There's a family friend who watches my daughter when I'm in class--I spend the night at her house on the nights when I have school because I have to get up earlier than Jesus. Soooo I pack my lunch from home and bring it to her house, put it in the fridge for the next day. My lunches are carefully planned. I make sure I have enough food to get my through the day and that it has a specific number of calories.

Well, this woman has 2 kids of her own and one of them stole my granola bar from the fridge and ate it! And no one fessed up even after they got yelled at by mom! They ALL admit that they saw it in there but NO ONE would admit to eating it. I know it's just granola bar but dammit I pack my lunch for a reason! So I won't be tempted to buy unhealthy (and expensive) food while I'm at school. They are just kids, but old enough to know better--they are 8 and 11.

It just put me in a bad mood that morning because I was missing that particular item. It threw me off!

That's very annoying and I don't have a solution, but I feel for you!

Do you pay her for staying there? If not, consider a granola bar cheap rent. I think you are blowing this all out of proportion. They are children and saw a tasty granola bar in the fridge. Maybe you could get a lunch box that locks.

Aw man, I'm sorry. That does really suck. Really no way to help now, maybe in the future, you'll have to put your stuff on top of the fridge? (gee wonder where I hide stuff from my 5yr old??)

My husband & son have decided they really like my fiber bars. It was making me mad at first, then I decided to buy two boxes of them when I go to the grocery store. That way I can still have some for me!

I disagree with this, I'm sorry. If they are 8 and 11, they know better than to get into a lunch box that they know for sure is not even their mom's, but their mom's friend. And the fact that neither fessed up? Both would be punished if they were my kids, lol. That's disrespectful of other peoples property, right there.

I agree that you should be upset, and a little peeved that they wouldn't even come clean. I'm assuming you pay her to watch your kid, or to stay there, or whatever, thats between you all...

The granola-bar-taking wouldn't bother me as much as the not-coming-clean. I can't stand lying. UGH. lol.

Good luck and I feel your pain!

My opinion is you need to put this in context and relax.

Is it annoying? Sure. Does it really matter that much? No.

Ugh! I feel your pain.

I still live at home and my mother and I have to hide food from my brothers and my father all the time. My fiber one bars would be long gone, as would the chicken I grill for lunch.

When I grill up chicken, it takes me quite a while to go through it all. My brother has easily eaten up three or four of my lunches in one sitting. So I hide it at the back of the fridge now. I told him to just tell me if he finishes it up so I at least know to make more and don't open the fridge to find nothing to make lunch with...but he never did, so I hide it now.

Like I said, the frustrating part is that they don't say anything when they finish stuff! I just hate going to get something and it's gone!

Yes, an 8 & 11 year old know better but kids are kids and sometimes they are going to do things they know they shouldn't, and most of the time they are going to lie about it when they are busted. Surely this cannot be news to most of us!?!?? I've done it. My boy will do it when he's old enough to know better. You've all done it. Mom yelled at them. They still lied. Now what? Call the police? Just kidding....

They've been yelled at. It's probably not going to happen again, I think it was just a crappy incident. I think the OP knows that too, she's just frustrated and I don't blame her.

Hw about keeping the Granola ar in your purse ?They do not have to be refrigerated.

I know it's a drag, but, I would bring something for everyone to share and make sure they know yours is off limits. Let it go.

Someday your child will do something wrong and lie about it too.

Forgiveness is way more powerful than anger.

It is annoying... but not that huge a deal. Perhaps keep the non-perishable parts of your lunch in your purse or other bag. Was your food in a lunch bag or just sitting "loose" in the fridge? I'll admit when I was 8, if there was food in the fridge in my house I probably would think it was up for grabs unless I had been told by one of my parents. I would suggest getting a lunch bag or box you can close to keep your food in when you place it in your friend's fridge. Make a big deal of putting it in the fridge in front of your friend's family - "look at the cute new lunch bag I found!" and maybe the kids will realize the food is not theirs for the taking.

I would just make a polite point of asking/telling them that your lunch items are not theirs for the taking. They're kids - old enough to know better? Maybe. But in our house if the food was in the fridge it was there to be eaten by anyone who happened to want/need a snack. It *is* possible that they didn't think about it being yours and just ate it.

The lying would bug me but that's for their mom to deal with and truthfully if you did something as a child that you never even thought of as being wrong and suddenly you're being yelled at for it...well, that's when kids are going to fib. Not saying it's right but it is what it is.

Really have to agree with this. Unless its been specifically said "do not eat this" there is no way i would expect anyone, child or adult, not to eat it. In my house the food that is in the fridge is the familys food. If i want to save something, then i tell people "please dont eat this, i am saving it" and then it doesnt get eaten. I wouldnt expect kids or adults to stop and think that maybe this isnt ok to be eaten. Perhaps your friend has the same kind of approach and thats why her kids didnt think?
I think that some sort of specific box or bag would solve your problem.

I know I posted here already but...

I really think the OP has a right to be upset. Even if she knows what to do in the future, she does have a right to be upset about it since it messes up her plans.

Anybody who successfully loses/maintains weight knows about the importance of planning ahead. Our way of dealing with food is "broken" and we have to fix it...well planning ahead is one of those ways to "fix" it. When your plan—any plan really—gets messed up, I think one is easily going to be upset about it initially. I'm not saying to go on the warpath or anything, but being upset is totally justified.

I'm strict about my plans. I even plan for the unplanned, keeping soup in my desk at work should I misplace or forget my lunch. When going out to eat with friends or my fiance, I need to know where we're going beforehand so I can look at the options available. Sure, I can default to a few dishes should something change, but for the most part, I need to stay on plan.

My fiance didn't get this at first, but he's never had a weight issue. I get really annoyed when his mother just up and cooks and expects us to eat at their house even if we have other plans (you know, plans to make sure I stay on plan). She doesn't cook all that healthy and I just don't want to eat that stuff. I don't care if it's polite, whatever. I don't want it. My health is more important.

I don't deviate from my plan, so I understand how something 'little' could cause the OP a lot of frustration. When you go off track because you did something, well that's different. You messed up, you know how to fix it for the next meal/snack/whatever. If you're doing everything right and someone else messes up your plan? Well yeah of course you're going to get mad!

Yeah, but it was one granola bar. ONE! No one is saying that the OP is not entitled to her emotions (in this case, anger). What most here seem to be saying is that the OP needs to forgive and forget. These were children, not terrorists. They had no ill intent and made an honest mistake. Sure, they didn't fess up to their mistake, but, as others have mentioned, children lie (****, adults lie) because they do not want to get into trouble. It's okay to get angry over perceived slights, but it's a bit ludicrous to stay angry, especially at children.