War Outcry as 'bean dad' forces hungry child to open tin can

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A dad in the US who boasted about his parenting skills after telling his hungry nine-year-old daughter to open a tin of beans or go without food has caused outcry on social media.

After six hours the child successfully opened the tin and was finally allowed to eat, he said in now-deleted tweets.

The dad, a podcaster, claimed it was a victory for "good parenting".

But other parents accused him of neglect, while some suggested he invented the story to get attention.

Twitter users nicknamed the father "bean dad" as the incident caused another heated debate on social media, where parenting methods are a frequent cause of disagreement.

John Roderick, who is also a musician, shared the story on Saturday on Twitter, explaining that it began when his daughter asked him to make baked beans.

After she brought him a tin-opener and can of beans, he asked her how she thought a tin-opener worked, he said.

When she said she didn't know, he said he realised "a teaching moment just dropped into my lap".

"Apocalypse dad was overjoyed," he added.

Explaining that he wanted his daughter to learn how to open a tin of beans, he said she tried for six hours.

"She was next to me grunting and groaning trying to get the thing. I should say that spatial orientation, process visualization and order of operation are not things she… intuits. I knew this would be a challenge," he said.

Eventually she opened the tin and ate the beans, he explained.

The tweets were quickly shared widely as other users condemned the incident, suggesting it was poor parenting.

"I feel like it's super valuable to teach kids that they're not alone in the world and that there's no shame in asking other people for help and support," wrote journalist Jason Schreier .

Another user suggested Mr Roderick's approach was "ridiculous" - and that he should simply have fed his daughter, and then showed her how to use a can opener.



A handful of users agreed with the lesson Mr Roderick claims he taught his child.

"This teaches independence and personal growth. He did nothing wrong and in fact made me wish I did more of this," one wrote , while some fans of his podcast suggested that the story about his daughter was written in the voice of a character on his show and therefore should not be taken seriously.

Mr Roderick did not reply to media requests for comment but did defend himself on Twitter before later deleting his account.

"Six hours is the length of time between meals. Lunch at noon, dinner at six. They're literally saying child abuse," he wrote. He added that the backlash was "astonishing. My kid is fine everybody."

But a woman who said she was a teacher suggested it was a poor way to educate children.

"Kids learn best when they aren't hungry. Everyone learns differently and different approaches (eg. A guiding hand) are helpful, especially if/when someone's struggling," she said.


And author Racheline Maltese said that the lessons the child probably learnt were negative.

"Things you taught your kid: food must be earned; disordered eating in the forms of food hoarding and punishing herself by not eating; asking for help is futile," she wrote.

Some users also accused Mr Roderick of racism, sexism and homophobia after searching through his previous tweets.

However, his podcast co-host Ken Jennings defended Mr Roderick, calling him " a loving and attentive dad ", adding on Twitter: "There's no axis where any anti-Semitic screenshot represents any actual opinion I've ever heard from him."

On Sunday the podcast My Brother, My Brother, and Me said it would no longer be using Mr Roderick's music.
 
there's a bean dad on my street, he makes his kids mow the lawn or shovel snow, shit like that wearing wired old earpods, bean dad stands around rubbing his fat belly and putting more virgin mary stickers on his chevy
That dude sounds based, though, not just a retard starving his child.
 
there's a bean dad on my street, he makes his kids mow the lawn or shovel snow, shit like that wearing wired old earpods, bean dad stands around rubbing his fat belly and putting more virgin mary stickers on his chevy
More dads should take a stand against Apple's courage. No wireless earbuds in this house!
 
Even if the story is fake, it nicely showcases just why there are not that much single dads out there (misandric propaganda aside): men either spoil their kids rotten, go full-on spartan, or do a weird fluctuation between those two states that never fucking ever lands in "be normal parent" yard for some reason.
 
Everyone who thinks that going without food for 6 hours qualifies as child abuse is an obese spastic.
Maybe if you have some kind of rare genetic disease like a fatty acid oxidation disorder and could get dangerously low blood sugar and die. But yes 6 hours is reasonable for most people who do not have a disorder or are an infant. We "fast" 12 hours every night afterall!
Also fuck her stupid ableist dad if this is true. He didn't have to shit all over her intelligent on the internet when her brain isn't even fully grown yet. Not showing her how isn't helping her learn. If you need to show the steps to her 50 times, its your job to keep trying and working with her patiently until she gets it.
 
Maybe if you have some kind of rare genetic disease like a fatty acid oxidation disorder and could get dangerously low blood sugar and die. But yes 6 hours is reasonable for most people who do not have a disorder or are an infant. We "fast" 12 hours every night afterall!
Also fuck her stupid ableist dad if this is true. He didn't have to shit all over her intelligent on the internet when her brain isn't even fully grown yet. Not showing her how isn't helping her learn. If you need to show the steps to her 50 times, its your job to keep trying and working with her patiently until she gets it.
The thing that made so many people upset is that the kid said she was hungry at the *start* of the whole story, then (per his telling) she has to wait six more hours before she gets any food. Don’t get me wrong, it all smacks of embellishment. Still. At one point he has her say something like “my head is all fuzzy” and that isn’t doing him any favors.
 
If you don't cook much. Used to have that problem. When you cook most days, though, it should be something you don't even think about.
I cook a lot dude but most people aren't fatmericans who use campbells soup as an ingredient in every dish.
Also the campbells soup I buy are ring-pull cans.
 
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I cook a lot dude but most people aren't fatmericans who use campbells soup as an ingredient in every dish.
Also the campbells soup I buy are ring-pull cans.
I use a lot of can veggies in dishes I'm cooking the shit out of.
the big trick is to make sure you rinse the fuck out of them and use them in stuff like meatloaf and chili where their mushy-ness won't stand out
 
I don't remember being unable to open a can of beans at the age of eight, but hey, it doesn't surprise me. Many people my age can barely cook a microwave dinner properly half the time.
 
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Six hours is just cruel. Ten minutes to figure it out, then walking her through how to open, heat etc would have been better. There’s a difference between teaching and watching someone struggle pointlessly.
‘Figure it out yourself’ is great for things like puzzles. Less so food.
I’ve met adults who can’t heat a can of soup or use laundry machines - what the fuck were their parents thinking? You’ve gotta teach the kids how to do basic stuff
If you don't follow boxing, Jimmy Bivins was regarded as one of the best of all time, although he never really got a chance -- he was part of the so-called "Black Murderers' Row". From the New York Times:

"Bivins dropped out of sight and was largely forgotten until 1998, when the police discovered him living in the squalid attic of his daughter’s house, wrapped in a urine-soaked blanket. His 110-pound frame was covered with bedsores, and he had severed a piece of his right middle finger trying to pry open a can of beans with a knife, resulting later in a partial amputation."
 
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