'I fooled my kids into eating food they hate – now their mum is raging'

A dad has been accused of being in the wrong by his wife after he 'tricked' their kids into eating a food they hate - but he says he did it for their benefit.

Couple having a serious conversation at home

The dad thought he'd done nothing wrong (Stock Image) (Image: Getty)

Any parent will know the struggle of trying to get their children to eat healthily.

In a bid to ensure his kids were getting some nutrients, one dad resorted to crafty tactics, much to the dismay of his wife.

She labelled him an "a**hole" for "tricking them into eating something they have been very clear about not liking", but he argued that he was simply looking out for their wellbeing and wanted to make sure they were having "good meals".

The father took to Reddit's 'Am I The A**hole' forum to seek advice on whether he was in the wrong for serving his children mushroom soup without them knowing what it was. He posted: "My children are not allergic to mushrooms. My children love cream of mushroom soup. My kids hate the texture of mushrooms. When my wife uses canned mushroom soup in a recipe she will strain out the mushrooms for the kids.

"But when I use mushroom soup in a recipe I run it through the blender. The pieces are so little that they have no texture. The kids don't complain about it and I don't waste time. My wife seems to think that I'm being an a**hole because I'm tricking them into eating something they have been very clear about not liking.

"I asked if she would rather eat a fistful of raw flour or a slice of bread. Preparation makes a difference. I think we are both trying to make sure that the kids eat a good meal we just go about it different ways."

In the comments section, many defended the father's actions, arguing that he was simply preparing a meal his children would enjoy. One user shared: "As someone who has hated mushrooms with a fiery passion their whole life, when I found out my mum has always blended some up for her Thanksgiving stuffing (that I love), I admit my ego was a bit bruised.

"Ultimately I learned a valuable lesson; things, even foods, aren't black and white, there's a finely blended mushroom grey area and that's okay! There's no vegan/vegetarian moral issue here, and I'm glad my mom "tricked" me, as I definitely would have refused to eat it as a kid if I knew, so I'm going with not the a**hole."

Another commenter chimed in: "No moral issue. The kids don't like it because of texture. Not taste. If he blends and kids still think it's fine, then he is ok. If kids complain then he should blend longer. For example I hate the taste of eggs with a passion. But if I bake a cake I always use eggs, because I don't taste them but then give a good structure."

A third added: "I hate mushroom chunks. If the mushroom is not a chunk I don't know it's there. It adds flavour, I just cannot with the texture. I dislike a lot of foods in their original form, but eat them when prepared certain ways."

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?