r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Ready_Set_Stopppp • 2d ago
go to your room Told 12 year old to close the deep freeze tight, proceeded to lose everything inside
12 year old son said he was getting a popsicle last night out of the deep freeze vertical freezer in the garage. Wife yelled down to him make sure the door closes tight. He said ok. I got a text at 9am with some pics this morning with her saying it was open all night…
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u/Valturia 2d ago
Were the items warm to the touch? Items at the bottom should've insulated themselves enough to still be good to refreeze
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u/Ready_Set_Stopppp 2d ago
Yeah. She saved some stuff but the rest of it was warm/melted
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u/drunkennova 1d ago
You can eat the warm and melted ones within the day. They should still be fine.
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u/LadaOndris 1d ago
Yep, but people on reddit are scared of thawed meat.
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u/Aubrey-Grey 1d ago
But fine with eating leftovers for a week. It’s very strange.
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u/ConservativeCowardss 2d ago
Any meat that was warm is basically "just thawed". Cook it.
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u/Zealousideal-Lab9843 1d ago
If it's warm it's beyond thawed. If it's fridge cold, then it's possibly safe to cook.
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u/Ukawok92 1d ago
Not to mention they are vacuum sealed.
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u/Zealousideal-Lab9843 1d ago
Not sure if vacuum sealing makes enough of a difference of the food gets to room temperature for multiple hours. But if it's still fridge cold then that's even more likely that it's still good to at least cook (but not refreeze).
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u/clumsy_pebble 1d ago
it's more about the risk of botulism because it's vacuum sealed I think that's what the comment was getting at
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u/PMYourTitsIfNotRacst 1d ago
Bro, americans are so paranoid about food safety. 90% of the times I thaw something it stays out overnight because I forgot, and it's fine.
Occasionally I've re-frozen stuff because I realize that it's too much and can't cook it all that day.
Where it has been a problem is when the food is near spoiled already, but when that's happened it's usually because the store didn't properly store it or it was at or near the expiry date when freezing.
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u/RedApplesForBreak 1d ago
You’re probably right. Most of our food safety recommendations are written for restaurants and high volume food service which has a wildly different level of risk than your typical home kitchen.
That being said, food poisoning is a bitch.
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u/magicjeep 1d ago
My mom froze everything and defrosted everything by putting it in the kitchen sink in the morning and leaving it there until she cooked it that night for dinner.
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u/Plane_Race_7165 1d ago
Yeah unless the food has visible growth on it and/or stinks, most of these situations won't affect a healthy adult or even kids of certain ages. The immune system can handle a little bit of a challenge.
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u/shannibearstar 1d ago
I regularly leave pizza out all night and eat it the next say. Never got sick
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u/Ok_Parfait6494 1d ago
No way all of that would be warm to the touch in 9 hours
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u/CapeOfBees 1d ago
It's summer and the freezer was in the garage, which is usually not a climate controlled room
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u/tharp503 2d ago
Save yourself from it happening again in the future. WiFi freezer alarm from Amazon.
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u/Ryan_e3p 2d ago
Only usable as long as the company keeps their servers online or decides to support them. Run Home Assistant with some temp sensors, and forget about worrying about that.
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u/CranberryStock7148 2d ago edited 2d ago
OP said it's a vertical freezer.
This is one reason why chest freezers are often vastly better than vertical freezers.
But also, why are you keeping popsicles in the dedicated deep freezer? To me, that's what the freezer compartment of your refrigerator is for. While the deep freezer is exclusively for longer-term storage of meats and certain prepared foods like large portions of stew, etc.
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u/MattGarrison1 2d ago
Not OP but my the freezer in my fridge doesn't work so well so I mainly use a chest freezer, but then again I've known since I was little that if I fucked with it I could break it or lose a ton of food
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u/Ready_Set_Stopppp 2d ago
Upstairs freezer has popsicles in it but not the flavor he likes 😂 so he went downstairs to raid the stash.
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u/Long_Idea_8294 2d ago
I love chest freezers. My wife hates them. So I have a chest freezer in the garage and she has a stand up freezer next to it. We have 3 freezers. As you can imagine, we have a ton of frozen food. One freezer is full of probably 1000$ of beef (various cuts of steak).
