Everyone has at least a couple of foods that they refuse to eat, whether that's because they don't like the taste, texture, smell, or whatever it may be - and you're more than entitled to avoid these foods at all costs. That's why one mum was absolutely mortified that her daughter was forced to eat the food she hated by her mother-in-law - and ended up kicking her out over it.
The mum took to Reddit's 'Am I the a**hole' forum to express how shocked she was when her daughter came to her crying, expressing how she was 'sick and tired of being starved most nights', which immediately concerned her. Her mother-in-law had been telling her daughter she 'needed to outgrow the stupid mushroom hatred' - which left the mum fuming.
She wrote: "My husband and I have a daughter (10F) and she HATES mushrooms. The taste, texture, and smell of them she cannot stand. She's not a picky eater by any means, but just doesn't like mushrooms.
"My mother-in-law lives with us and helps us by watching my daughter when she gets home from school.
"She makes dinner the nights we're working late for our daughter, as my mother-in-law loves to cook so she ensured us that it would be no trouble for her to make our daughter dinner most nights.
"My husband and I both work in the medical field, so we have crazy unpredictable schedules and are not home most nights to make dinner.
"Last night my husband and I both had the night off work and were making dinner together, and my mother-in-law went out for dinner with friends.
"Susie came to us crying saying how she is sick and tired of being starved most nights and if we can please make her dinners instead of mother-in-law.
"It's very public knowledge that Susie doesn't like mushrooms, but yet for the past few weeks every SINGLE dish that my mother-in-law has made for Susie has had the main component of mushrooms in it. Portobello mushroom burgers, mushroom risotto, mushroom pasta, etc.
These dishes aren't made when either myself or my husband are around, but when we aren't that's all Susie is served to eat.
"She told us that if she politely refuses to eat these dishes, my mil will tell her to "suit herself but she's not getting any other food the rest of the night" and that she "has to outgrow this stupid mushroom hatred".
"Both my husband and I were extremely upset that our child is going to bed hungry every night due to my mother-in-law only making her dinners with the ONE ingredient she doesn't like and not allowing her to eat anything else.
"When my mother-in-law got home we confronted her about this. She started going off saying that Susie needs to grow up and get over this stupid hatred of mushrooms. I told her that she was essentially starving her granddaughter.
"She disagreed and said it's tough love.
"She then proceeded to call me a s*** mother for prioritising my career over my child and helping her get over this dislike towards a vegetable.
"I told her to get out of my house because she will not disrespect me like that. She ended up leaving but had some nasty things to say to me on the way out.
"My husband is 100% on my side and feels that his mother is out of line. We've been getting non-stop messages from my 2 sisters in law and my mother-in-law calling us every name in the book for kicking her out and that my daughter needs to get over herself. Am I the a**hole?"
In the comments, people were horrified that the mother-in-law would want to force her granddaughter to eat something that she blatantly didn't like.
Someone wrote: "Your mother-in-law doesn't understand that it's perfectly okay to have different tastes than someone else. She thinks she's broadening her food choices.
"From what you say, her food choices are plenty broad so this is a power move, pure and simple. She's going to MAKE her love mushrooms or else!
"Bottom line: YOUR CHILD, YOUR HOUSE, YOUR RULES."
Another fumed: "Not the a**hole. I despise mushrooms. The texture is gross, and they taste like dirt to me. One year, I decided to try foods I professed to dislike.
"Mushrooms- raw, cooked, stuffed were a no go. I will eat well-cooked onions (never raw). I love roasted red peppers. And jalapeños (raw, cooked, or pickled is another fave). Strong no to any other raw peppers. Starving a kid cause she doesn't like mushrooms is utterly ridiculous."
One Redditor waded in: "I am 47 and for this reason I can't drink milk "straight" or have it on cereal. I have it in my tea but just due to being forced to drink lukewarm milk in junior school", followed by a vomiting emoji.
What would you have done in this situation? Let us know in the comments.
