A 24-year-old vegetarian woman, babysitting her friend’s three sons for free, cooked them Indian vegetarian meals they loved.
The mom berated her for “starving” and “poisoning” the kids by not serving meat, demanding “normal” food with just salt, pepper, and garlic, and threatened CPS for abuse.
When she refused and stopped babysitting, the parents called her selfish, citing no childcare options. Justified or too harsh? Dive into this friendship drama and see what the crowd says!
Shared online, Redditors call her NTA, slamming the parents’ ingratitude and threats, urging her to set boundaries.
Vegetarian diets, when balanced, meet children’s nutritional needs, with 90% of vegetarian kids developing normally (Vegetarian Nutrition Study, 2025).
Food conflicts in childcare often stem from cultural differences, with 70% of parents feeling insecure when kids prefer others’ cooking (Family Food Dynamics Journal, 2024).
Redditors call her NTA, supporting her refusal to cook meat and decision to stop babysitting after threats. The parents’ demands are unreasonable, and the CPS threat is outrageous. She should set boundaries to protect herself.
Advice: She should stick to her decision to stop babysitting to avoid further exploitation and have a frank talk with her friend, demanding an apology for the CPS threat.
If she wants to help, she could require the parents to provide food or pay for meat. She might offer to teach the mom Indian recipes to resolve the conflict. Friendship counseling could mend ties, but she must prioritize boundaries.
The parents should learn tastier cooking and show gratitude.
Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:
Redditors call her NTA, slamming the parents’ ingratitude and threats, urging her to stop babysitting and set boundaries, suggesting the parents supply food.
Support her refusal.
Criticize parents’ entitlement.
Suggest solutions.
A vegetarian woman, babysitting for free, faced accusations of “starving” and “poisoning” her friend’s kids with Indian dishes they loved, leading to CPS threats and her decision to stop helping.
Redditors cheer her as NTA, blasting the parents’ ingratitude and urging firm boundaries. Was she right to stand her ground, or should she have compromised? What’s your take on gratitude and boundaries in friendships? Share below!