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u/madmissjo 1d ago
Yessss we had a vertical freezer, once lost everything in it when my husband tripped on the cord and didn't notice he'd unplugged it. Now we have a chest freezer and when my daughter left it wide open for 24 hours -- in a poorly insulated garage in midsummer -- I didn't have to toss a thing. The meat in the top layer was still hard as a rock. Never going back.
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u/eager_beaver_4_u 2d ago
I got tired of dealing with this with my kids.
Got a wireless Govee temp sensor and any time the freezer is left open for more than a couple minutes I get an annoying alert to my phone.
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u/ProtonDream 2d ago
I did that too! Turns out my kids do in fact close the freezer...
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u/L3m0n0p0ly 2d ago
Was it you who didnt lol
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u/ProtonDream 2d ago
Umm, do you still believe in leprechauns? If yes, then it was a leprechaun. No? Wait! Is that Dwayne Johnson over there?
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u/NanDemoNee 2d ago edited 2d ago
He's not cooking anything since all your food was spoiled from leaving the freezer open!
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u/ProtonDream 2d ago
Well, I don't think leprechauns are in the habit of cooking anyway. Or were you talking about Dwayne?
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u/NanDemoNee 2d ago
I was referring to what the Rock is cooking, or not cooking in this instance.
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u/ProtonDream 2d ago
Oh, well he didn't want to come over anyway, said he was going to get a new haircut. Yeah, as if.
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u/NekoMao92 2d ago
Kevin Hart in a green suit...
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u/Sword_N_Bored 1d ago
The tooth fairy is fucking with your deep freezer?!
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u/ProtonDream 1d ago
That's an... interesting mental image. It's an option I guess. Not sure I'd present it as such to my kids though.
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u/Lington 2d ago
Our fridge/freezer beeps when it's left open. My husband hates it because it gets annoying if you're purposefully leaving it open for a clean out or grocery day but for me the comfort in knowing it'll tell us is worth the annoyance, especially with a toddler in the house who can now reach the fridge handles
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u/eager_beaver_4_u 2d ago
Yes, most new fridge/freezers beep if the door is left wide open. But I have yet to find an upright freezer that can detect if the door is just barely open.
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u/Galilool 1d ago
Ours actually does, via a pressure sensor. When the freezer is closed the air pressure inside is lower than ambient, which is why freezers are so hard to open sometimes. If the pressure stays equal to ambient for too long, it starts the door alarm. That's why it also detects an open door if there's even the tiniest opening. I suspect we'll be in for a rough night if the door seal ever fails.
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u/EarlGreyTMNT 2d ago
If it’s just a little clip that swings out when the door is open and presses in when it’s closed - like the lights in there usually are - put a piece of duct tape over it to hold it down until you’re done doing the fridge cleaning.
Had to do that before and the beeping was driving me insane lol
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u/Recent-Result2852 2d ago
Most use a mag sensor now and it's also tied to the light which you probably want on.
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u/gardengirl99 2d ago
Mine also beeps, but it's so soft that you have to be standing within a few feet of it to hear it :(
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u/CranberryStock7148 2d ago
Oh my God this is genius. I have a freezer door that very occasionally doesn't close all the way, it's only open a few millimeters, but it wastes so much energy and stuff in the door will melt if it happens overnight. I tried those proximity detectors for open doors but they only work if something is wide open, they won't detect a difference of just a few millimeters. It never occurred to me that you could use a wireless temperature sensor. I am totally going to do that. Thank you so much!
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u/what_the_purple_fuck 2d ago
cheaper alternative: child lock (I have this one, but there's lots of different styles).
I usually don't fully latch it because keeping children out isn't why I have it, but it holds the door closed and swinging the latch into place is now part of my freezer-door-closing process. Sometimes I walk up to the freezer and tug gently and the door doesn't open and I cannot even begin to explain how fucking SATISFYING and reassuring that little tug feels.
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u/KerooSeta 2d ago
I did this because my wife is really bad about forgetting to close it but she'll remember if she has to lock it.
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u/AristotlesBoyPussy 1d ago
the sound/sensation of the latch provides sufficient mental feedback to make everyone more aware.
