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Becoming vegetarian - how to raise baby - looking for advice/support
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Anonymous
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I have been borderline vegetarian for a long time but the recent HSUS report and then reading Fast Food Nation has put me over the edge. We already get milk, eggs, yogurt and chicken from a local farm (we may keep a *little* chicken so long as it is organic and humane and I know where it is coming from.)
What I am curious about is how I raise my son this way without making him judgemental, etc. How do I teach him that we don't eat at McDonalds (or any fast food) when other little kids are going there, etc or how do I teach him that we dont eat it because it is bad for you - but I dont want him telling other kids that they are wrong, you know what I mean? I am just not sure how to go about this and how I am going to message this to him. thank you for your advice! |
Anonymous
| OP here - I forgot to mention that this is for health reasons but the number one reason is because of the way the animals are treated by industry. Thats why I will eat a little meat if I know it is organic and killed humanely. So do I explain that difference to my son? He is still a baby now (1) |
Anonymous
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Howdy.
I'm lacto-ovo, as is my son since birth (he's six), also mostly for health and food safety reasons. I have a lot to say about this, but will have to get back to you with details when I have an uninterrupted moment! Re: raising a veggie child to not be judgemental when his buddies eat McDonalds, we couch it in the same way we couch other discussions about diversity in our circle of friends and family. Everybody does things differently and has different beliefs about things. We eat the way we eat (worship the way we worship, dress the way we dress, etc.) because XYZ...etc. |
Anonymous
| My best friend from college has been vegetarian (except for fish) all her life and her kids are third-generation vegetarians. They don't seem to be so strict...they still go to Burger King and have veggie burgers and you can get filets o' fish at McD. The kids love cheese pizza. I don't see that much of a difference in their lifestyle compared with ours (which is VERY carnivorous). When we go out together, we do tend to stick to restaurants with lots of vegetarian options (Indian and Ethiopian). Only issue I've seen is that both she and her kids have been anemic at some points so you really have to watch the iron intake. |
Anonymous
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I'm vegan and expecting my first child in a few months. My husband eats meat occasionally. I haven't had to deal with this yet but am getting prepared because we plan to raise our daughter vegan until she is old enough to decide otherwise. We get together with my husband's family about once a month and they are huge meat-eaters (although they are extremely acommodating to my eating habits). We have been struggling with how to pass on my ethical beliefs without making her think Daddy and his family are bad people for eating meat. I've been reading a very helpful book called "Raising Vegetarian Children" by Joanne Stepaniak & Vesanto Melina. The whole beginning of the book discusses how to deal with the emotional aspects of your child being different than other children. The most useful quote in the book (I'm paraphrasing) says: the dilemma lies with teaching your children that vegetarianism is right without teaching them that those who eat animals are wrong. We must show them that those who eat meat are not bad, they may just be unaware, uninformed or unable to change. And while some people express their compassion through dietary choices, others might chose different paths such as providing relief for world hunger, performing kind neighborly acts or being an inspiring Scout leader.,,
Hope that helps. |
Anonymous
| OP here - this is all great! thanks so much!!!! |
Anonymous
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It sounds like you are more concerned about explaining things that the nutritional aspects.
We've found that the explanations are easy. My DD is almost 4 and doesn't even know what McDonald's is. She's not at all judgmental about things - if she were to ask we just say that every family eats different things adn we don't eat there. She doesn't know it's a kids place that she might want to go to. As for food choices, when we go shopping I explain what is healthy and what is not. She'll call me on things sometimes: if I say "let's have dessert" she'll of course say "yes!" but then add in that it's not so healthy. But we've taught her that veggies we grow or from the famer's market are tastier than other ones. And that organic foods don't have chemicals, which aren't good for you. If you just explain things in a non-judgmental way, your kids won't add judgment to it. We just say "we don't eat meat" and she takes it as a given. You can explain that sometimes people aren't nice to animals, and you always want to be nice to animals. It's more likely that your kids will tell you if they think someone is doing something "bad". We get reports on people not wearing helmets or strangers smoking. We just reiterate that these things are dangerous (or for meat, you just say that everyone is different) and make sure they know they can always talk to you about it, but that it's not nice to tell other people these things. Good luck. It's not as tough to navigate as you fear. |
Anonymous
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Ummmm - ok, so I just read the article posted. Thanks? Not sure what your point was but don't worry, I am plenty educated about what I am doing and I am sure the vegans that posted on this thread are too. Would you like me to post the disgusting video of cows being prodded and stomped on, dying and in pain as they go to the slaughter house? Would you like me to describe in detail how they kill a cow and often puncture the intestines so that shit is sprayed everywhere and on everyone and therefore ends up in your food? Have you been following the story about the E Coli outbreak at the Boy Scout Camp? Why is it taking them so long to tell us where that meat came from and who else it was distributed to? I hope there is none in your freezer.
Sorry to everyone else for my little outburst. But I thought posting that vegan article was a little on the rude side. Thank you to everyone else with your thoughtful ideas. |
Anonymous
I'm with you. That was rude. As far as explaining it to him - it's jsut like anything else (race, sexuality, etc). Our family doesn't do it. That's our choice - when you're older you can make your choice, other families make theirs. We don't go to McDs or BK - not even for the veggie stuff. I think the fast food industry is disgusting and I refuse to support them. Nevermind that even the "healthy" stuff isn't healthy. Your kids will thank you - my dd is 5 now and has never been to a fast food place. She eats sweet pot french fries at home and i make tofu nuggets and tempeh. There is always an alternative. Her palate is amazing, since we ususally frequent Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, Chinese, etc for all the veggie options. |
Anonymous
Yes, but what does how cows are treated have to do with the very valid points the article is making about nutritional deficiencies of a vegan diet, especially for abbies and toddlers? I did not post it, and I am a vegetarian myself raising a vegetarian child, but I think you need to calm down. And I also think that you said a lot about cows but not much about your kid. As a vegetarian, I can understand your concerns for animals, but I also know that your child's health will no doubt become your priority, and your perspective may change. I'm not saying it will, but it might. I'm guessing you have had discussions with your OB and future pediatrician about best practices for feeding your baby. In conjunction with them, I hope you are able to nourish your ideals and your DD. |
Anonymous
The OP said nothing about being vegan, FYI. She clearly stated they get all dairy from a local farm and will continue to do so, even chicken occasionally |
Anonymous
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I am a borderline lacto-ovo vegetarian, for similar reasons to the OP. I have a related question for discussion that I have been struggling with myself. When are your children 'old enough' to make their own decisions re: whether they'll eat meat, or just industrial farm food (aka, McDonald's fries)?
A few PPs have said that their children can make their decisions about for themselves "when they're older." In my experience, that comes up pretty darn quickly. As in, when they go off on field trips, school pizza day, and so forth. It is also my experience with school age children that they're more inclined to do as their peers do despite lessons at home about questionable meat, pesticides and the like. So, although I don't take them to McDonald's, the soccer carpool mom does. And then what? |
Anonymous
| Um, it was not the OP who said she was vegan; it was the 10:00 poster. That's who was quoted. |
Anonymous
Hi. I'm the first non-OP poster. Interestingly enough, my son is pretty secure in his vegetarianism, and is old enough to both be "tempted" (he wasn't) at the school field trip and given grief at camp for being a vegetarian by some of the kids who haven't met too many yet (this was my explanation as to why they teased him over something so silly). He holds his own pretty well for a six year old, and will volunteer that he's veggie. My hard line for the moment is that I won't bring it into my house or cook it. I am not sure where I will draw it later, but I have to accept that as an adult he may go whole hog, so to speak, and rebel towards a life of carnivorous indulgence. |