helping out because I know it isn’t easy being a single mother of two. So, I decided to cover her grocery expenses. But since the beginning of our relationship, I’ve noticed that she lets her kids pick whatever they want. It leads to food expiring in her pantry quite often.”

Mike went on, saying, “Recently, we went to the supermarket, and the kids picked out a bunch of cookies. When we got back to her place, I noticed there were cookies in the pantry that had bugs in them. I got really upset. After the kids went out to play, I talked to her about what was going on, but she said I was overreacting.”

He also shared his future plans, “This issue has always bothered me, but it’s becoming unbearable now because I want to ask her and her kids to move in with me. I don’t want this kind of behavior in our home. I grew up poor, so wasting food and buying things unnecessarily are big red flags for me. What should I do?”