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u/DVus1 2d ago
Yep, while not a Govee, I did the same thing too. Have 4 sensors, one for the standup freezer, 1 for the mini drink fridge, and 2 for our main fridge. Small price to pay to save the 100's (if not 1000's) on the frozen meat and seafood!
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u/MaadMaxx 2d ago
Lol my grandma just put a padlock on the deep freezer. No popsicles unless Grandma got them.
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u/ironkodiak 2d ago
My mom added a lock to her upright freezer. You had to latch the lock when you closed it. That made sure it was closed tight.
Having said that, this thing sounds WAY better.
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u/HaroBobaTea 2d ago
I did the same thing (and a temperature/humidity sensor along with the door sensor)!
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u/sandrailproject 2d ago
I put a cable lock on ours within a week of ownership. You gotta ask for every freezepop now.
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u/smokyflavor 2d ago
Wow, first comment is a product placement. This post is an ad
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u/MavisBeacons_Sextape 1d ago
My first thought too. Companies
like this oneoffer “Reddit manipulation as a marketing service” and their product campaigns look exactly like this. I don’t know that’s what this is, but this is what the most popular template entails.Edit: removing the link, no need to give them free advertisement lol
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u/LadnavIV 1d ago
I thought you were making a leap, but after reading the replies here… yeah, there’s no way this is such a common, recurring problem that a commercial freezer door alarm is this popular.
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u/Lucky_Development359 2d ago
Trust but verify.
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u/DCDTDito 1d ago
Yeah don't gamble a couple hundreds of dollar on a kid interest in getting a popsickle and leaving as fast as possible.
Yeah he should learn eventualy but that's on you.
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u/High_From_Colorado 1d ago
This is why I like chest freezers, much harder to accidently leave cracked open
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u/BigAssignment7642 1d ago
And even if they are cracked open they hold cold temp way better, you won't lose much after 12 hrs
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u/GAinJP 1d ago
I don't know why this comment doesn't have the most upvotes and awards.
Just go check the damn freezer. If it's open, tell to your kid to get their damn ass over here, now! and ask them if the thing looks closed or not and to correct it.
I guess the guy who got a sensor is onto something but then what? You yell at your kid to close it? Something about teaching hands on seems better than "you didn't close it, i know because my i-dont-trust-you alarm is going off, go close it."
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u/FancifulPhoenix 1d ago
Thank you! I was looking for this. I don't rely on my 17 year old's word, much less a 12 year old.... The kiddos slam it shut and call it good. Mine frequently pops open enough to defrost but not enough to trigger the alarm. I check that thing all the time, regardless of who used it. Expensive lesson to learn the hard way.
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u/CoffeholicWild 1d ago
This is an important rule. Especially if you keep important and non important things in the same place. I wouldn't keep popsicles, and often accessed treats, in a deep freezer with all the meat and meals for months . . . just doesn't make sense to me. Not blaming OP, but like who trusts that their 12 year old actually closed it???
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u/Miserable-Ice683 2d ago
The suction on my fridge weird so sometimes we think it’s fully closed when it’s not. I had to buy a little alarm that goes of if it isn’t fully closed (and it’s only me (F34 and my fiance M39 at home so I can’t blame a teenager).
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u/mundaneHedonism 2d ago
I had this issue with my apartment fridge, i bought a govee that texts me if the temp gets too high. Has saved me like 3-4 times in the last year.
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u/Justplainlame 2d ago
Damn the comments on this post are hot and cold on whether or not a 12 year old is responsible enough to close a freezer after being reminded. Lmao
I'm sorry about your luck OP.
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u/SharaWilliams 1d ago
I dont know, i was definitely closing the freezer by age ten. Would always get the question “was there a woosh sound” from my parents and if the answer was “i cant recall” id go check. It only got left open once or twice in all the years i can remember.
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u/CoffeholicWild 1d ago
This is a good example of them verifying, though. they didn't just assume it was closed. They made sure you were aware that there is a woosh sound and to do it again until you could recall it, which is good parenting. Trusting you tried, verifying you did it.
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u/Adorable_Ad4990 2d ago edited 1d ago
If you have to remind someone to literally close a freezer door, you’ve either failed in prior parenting, or there’s an issue with that freezer (most default to pull shut, and do so easily) so check it after!
