Hypocrisy speaks volumes. That’s the best way I can describe the frustration that echoes in my mind and shakes me to my core.
Allow me to set the scene. A father has a busy schedule for his only child. This child participates in an activity 5–6 days a week, lasting an hour each time. By the time he gets home—usually between 8:30 and 9 p.m.—he’s eating drive-through meals nearly every night because he refuses to eat beforehand. The father occasionally cooks, but only according to a strict weekly meal schedule that repeats the same dishes every week. Like many adolescent boys, the child became a bit chubby before hitting his growth spurt.
Fast forward: the child moves in with his other parent and joins the high school football team. Practices run Monday through Friday for three hours a day, and the teen chooses to add an extra hour of working out with a friend each night. Home-cooked meals replace the fast food he previously ate for two years, and these meals include vegetables—though the boy refuses to eat them. Naturally, he starts losing weight. Between his intense physical activity, sweating off calories for 3–4 hours daily, and eating only one-third of his dinners (the meat), the weight loss isn’t surprising. For breakfast and lunch, he eats meals provided at school but skips the vegetables there, too.
Now, the father begins lecturing the mother about how the boy is losing weight and accuses her of not feeding him properly. He lays endless blame on her for the weight loss, despite the clear changes in the boy’s activity levels and eating habits. It’s worth noting that the mother has two other younger children who are both at healthy weights and eat the same meals, including the vegetables. The teen, meanwhile, is provided with additional vitamins and protein powder to support muscle recovery.
The father’s criticism goes as far as to nitpick the mother’s cooking. When she made spaghetti, meatballs, and breadsticks, he claimed the meal was incomplete because it didn’t include corn. (Never mind that corn is more of a filler than a nutrient-packed addition.) His explanation? Spaghetti isn’t a “proper” meal for a child unless it includes extra vegetables—despite the teen’s refusal to eat them.
What’s my opinion on this scenario? It highlights the frustrating irony of misplaced blame and a lack of accountability. The father seems quick to criticize while overlooking his own past choices regarding fast food and limited meal variety. Meanwhile, the mother appears to be doing her best to provide balanced meals and supplements, given the circumstances. The tension here feels like a clash of perspectives rather than a genuine concern for the teen’s well-being. What do you think?