I (16M) live at home with my parents and siblings, and like most kids, I have chores.
But one thing I actually chose to do—because I enjoy it—is cooking.
I’ve been cooking for myself for about 3 years now. It started small, but over time it became something I genuinely love. I cook my own breakfast, lunch (on weekends/holidays), and dinner. It’s kind of my thing.
At first, my parents were fine with it.
Then they decided it should become a family responsibility.
My mom said it was “wasteful” for me to cook only for myself. My dad said it was “rude” to eat separately when I was already cooking.
So cooking for the whole family got added to my chores.
That’s where everything started going downhill.
Because suddenly, I wasn’t cooking for fun anymore—I was cooking for people who acted like nothing was ever good enough.
Every single meal turned into complaints:
• “Too spicy.”
• “Not spicy enough.”
• “Why rice and not potatoes?”
• “Why potatoes and not rice?”
• “I wanted chicken, not beef.”
• “This is too plain.”
• “Too many vegetables.”
• “Why no vegetables?”
• “I didn’t want soup.”
• “This soup tastes weird.”
• “Why is it sweet?”
• “Why isn’t it sweet?”
And it wasn’t even just preferences—it was the attitude. No appreciation, no constructive feedback, just constant criticism no matter what I made.
I tried to fix it.
I asked everyone what they wanted.
That made it worse.
Because my siblings all wanted different meals, my parents wanted something else entirely, and I was expected to basically cook multiple dinners at once on school nights.
I even tried making a weekly meal plan.
They still complained after eating.
At some point, I started feeling like nothing I did mattered.
So I talked to my parents.
My mom told me:
“That’s just what cooking for a family is like.”
She even said my dad and siblings had always been like that with her.
When I pointed out I never treated her food that way, she just said, “Yeah, but that’s life.”
That honestly bothered me more than anything. It felt like I was just expected to accept worse treatment than I gave others.
Then my dad and siblings started making comments like:
“You’re not even that good at cooking anyway.”
“I hate eating your food.”
That was the breaking point.
So I stopped.
Completely.
I told them I wouldn’t cook for them anymore—only for myself again.
That’s when everything exploded.
Now they come home expecting food, and there isn’t any.
My parents are furious. They say I’m being disrespectful and selfish for refusing to help the family.
My siblings call me “lame” and act like I’m punishing them.
I told them straight up that they were the disrespectful and ungrateful ones for constantly tearing down everything I made.
And I’ll admit—I said something harsh in the moment:
“I don’t think I should feel bad about letting you go hungry after the way you acted.”
Now I’m grounded for two weeks. My parents say my attitude is “disgusting” and I’m being immature and spiteful.
But honestly, I feel like I just stopped doing unpaid work that I was constantly criticized for.
So now I’m stuck wondering:
Did I go too far… or was I just finally standing up for myself?
AITA?