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u/WestElevator1343 1d ago
You can teach a 12-year-old the same task over and over again and depending on the 12-year-old, they just don't get it unless there are consequences and even then sometimes they don't get it. It doesn't mean they're going to be stupid for the rest of their life. It just means they're stupid right now.
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u/Meowcenary_X 1d ago edited 1d ago
My very adhd just turned 12 year old qualifies for presidential academic excellence awards every year at her private school. She makes straight As at an academically rigorous school with little prompting or influence from me. It’s summer and she’s running her science fair strategy by Me.
She will also forget about the super fun plans we have with her friends this weekend that we’ve definitely discussed 3-5 times, and will A L W A Y S leave a trail of open doors and cabinets in her wake everywhere. She. Goes. In-game Reminders don’t help. Natural consequences don’t help.
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u/Tricky-Ad7897 1d ago
I'm trying to figure this out too, like do they overstuff their freezer to the point it needs to be pushed down hard? Cause my freezer which is filled at a reasonable level seals itself with the lightest of touches, and it's a top loading swing up door chest freezer. If it's overstuffed and requires more pressure than just setting the door down takes I can't really blame the kid.
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u/Disastrous-Animal111 1d ago
Or you have a pre-teen. People here acting like they didn't fuck up at that age.
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u/vksdann 1d ago
Adults forget to turn off the stove in time, or the light/TV on, etc...
Even something as car payment adult will try to automatize because "just in case..."Saying a KID forgetting to do something they don't really think about at all (food magically appears on the fridge, what's there to think?) is "a parenting failure" is very Reddit actually. I just realised. Carry on.
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u/youngLupe 1d ago
I mean it happens to adults too. Especially if one thing is out of place and you have the freezer packed. Even if it shuts all the way it could pop open if something slides open. I do agree that at 12 year old should be trusted to close the freezer door at the least and definitely some other issues if they're that careless at such an age.
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u/ProtonDream 2d ago
Congratulations, you got a teenager!
Don't worry, it will only be getting worse for a few years, after that it usually gets better.
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u/complexiblebarracuda 2d ago
You know inflation is terrible when teenager now includes 12
the world has changed
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u/Duotrigordle61 2d ago
As an aside, there are a lot of non-English speaking people who read reddit with translation. The word "Teen" is an interesting problem because it applies specifically to ages 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, but if you translate "Teen" to other languages, it comes across as "Adolescent" which typically means 10 to 19.
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u/BlackMagicWorman 2d ago
I’m always curious - my siblings and I NEVER did this stuff. I think we were disciplined too much honestly. We never fell out of line.
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u/djddanman 2d ago edited 1d ago
12 years old is old enough to know how to close a freezer door and make sure it's closed
Edit: I'm not saying people cant make mistakes. The first few comments were basically blaming the parents for not checking everything the kid did and constantly watching him.
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u/IcyTheHero 2d ago
Old enough to know and young enough to not listen. Parents should know that.
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u/Interesting-One-588 2d ago
Sorry, but 12 is too old for a parent to have to get a popsicle for them, or go downstairs to make sure the kid locked up properly.
However, I do think it's too young to punish them for this. Life happens, mistakes are made.
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u/Ready_Set_Stopppp 2d ago
No punishment (at least nothing severe) but he will see EVERYTHING that went into those bags and also I am having my wife tally the total cost while I am at work
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u/LemonOnRye 2d ago
Letting them see the impact is a solid move. It lets them understand why it mattered, but also that’s its maybe not the biggest mistake. Make sure they throw out one of the bags if it has a good amount of weight to it!
Idk if they have the best perspective for the cost, but every time they ask for an eggo or an ice pop, just remind them what was lost in the great kerfuffle of ‘26.
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u/boxesofboxes 2d ago
I mean. A month or two with no popsicles wouldn't be too out of scale, I think.
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u/LadyJR Look, mom, I made a flair! 2d ago
At that point, he can learn to make his own using fruit juice, sticks, and ice tray. He’ll make sure to keep the freezer door closed to keep his creations cold.
