Cooking meals for young children that are both nutritious and taste nice to their underdeveloped palettes can be a real chore at times - especially if you also have to take dietary restrictions into account.
And while one woman on Reddit thought she had cracked the code to rustling up tasty lunches for her friend's three sons, she was left completely baffled when her friend accused her of both "poisoning" and "starving" the children.
Posting her story anonymously, the woman explained she is vegetarian and often cooks Indian food that is packed with flavourful spices, which is what she also feeds to her friend's sons - aged six, seven, and nine - when she offers to look after them for free while their parents are at work.
She wrote: "I have been a vegetarian for 10 years and I find that Indian food has some of the best vegetarian dishes, so that is what my diet mostly consists of, although I do love cooking vegetarian food from different cuisines as well.
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"For the past month or so, after my friend started a new job, I have been looking after her kids from 11:30 am until 4 pm, Monday to Friday, as she and her husband can't afford childcare. I don't take any money from them for this as I know they both work minimum wage jobs and do struggle, so I'm happy to help out where I can.
"During the time that the kids are with me, they have lunch and a snack. Since I'm cooking for everyone, it's usually Indian and vegetarian - although I do tone down the spices for lunch since they are kids. For a snack, I give them fruits, chips, or sandwiches with juice or milk. The kids love the food and always leave a clean plate, and the older one usually goes in for seconds as well. I have had no issues so far."
While the three boys are huge fans of the 24-year-old woman's cooking, their mum is less than impressed - and now believes she's mistreating her kids by not giving them meals with meat in.
The woman also claimed her friend's children now "don't want to eat the food" she and her husband make because it tastes "bland" compared to the flavoursome dishes she makes.
She added: "Yesterday, my friend came over to my house and started berating me for 'starving' her children and 'poisoning' them by not feeding them normal food with meat in it. She demanded that I start cooking them proper food with meat, only using salt, pepper and garlic, or she would report me for child abuse and neglect.
"Apparently, her kids now don't want to eat the food she and her husband cook and say that it's bland and keep asking for my food - which she says is all my fault."
Refusing to budge, the woman has now told her friend she'll no longer be looking after her children - but she now feels "guilty" because she knows the family don't have other childcare options.
She said: "I refused and told my friend that I will no longer be able to watch her children. Now she's even angrier with me, and both she and her husband are calling me an a**hole and saying that they don't have any other childcare options.
"The food I cook has plenty of protein, carbs and fats and all other macros, and the children have never asked for meat either. Should I just buy meat and let the kids make ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch? I feel guilty that they will struggle to pay for childcare if I don't take care of the kids."
Commenters on the Reddit post sided with the woman, with many telling her not to give in and buy meat for the children - especially as they felt she was already being "taken advantage of" by the parents.
One person wrote: "The only way you would be an a**hole is if you were to continue let yourself be taken advantage of by these people. Their lack of preparation in finding suitable childcare is not your problem."
While another said: "Their weird prejudices are not your problem. If they're going to make wild accusations and threats like that, you're better off not taking the risk of helping them out. Your food is fine, it always has been."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
