Lockdown: When Your Teen Treats the Kitchen Like an All You Can Eat Buffet

All kids do funny things. Some of those things also make parents question their life choices. We teach danger, portion control, and that screens are not oxygen.

Noah and his sisters are no different. Well, slightly different. Noah is fifteen, and we are still reinforcing lessons most people retired during the toddler years.

Take food, for example. Our kitchen is less “open concept” and more “maximum security.” The refrigerator and pantry stay locked. Not because we enjoy the aesthetic, but because Noah, like many kids with Down Syndrome, does not come with an off switch. If food is available, it is getting eaten. All of it. Immediately. Like a very determined raccoon with excellent motor skills.

There have been several incidents. Bread bins emptied. Cabinets raided. The occasional “how did he even reach that” moment when we forget to lock something. Baby locks did not stand a chance. Noah treated those like a warm up exercise. We have since upgraded to combination locks and chain locks, because apparently we are now running a snack speakeasy.

Bananas are hidden. Bread is in a box, in a cabinet, on a high shelf, possibly under witness protection. It is a whole system.

Do other families deal with this level of food security? What has actually worked for you? I am always open to suggestions.

(And yes, we tried door alarms. Noah removed them. Of course he did.)

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