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u/thisdesignup 2d ago edited 2d ago
That's not a real punishment, realistically it would be something like "do work (chores) to help pay for replacing the food" (paid at least minimum wage). That'd be the real consequences any non dependent would have to do. Having to take the money that was worked for to recover what was lost.
But also it doesn't have to be a punishment so much as a "since you caused this to happen we want you to help fix it" and then tell them how they can help. It's not about being in trouble for accidents, it's about fixing what you did wrong.
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u/Origami_Zach 2d ago
I was 9 when my mom tasked me with grabbing some deer sausage from the deep freeze and I didn’t latch it properly.
This was sausage my dad had hunted deer for and prepared himself just shortly before he passed away.
Over 150 lbs of sausage was ruined and she still is mad about it.
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u/Goochic 2d ago
I think docking allowance is not only fair but teaches responsibility.
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u/Russian_Spy_7_5_0 i love the kind of woman that will actually just kill me 2d ago
Strong assumption that they have an allowance.
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u/Training_Barber4543 2d ago
I don't like the concept of punishments because it's more about control than learning, however they should be involved in the consequences for them to eventually learn. They said ok, they forgot, they spoiled the food for everyone. If they are getting pocket money they should help pay back or something like that.
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u/Unusual_Flounder2073 2d ago
I bought a WiFi freezer alarm. Other than it going if when it defrosts it’s been good. Already caught one time someone didn’t shut it right. We have a vertical freezer in the hot garage so stuff can go bad fast. Top lids are much better and we had one at my old house.
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u/beanthebean 2d ago
I mean, so is 28 but my husband left ours open overnight a couple weeks ago. Mistakes happen, then you assess how you can make sure it doesn't happen again. We got a pretty cheap alarm for it.
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u/Junethemuse 2d ago
My partner has an 11 year old and they miss things all the time because they’re focused on what they want to do rather than what they need to do. Getting kids this age to focus on details is sometimes a futile effort because their brains just aren’t developed yet.
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u/mr_glide 2d ago
When his brain is fully developed, there isn't just going to be a switch that flips that makes him responsible. Children have to be taught it, and constantly reminded of it thereafter.
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u/IcyTheHero 2d ago
I agree with this. You can teach the responsibility but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the parents fault.
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u/Junethemuse 2d ago
Of course, it takes reinforcement and appropriate discipline for them to learn it. It’s definitely not inherent. But that’s not my point. My point is that they DO require some grace in it as they are physiologically predisposed to not remembering details like this.
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u/ShoulderWhich5520 1d ago
A big thing to is if the kid doesnt have a consistent habit of stuff like this major punishment could make it worse.
This is a time for gentle parenting. Having a kid means having to deal with their fuckups, get used to it. This is only the beginning.
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u/Ready_Set_Stopppp 2d ago
This. My son is also ADHD af and wasn’t on meds. I’ve noticed that he gets so intent on his goal (candy, popsicle, getting into the house to watch tv from the car) that he tunes out everything else. He’d walk off a cliff going to get a jolly rancher. He has forgotten to close car doors many times bc he is so intent on getting into the house. It’s comical as a person with a muggle brain but he really can forget something as mundane as closing a door.
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u/BlackPlague1235 2d ago
ADHD affects every aspect of our lives. The memory issues and struggling to start doing things we need or even want to do is a life long struggle. It will never go away. Meds just make it easier. It's like giving someone the keys to a car, they now have what they need but you still have to pickup the keys and start the car in the first place.
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u/Due_Boss9277 2d ago
He knows, but at his age, you have different priorities. Those were the days
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u/shakulous 2d ago
How did frozen meat thaw so fast?? Thaw then decay in 9 hours. Wouldn’t everything else being frozen and the refrigerant going slow the process?
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u/pirate-irl 2d ago
Yea this is a manufactured crisis. Or at least a lack of taking the perfectly viable off ramp for the family. You cook all of this food today and have some funny meals this week you don't have to throw it all out...
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u/PMYourTitsIfNotRacst 1d ago
Heck, you can even re-freeze the stuff you've already cooked. One of my favourite ways to meal prep is to bulk cook some chicken, leave out half and freeze the other half for next week.
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u/ZoomBoingDing 2d ago
Yup. The popsicles are a loss, maybe some ruined home fries. Cook all the meat and give it away if you need to.
