[kbenson]

To a degree. Hyperbole and idioms are a normal part of communication, as is learning to decipher meaning from them.

If someone said something along the lines of "I would kill my son if they did that", would you take that literally, or as a hyperbolic idiom meaning they would be mad at them and punish them?

I think the actual meaning of the statement in question is ambiguous given the above, and providing for the option that you misinterpreted someone's meaning when condemning their speech likely does a lot to keep the discussion civil and useful.

[SideburnsOfDoom]

parents actually killing their child is rare. Parents actually making their child eat specific food, with threat of physical force, not so rare. You don't have to search for a figurative meaning where none is needed.