A stepmother has come under fire for refusing to buy cake for her six-year-old stepdaughter on her birthday because it’s “unhealthy.”
Lara*, 34, wondered if she was wrong for trying to persuade her stepdaughter, Gwen, to make “better choices” when it came to food.
She claimed the girl’s birth mother — and primary caregiver — sets no boundaries to avoid junk food and confectionery.
The woman insisted that Gwen eat “low-fat ice cream” instead of a birthday cake to combat all the “garbage” she eats at her mother’s house.
“It makes me sad for this child and her health, so I try to teach Gwen about healthy eating and exercise during our weekends with her,” she said.
A stepmom has come under fire for refusing to buy her six-year-old stepdaughter a cake on her birthday in favor of something ‘healthier’
Gwen spends every other weekend with her stepmother, father and two stepbrothers.
“We are a healthy household and we are learning moderation and control over how much we take when we have a treat,” Lara wrote Reddit.
“However, Gwen is only here two weekends a month and her mother has the exact opposite attitude. Frankly, that woman’s blood type is probably ketchup. Likewise, Gwen is about 20 pounds heavier than a six-year-old girl should be.”
Lara claimed she distinguished between foods that were healthy and foods that should be avoided.
“I ask my kids to make a healthier choice when I see them reach for a treat from the pantry.”
The stepmother also added that Gwen was getting “better” and started asking for healthier foods like fruit.
Gwen’s sixth birthday fell on a Saturday spent at her father’s house, but the little girl was denied one of the most important joys of the occasion.
“We were talking about what kind of cake to have when I asked Gwen about the healthier choice. My reasoning was she’s getting all that garbage at home, and that’s just not good for a girl growing up,” Lara said.
The family came to a compromise of low-fat ice cream so that the child could still eat something sweet on her birthday.
But Gwen’s mother was furious when she found out there was no cake.
She said Gwen started crying because she really wanted a cake but didn’t want to make a ‘bad choice’ – she also accused me of insulting her daughter and said I owe Gwen a cake and a big apology. ‘
Lara added, “I’m just looking for a child in my care. I never told her not to have cake—she should have told us she wanted one.”
Gwen’s sixth birthday fell on a Saturday spent at her father’s house, but the little girl was denied one of the most important pleasures of the occasion: a cake.
Thousands were similarly confused by the stepmother’s parenting techniques.
‘She’s five. Give the kid some damn cake on her birthday and then take the family for a walk. FYI, the good choice/bad choice talk will only cause her body image issues for the rest of her life.”
My heart just breaks for this little girl. She has a house that supposedly restricts nothing, and another that overly restricts everything.”
“Yes, as someone with an eating disorder you give children an eating disorder.”
“This question, ‘would you like to make a healthier choice’, brings so much shame that I feel terrible for the child.”
“If you think your stepchild’s parent is not making good food choices for their family, discuss this with an adult, not the child.”
But some understood where the stepmother came from.
“I’m going against the grain here. It is a big problem to be overweight. Despite the social implications, it takes years off your health. Since she is already 20 kilos overweight, she has to make healthier choices.’
“Good for you trying to raise healthy kids with good habits in this obese society.”
*Names have been changed for privacy reasons.