Most parents will have experienced the joy of fussy eaters, whether they be turning against green foods, things that are too crunchy... the list goes on.
One father-of-four has taken to Reddit to share how he was so frustrated, he took drastic measures - which paid off.
- New dad Josh Thompson says you're doing parenting wrong
- 'Rad Dads' building online community for Kiwi dads
- Mark Sainsbury: Fathers shouldn't be dad-shamed for parenting their kids
"[My] kids have become so picky that there are literally no meals left that I can make without someone complaining," wrote 'BabyHooey', dad to four kids aged 10-16.
He went on to explain most crowd-pleasers were out, including spaghetti, cheese and chicken.
"We were safe for a while with tacos, until one kid decided she was never eating tacos again," he said.
The fed-up dad said one day, while in the supermarket, he decided that he was retiring from cooking for the family.
"I came home with assorted ingredients and told the kids we will still provide food, but it will now be their responsibility to prepare it for themselves and feed themselves with it."
He explained that after 30 minutes, reality kicked in for his four kids, and they made themselves sandwiches for dinner.
"If it looks like we're going to encounter nutritional deficiencies, I guess we'll address that as it comes up, but so far I'm pleased with the results of Night One," BabyHooey said.
Later in the Reddit thread, the dad gave readers an update. He said that after two weeks of the family living on sandwiches and cereal, he began to cook again - but only for himself and his wife, and "only things that we like to eat and cook".
When one of his children asked if they could try some, the dad says he stayed strong in his approach.
"I said I only made enough for the two of us, but if they'd like some of tomorrow's dinner, let me know and I can make extra," wrote BabyHooey.
"I was expecting 'what's tomorrow's dinner' but instead I got, 'yes, please, anything's better than more sandwiches'."
BabyHooey says he's back to cooking for six, but "making whatever I want to make".
"If anyone has a problem with it, there's sandwiches or cereal."
The thread has gathered hundreds of comments from fellow parents praising the no-nonsense approach.
"Damn. Have you considered opening up your own advice column?" one wrote.
"Thank you for making me feel normal," wrote another, adding that as parents to two, they get "so frustrated and upset at mealtimes".
Maybe a no-frills BabyHooey parenting book is on the way.
Newshub.