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u/Mountain_Ape 1d ago
Uh what?? Popsicles and fries are the least susceptible to this defrost. Popsicles are just sugar water: refreeze them, no problem whatsoever. Fries won't go bad or stale (sealed bags), again: refreeze them. Both of those products have far fewer bacteria living inside compared to flesh cuts.
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u/WifesPOSH 2d ago
I'd still eat it, though I'm a food goblin with no concern for my health.
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u/shakulous 2d ago
Even if it thawed I don’t think it’d be rotting. Deep freezes use lots of power if they are allowed (aka leaving the door open) to make cold so this is odd to me
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u/yellowweasel 1d ago
When I leave my freezer door slightly open overnight, I discover that nothing thaws and instead everything is frozen together, stuck to the shelves and encrusted in a thick layer of ice
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u/melanie_anne 1d ago
Looks like this fridge is in a garage. Garages can get pretty hot this time of year, so maybe that's why everything thawed/became questionable faster than usual
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u/RidgeToRiches 2d ago
Growing up, my parents always used one of these on the standing freezer door. All of us kids were taught how to open and close the latch, but it guaranteed no one left it open.
The extra step of latching the door was enough to never have an issue again.
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u/Todsrache 2d ago
That does sucks
I would consider moving things used regularly to the normal freezer. It also sounds like that door has a habit of not closing fully if reminder are happening about it.
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u/Ready_Set_Stopppp 2d ago
Doors fine, I promise. He swung it close and didn’t push it tight like I have showed him. I’m not sure if it’s the compression of the air that stops the door or something inside was sticking out but he didn’t complete the mission.
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u/NoImprovement213 2d ago
Sounds like the door on the freezer needs fixed or you've overloaded it.
For an easy fix, maybe glue a magnet on the door and one inside the freezer
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u/A_Scared_Hobbit 1d ago
Seconded on the overloading. I added an idiot line to the freezer my family had the most issues with. A nice prominent sharpie mark across the width of the freezer, the correct distance back to accomodate the door and its shelves. If you can't see the line, the door won't stay closed.
Maybe OP needs to assess how much stuff they're cramming into the freezer. It shouldn't need a shove to make it stay closed.
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u/Seldarin 1d ago
Overloading, bad door, or freezer is way out of level.
All super easy to check for. Take some shit out. Does the door close easily and stay closed? That was your problem. Still doesn't want to close properly? Grab a $4 level from Wal-Mart and check it. Is it leaning forward? If yes, screw the leveling screws on the front of it out until it's not. Did that fix it? If not, smear a thick layer of vaseline on the gasket and try closing it and seeing if it seals. Did that work? Gasket's bad, get a new gasket. It didn't work? Hinge is bent. Get a new hinge.
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u/EntertainmentFast497 2d ago
If it was opened overnight from the deep freeze, it shouldn’t be fully thawed. Finish thawing and cook it up!
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u/No-Government-3994 2d ago
So, if it went from frozen and simply thawed through the night, won't it be fine to just make right now into a big stew or something? Surely it's not all destined for the bin?
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u/Libertechian 2d ago
I have an upright and I can see the logic of a chest, as I too have teenagers who leave things cracked. At least chests have gravity to help close it
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u/Wingnutmcmoo 2d ago
It's not just that. Uprights are willfully wasting money for convenience.
Cold air falls. When you open an upright all the cold air spills out. When you open a chest the cold air stays in.
But chests are also more efficient when closed. The door is a major weak point in the insulation. Having that as the lid is no big deal. But having the door on the side means constant loss of cold. Which means your deep freeze has to kick on A LOT more often then a chest freezer.
So when buying the two you have to ask yourself if you value the money or if you value not reaching down. Both are valid choices but yeah it's a the real reason chest freezers are the only real deep freezers.
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u/Jake_brah 1d ago
I am so glad someone else said because every time i say standing freezers generally suck people typically get bent out of shape about it. My dad lost a metric ton of beef and pork from his standing freezer never shutting correctly. First and last one he owned and it’s made me realize the chest freezer should’ve just been one of those “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” type of things.
