Mother Slammed for Serving 'Illegal' Drink to Child's Friend

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Online commenters criticized a mother who admitted to serving raw milk to her daughter's friend, Sam.

Posting in Reddit's "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) forum under the username u/MilkyThrow2, the mother explained that, despite being "illegal" in her state, her family "strongly believes in raw milk." Sam's mom, on the other hand, doesn't.

The post has amassed more than 6,400 upvotes and over 1,600 comments from Redditors who slammed u/MilkyThrow2 for knowingly giving a child something potentially "dangerous."

At the beginning of her post, u/MilkyThrow2 explained that her family lives on a "homestead."

Boy drinking milk — Online commenters have criticized a mother who admitted to serving raw milk to her daughter's friend, Sam. The poster admitted she knew the raw milk was illegal in her state. LSOphoto/istock

"Homesteading is super important to me, getting in touch with the land and growing our own food. We have a garden and chickens. It's all been really beneficial to the mental and physical health of our family," she wrote.

Over the weekend, u/MilkyThrow2's 9-year-old daughter Lily invited Sam over to play, and the two ran around, "talked" to the chickens and collected eggs.

"The play date was a few hours so I prepared lunch for Lily and Sam. Cucumber sandwiches and chocolate milk. The chocolate milk was raw milk from a neighboring homestead and organic cocoa powder. My family strongly believes in raw milk, it's healthy and not dangerous," she asserted.

"When serving the two lunch, Sam asked if the milk was from our cow. I said we don't have a cow but it's from our friend's cow and it is called raw milk and is super good for you. He seemed interested and the two finished lunch and the play date with no issue," she continued.

Later that night, however, Sam's mother called u/MilkyThrow2 and reamed her out for "putting her son in danger." She also said Sam would not be allowed to play at the homestead anytime soon.

"I feel horrible but raw milk is just the norm in my family and I don't mentally view it [as] dangerous," u/MilkyThrow2 concluded. "AITA?"

What Is Raw Milk?

Raw milk is milk from any animal that hasn't been pasteurized, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It has the potential to carry harmful bacteria that could lead to sickness and even death, so federal law prohibits the distribution of raw milk across state lines unless it's going to be pasteurized before being sold to consumers.

"The risk of getting sick from drinking contaminated raw milk is greater for infants and young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems," the CDC explained. "But healthy people of any age can get very sick or even die if they drink raw milk contaminated with harmful germs."

Between 1993 and 2017, 127 raw milk outbreaks were reported to the CDC, many of which involved children.

"At least one child younger than 5 was involved in 59 percent of the raw milk outbreaks reported to CDC from 2007 through 2012. Children aged 1 to 4 years accounted for 38 percent of Salmonella illnesses in these outbreaks and 28 percent of illnesses caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, which can cause kidney failure and death," the CDC reported.

Redditors React

Considering raw milk is "illegal" where u/MilkyThrow2 lives and that it is potentially harmful, especially to children, Redditors said Sam's mother had every right to be upset that her son was given raw milk without her permission.

"I'm going to leave aside my opinion on raw vs pasteurized milk. The fact is this: you gave a child who is not your child a food substance [that] is illegal in your state without consulting that child's parent. Yes, YTA [you're the a**hole]," u/PinkNGreenFlouride stated.

"Raw milk is illegal in your state because it IS in fact dangerous. You're an unbelievable AH [a**hole] for giving a child something you KNOW is illegal," u/Kindly_Reward_8537 wrote.

"YTA hardcore. Unpasteurized milk can make people sick. You took the health of a young child who wasn't yours into your own hands. Extremely inappropriate," u/stseomfs added.

In response to all the critiques u/MilkyThrow2 updated her post, stating she has since apologized to Sam's mom.

"I am the a**hole. I called Sam's mom and apologized. I have a feeling she'll be hesitant about him returning, but it's okay...Thanks for helping out," she said.

In a statement to Newsweek, u/MilkyThrow2 further explained that Reddit's reaction changed her perspective on the situation.

"I saw how I was coming off as a 'raw milk evangelist.' And regardless of my opinion of the product of raw milk itself, I should've asked consent from Sam's mother. My opinions on what I consume aren't changed. However, next time someone's over, I will try to be a more conscious person," she said.