AITA for making my son eat off dirty dishes?
This happened two months ago, but he’s still furious over it. I’m 45f. I love my oldest son, but he’s 17 and acts like it. Our family rotates chores- cooking, dishes, cleaning common areas are all done by each family member on different days. My son hates chores and always tries to half ass it to get out of doing it. It’s been a constant battle. Dishes are the worst. He overpacks the dishwasher so the dish detergent can’t even get on the dishes. It just catches on whatever pan he shoved in front. He also doesn’t rinse the dishes at all, so they come out dirty and caked in food. If we want to eat the day after he does dishes, we end up having to hand wash them. He doesn’t care. Any attempt to talk to him is met with a little smirk and he would say, but the dishwasher sanitized it. He knows exactly what he’s doing. The day after his night to do dishes, I went to cook dinner. All the dishes were in the washer still, filthy. I had worked all day. I was exhausted. I honestly teared up seeing this bullshit. I didn’t have the energy to make dinner, let alone do an entire load of dishes first. I quietly called hubby in and he offered to hand wash the dishes I needed. Lightbulb moment. I told him, yes please, but only enough dishes for preparing the food and serving everyone but 17 y/o. I made dinner and called kiddos to eat. 17 y/o sat down and saw his setting was empty. He asked where his plate amd silverware and water cup was. I pointed to the dishwasher and said, tonight you’ll be eating off of the dishes you did. Go pick them out. He went pale and started protesting that it was gross. I quickly cut him off and reminded him that the dishwasher sanitized them. Hubby backed me up. If he wants to eat tonight, he will eat off his dishes. He huffed and said he’d make his own food, which I said no. Eventually, he relented and found the least disgusting dishes and ate his dinner quietly. I felt bad- he looked so sick and grossed out. But I was sick of him wasting time and water and detergent. And it worked! His dishes came out spotless after. Not a speck. But like I said, he’s still furious and I do feel bad now that it’s over and done with. I’m just sick of the weaponized incompetence. He doesn’t realize that his laziness fucks over everyone else in the house. AITA?