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u/JK_NC 2d ago
Dang. I love Outshine frozen juice bars (popsicle is a brand name).
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u/Bimmergy 2d ago
I'm a fully grown adult and ive left my deep freeze open on accident several times.
Including several days one time (it's in the basement, I only really go down there for it, or laundry).
Everything was still completely frozen. And I've never gotten sick from eating any of it.
This throwing everything away is likely an overreaction unless things were clearly warm to the touch.
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u/LlamaMiaLetMeGooo 2d ago
Idk. They said the freezer is in the garage. I know, personally, my garage is not climate controlled and its been 100+ degrees every day for the past few weeks. I know we had a bad storm knock out our power a few years ago (also during summer) and lost everything in the fridge and freezer because of how hot it got (including insulin 😭)
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u/UnableNecessary743 2d ago edited 2d ago
i did that a few months ago.. opened it to fill something with ice and just left it wide open. it's happened a few other times throughout the years, i have so much anxiety about it now every time i go to bed or leave to go anywhere i always check the freezer doors to make sure they're closed
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u/davidm624 1d ago
A freezer left open overnight? Are you sure the stuff isn’t just thawed? I thaw stuff overnight all the time. Seems a little excessive to assume everything went bad.
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u/TommyTwoTxmes 2d ago
My boys will do shit like this all because theyre scared. They will go to the bathroom and be ready to run out that thang so quick at night that they forget to turn the light off. Lol. Id bet money he went n grabbed a popsicle and ran back in the house scared. Left it open.
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u/osumunbro_ 1d ago
is no one asking why popsicles are in a deep freezer?
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u/Afb3212 1d ago
When I was a kid, popsicles were always in the deep freezer at my friends' houses and I never knew why. Still don't. We always kept them in the freezer with everything else. My guess is this person's regular freezer is full of boxed freezer food based on the popsicle box and amount of meat they through in the trash.
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u/Any-Jury3578 1d ago
When we had this problem with our kids, we bought a fridge child lock. Not to keep them out, but to remind them to close it all the way. Can't lock it? It's not closed. It has saved us so much money and they remember to close it every time.
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u/FixingOn 1d ago
This possibly isn't his fault. I've had freezer doors pop open when (seemingly) shut tight because there was a piece of wrapper for an item stuck in the seal, the seal was going bad, there was ice or condensation on the seal, etc. Also, shut tight to a kid may just mean "it made a thud when closed so it must be tight" or he possibly even accidently opened it when testing that it was closed tightly.
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u/Repulsive_Vanilla383 1d ago
Screw the feet out on front, but in on the back, to give the freezer a bit of a backwards lean.
The door will naturally close from gravity this way.
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u/Galetaer 1d ago
I have witnessed this firsthand with my little cousins, you tell them to close the vertical freezer tightly...
What you mean: Close it at a reasonable place, and then press along the seam to ensure it is properly shut.
What kids actually do: Donkey slam it like they are closing a car door, and then walk away before verifying the freezer door is actually shut.
Because surely the strong door slam shuts it tightly, right? No, it rebounds open 😂
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u/LostinQuiddity 1d ago
I wouldnt blame the 12 year old outright. Maybe they did close it, maybe they didnt realize how much "tight" meant, maybe something shifted and the door had no plans of shutting all the way.
Maybe, you should have checked behind them. Just seems like the double emphasis on your 12 year old being at fault- is more because youre pissed it happed , less that its actually their fault... 50% /50%
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u/Flameball537 2d ago
We have an older freezer with a lock built into the door, put the keys out of reach of the kids
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u/Goochic 2d ago
This a fabulous opportunity to educate kids on money. The money they think is free.
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u/Careless-Inside-8353 2d ago
I keep novelty snacks in the house freezer for the kids, costco dinners and frozen snacks are in the garage freezer and fish, deer, and other meat goes in a freezer with a lock. The lock isn't for bears, it's for my 5yo and 4yo.
But ooof sorry that happened, totally sucks. Gotta laugh about it one day but today you're right to be frustrated.
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u/shortcake182 2d ago
I added a baby lock to our freezer door. Its not actually to keep anyone out of the freezer, but it does click into place so I know the door is closed all the way.
