Vegetarian dad left furious after mum feeds hungry toddler ‘pasta with meat’

A vegetarian dad has been left furious after his daughter was fed meat by his wife – and the debate has caused a rift online.

Being a veggie nowadays is a pretty easy thing to do – back in the day the options were few and far between but now there seems to be a plant-based substitute for everything.

With this being the case, more people are adopting a veggie lifestyle and in turn that is passed on to their kids – but what happens when the child eats meat?

One mother encountered this particular dilemma when her baby was refusing to eat anything except pasta with “chunks of meat” in it – but this was met with a very angry veggie dad.

The argument stemmed over some meaty pasta. Credit: kivoart/Getty

Posting on the popular Am I The A**hole forum on Reddit, the mother penned: “We have a 16 month old who we’re raising vegetarian. I wanted to feed him whatever and when he’s older he can decide if he wants to be [veggie], however my husband feels we should raise him vegetarian and he can choose to eat meat if he wants to when he’s older.”

The mum, clearly at her wit’s end, explained that her child had become fussy and would only eat certain things, and mostly refused anything new.

After jetting off on holiday together to see family, the infant soon started to refuse packet food, leaving the parents at a bit of a loss as to what to feed him.

The mum explained: “Later in the night, one of the other kids on the boat is eating spaghetti with chunks of some meat in it. My boy reached for it crying (pasta is one of his few foods he’s okay with). My husband pulls him away saying no no you can’t eat that.”

Well, this is when the argument ensued as the mother, clearly wanting to make sure her child has been fed, said that they had agreed that their son can make his own decisions about what he eats, and he was making a clear grab for the meaty pasta.

Taking matters into her own hands, the mum fed the infant the pasta and it sounded like he really enjoyed it, and the crying came to an end.

Well, from one party anyway, as her husband apparently refused to talk to her for the rest of the evening.

But the question remained, who was in the wrong in this situation?

It seems like most readers sided with the mum, as one person wrote: “Let the child eat what the child wants to eat. Also, your husband’s argument that feeding the child meat would be without their informed consent is nonsense because he’s happy to force vegetarianism on him without his consent.”

Pasta usually solves problems, not create them. Credit: Angelafoto/Getty

A second reader said: “When it comes to children and toddlers, fed is best. You did whatever was needed to keep your child healthy and your husband needs to chill.”

The husband wasn’t without support, as another comment read: “You had an understanding of what you would feed your child and went around that ignoring your partner. Being prepared for your child’s dietary needs on trips is super important.”

Being a parent is challenging, and hopefully, this couple worked through their disagreement – but it’s also great that the baby had something to eat!

Featured image credit: Codruta Istrati / 500px/Jonathan Knowles/Getty