So I visited a friend a couple of times this week. On my first visit, she had the missionaries eating with her. It was the afternoon.
Then today, I visited again and we did have a little chat. But then her teenager son walk into the kitchen an she asked: "hey what are you doing in the kitchen?" - He replied "I am going to have some more food" - And she said: "well you can't have seconds you know".

I thought WTF!?. When are the members going to stop this non sense? - If you don't have the money, why invite some missionaries to eat your family's food?.

Why does the church ask their members to do this anyway? Why not lower the leader's allowances and pass it to the missionary fund?

It just made me mad to see the kid having denied some food while the missionaries were having a dinner at that house a couple of days before.

I would talk this over with her. It's possible that her son is on some sort of a diet. But if he appears to be of reasonably normal weight, then I would say that it's normal for teenage boys to have big appetites. There was a time when my 6'4" brother could eat two hamburgers as a snack. I would speak up on her son's behalf. He is growing rapidly and needs the calories.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2014 03:01AM by summer.

Understatement! When they hit those growth spurts they are bottomless pits. I had to limit my son to half a gallon of milk a day because he could have drank two easy and we couldn't afford it. For his after school snack he would take a dinner plate and make a huge salad with nuts and cheese, pretty much anything he could find. I was glad it was healthy at least. Then for after dinner he would have a couple of frozen burritos with extra cheese, salsa and sour cream. Not the best thing in the world but it would get him through the night. I swear you could watch that boy grow at times.

Susan I/S, what a sweet tale! Thinking of your boy scarfing down midnight burritos made me smile. Gads, I miss those days. Again, thanks for the memory.

Ah, the milk drain that is the growing boy. My six year old drinks almost half a gallon a day now. I shudder to think what it'll be like in ten years, when I have three teenage boys.

This is one reason missionaries lose weight on missions. Some of them lose muscle permanently and undermine their health.

What gives you the right to judge another's actions with their children in their own home? And what makes you think that leaping to the conclusion that this is about inappropriate spending to feed the missionaries? Could be she is simply trainng him not to graze but to eat food at the mealtime. But if it isn't, if you think she is abusing neglecting her kid, then report her to the child protection agency. And if you don't, then what possible business could it be of yours?

Hmmm. This is the woman and son's home. I don't understand the conclusions that are made just by a couple of comments.
Best to mind our own business !! :-)

The OP stated that they are friends. If you can't raise this issue with a friend, who can you raise it with? It could be done in a tactful manner.

And BTW, you should see the huge stink that can be made when a kid arrives at school and announces that s/he is hungry. Within 15-20 minutes probably half a dozen or more adults will know about it, and a call *will* be made to the mother.

The OP has a point. I remember this one family with a SAHM who could hardly afford to feed their kids.

Yet she would burn the gas to run missionaries around whenever they asked her.
The kids just ate less when the money ran out.

YES TBMs can be this delusionally devoted to the cult!

They will let their kids go s food or medical care and put the cult first, hoping God will provide somehow.

Exactly