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u/takapitcha 2d ago
I would deduct a portion of allowance each week till at least half of that money is is paid back. Once his “ I don’t give a fuck it’s not my problem” decisions have a financial repercussion I can almost guarantee he’ll take more accountability
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u/solidus_snake256 2d ago
My 15 year old just did this 2 weeks ago. It infuriated me and I absolutely hate wasting food so we cooked ALL of it. I just called everyone I knew and threw a party. Said free food don’t cook tonight! Made my son clean it all up. I was cooking for 5hrs but none of it went to waste except some pasta. Turned it into a fun event and it didn’t fell so bad.
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u/deliberatelyawesome 2d ago
My wife does that a couple times a year.
I might move it from mildlyinfuriating to extremelyinfuriating.
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u/VyseTheNinny 1d ago
How hot is your garage? If the meat is just 'warm', I'd cook it up. No way it went from frozen to rotten in ~12h.
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u/Impressive-cornring 1d ago
dood, this is the difference from my gen to my kids gen. my 15 year old can bearly lock a door with a key ...they just don't use critical thinking on the daily for daily aspects of life. sure it could be my fault...but I think the impact of never playing outside or climbing a tree has truly changed this new youth gen.
Also, my kiddo was in GT and is at the 99% in math last year....it's not that they aren't smart. they just don't think
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u/sillysimon92 1d ago
Was this a chest freezer, the door not being closed properly would take like at worst 12 hours or at best a day or so to defrost. Honestly unless those items were warm to the touch you probably needlessly threw away a ton of money.
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u/honomaki 1d ago
My sister did this once she had to clean it out by herself and after that me and my sister made sure it was close
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u/Grandfeatherix 1d ago
if it's a chest freezer it should be fine, especially anything down a few inches from the top
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u/katbennie 1d ago
Oof. We had this happen the day after buying ice cream treats for my son’s grad party the first week of July. We lost so much food, including some of the whole chickens we had raised and harvested ourself. It was the 11 year old and from all appearances the door seemed closed.
The tears I cried.
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u/Glittering_Role1658 1d ago
If the freezer was left.open overnight that does not necessarily mean the food went bad. Might have to cook a lot of it then could refreeze it after cooking.
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u/okanagan_man84 i will never forget my towel. 1d ago
Sorry. Thats on you for trusting a 12 yr old. Yes i have kids, but even ive double checked certain things after asking them to do something.
Its not a trust issue, its a making sure it was done. Thing. Because kids, tend to only do things half way so they can get back to doing what they want.
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u/d3nv3r_dud3 1d ago
I would be mildly infuriated if I had to run downstairs to the deep freeze vertical freezer for a single popsicle. This one’s on you for not keeping single consumables in the upstairs fridge.
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u/TheRussianCircus 1d ago
Serves you right for having a kid, bet you won't do that again.
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u/JaxonCekcu 1d ago
It's not lost lmao it was just one night. We get power outages and/or blackouts very often, and one night is just nothing, foods will be fine, unless it was some kind of berries, because they may turn into sludge.
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u/Victus_MK 1d ago
It's only been one night right? The meat should be fine. It can't go bad that fast. I regularly eat leftovers that've been on the table for a day.
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u/Summonest 2d ago
"Sorry bud, we can't really afford <FUN THING YOU WANTED> because we lost a few hundred on groceries."
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u/zuri98 2d ago
I feel like this is a cannon event for all young children. I was around 12 years old when I didn’t close the freezer tightly enough and proceeded to get scolded for the loss of so much food.
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u/ronweasleisourking 2d ago
12 year olds should know how to close a freezer. Also you should've checked it
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u/ThatMizK 2d ago
Every single day, this app confirms that my decision to not have kids was the best one I've ever made
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u/Apprehensive_Fee3671 1d ago
It’s not to shame the kid but show them so they know the consequences of their actions. Something that needs to be more talked about with kids is actions have consequences.
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u/Big-Historian8918 1d ago
Sounds like wife knew it was prone to popping open and hard to shut with a seal due to being over full.
A 12yr old is a child who cant be blamed for an adult's bad planning. Sort your freezer out.
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u/SuMoto 2d ago
I’ve made WAY too much jerky and sausage due to a freezer dieing or being left open.