Childhood rules often spark ingenuity, especially when dessert is on the line.

A quick-witted child found a way to turn “eat your vegetables” into a laughable lesson in semantics.

You’ll want to read on for this one!

I have to eat vegetables? Okay…

When I was a kid, my mom’s rule was, “no dessert if you don’t eat your vegetables”.

Once, when she served peas, I conspicuously picked up two and said, “I’m eating my vegetables” before popping them in my mouth.

The child quickly pointed out the flaw in her logic.

I pointed out that she hadn’t said I had to eat all of them, but since she used the plural, I ate two, thus satisfying her requirement.

Of course, this trick only worked once before the rule was changed.

Well, it was worth a shot!

What did Reddit think?

Everyone has to start somewhere with their malicious compliance skills, right?

For other kids, dinnertime becomes a masterclass in negotiation.

It may seem odd, but some kids actually enjoy eating vegetables!

This commenter commends them for their quick thinking!

Looks like mom earned herself a slice of humble pie!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.