Need a kid friendly way to explain this?

Question

well my hubby and i are vegetarians and we have a three year old girl whom we are raising as vegetarian. now, we are vegetarians because we are 100% against animal abuse and believe in kindness over killing, but we don't really know how to explain it to our daughter. hubby wants to tell her point blank that meat is dead animals and we don't believe in that, but i dont want her to tell her meat eating friends that and possibly scare them. i also dont want to beat around the bush and make her think we are just being mean by not letting her eat certain things. she is beginning to wonder.

what is a kid friendly way to explain it to her?

Answer 1

I am a Vegan but my husband isn't. We have four kids and we feed them everything until they are old enough to decide for themselves . Thus our 9 year old is now a vegetarian. The way we do it is wait until they ask why I don't eat the same things as Daddy and then say that Daddy eats Lambs and Fish and Chickens and Cows and Cheese and drinks Milk and eats eggs and Mummy doesn't. We say that Daddy doesn't eat Cabbage but Mummy does and make it sound not very much different.

It is obviously different if the whole family are Vegetarians. However, you could always just say that some folk eat different things to others and say you don't eat Animals but some people do.  

Answer 2

hi lol i have to say i kind of agree with your hubby to a certain point i have three children 5,3,20 months and am bring them up as muslims so there fore  can not eat pork my 5 year old started to ask question like why cant i eat hot dogs so on when he was around the same age as your daughter so i just told him the truth that we believe you shouldn't eat it as its against the religion ,but i also explained this doesn't mean he is missing out on what everyone else has just his are special so he should always ask a adult before he can eat something and tell everyone he isn't to eat pork

since that day i think just by been honest with him he has been great he tells his dinner Lady's everyday ,he has taught his brother lol he even tells me when we go shopping what he can and cant eat i think honesty is always the best option when dealing with children

Answer 3

Actually the way animals are killed is often VERY kind and is done in the most humane way possible. I hunt deer, rabbit, squirrel, bear, elk, caribou, antelope, and other game, and I hunt humanely. I take one clean shot and about 95% of the time the animal drops right there, it's dead with no pain. Other times if it teeters a bit I will put one more shot in so that it is put out of any pain it would feel.

Get some books for this. And if she wants to eat meat, let her! Who are you to say that your daughter cannot eat a perfectly healthy food that she might like?

Answer 4

tell her that all life is sacred and you'd rather not take innocent lives away for survival  

Answer 5

I was going to try to answer this one, but I'm stumped. Maybe you could tell her straight out, I don't think there is a problem with her knowing that meat is dead animals, but also tell her that it is very common to eat meat and not to think someone else is wierd for eating it. (It's kinda funny it seems like a role reversal). Just explaine the whole scope of the matter.

Good Luck

Answer 6

explain that animals are like people. and that they don't eat us, so why should we eat them? And just say like that.

but on the same token chickens aren't supposed to be put on a leash, taken on walks, and raised as pets. same with cows, and fish. They were put on this earth for a reason.

Answer 7

Do you have a family pet, or is she fond of a family member or friend's pet?  If so, explain that the animals that some people eat are similar to the pet.  No (normal) child would want to eat her beloved pet, right?  

Also explain to her that not eating meat is your choice, but that other people choose to do it.  If other people want to do it, that's OK, even though it's not what your family believes in doing.  Just tell her not to say anything about it unless someone asks her.

As a side note, I'm sure you're spoken to a nutritionist about your daughter's needs, which are different from those of adults, right?  A vegetarian (or vegan) diet is perfectly fine and healthy for children, but it's extremely important that they get all of the nutrients that their little bodies need from various plant - based foods.

Answer 8

I agree with your husband just tell her the truth.  It is no different than explaining s*x or drugs to a child at that age.  Just explain the reason why you think eating meat is wrong.  

I have a question for you.  What are you and your husband going to do if your child does not want to be a vegetarian?  Jesus ate meat so are you saying he was a killer.  If she is wondering now what are you going to do about it when she say, "Hamburger".  You and your husband made your choice are you not going to give her a choice.

Answer 9

you could get yourselves a dog or another pet. (she/he will certainly love it) and then ask her if she wants to eat the 'brothers' of your pet and if she thinks it's right. Im sure she'll say no. But also stress the fact that other people eat meat because they dont have a pet they love and that they are not bad people.

i dunno hope i helped^^

oh and bravo for the veggy-not-killing-animals-thing!i 100% agree!  

Answer 10

There are a number of children's books that deal with this topic, do a quick search on Amazon.  Get some for yourself too, b/c if that's why you are vegetarians, it would make so much more sense to buy free range and grass fed meat.

Answer 11

Just explain that some families do things certain ways. She will have noticed that some of her friends have different schedules and different clothes and toys, and that's what families choose to do. Maybe some of her friends are Jewish or Muslim and don't eat pork, and that's a family thing (or that would be an easy way to explain it).

I agree with you not telling her that eating meat is bad etc because she will be scared for her friends. I think making it a special family thing would be a nice way for her to understand.  

Answer 12

Uhm, I thinnk that you might be able to just tell her that your family believes that it is not right to eat animals, but the part about not scaring her friends is just like a religion ?

                            hope i helped.. sorry if it doesnt work.

               xoxo.

                 kayla.

P.S. THANKS FOR NOT EATING ANIMALS!! ☺

Answer 13

I agree with Olivia's post. Tell her that different families value different things. And this aspect of your lives is what makes your family unique. I think that is the best way without including animals. But if she asks any other questions, I think it is best to answer them honestly. But avoid harsher words like "dead."

Answer 14

maybe you should make up a couple of examples like animals are living things and don't deserve to be killed

Answer 15

well, take your daughter to the stockyards, to the slaughterhouse, take her to the pig farm.  everyone, even three year olds knows what a 'chicken' is.  and that's the name of what we eat.  the bones in meat match the skeleton of animals.  that can be seen online!  However, it's normal for humans to eat animals.  has been going on for thousands of years.  You can tell her that IN YOUR FAMILY "in our family" we don't eat meat because it makes us feel sad.  It makes us feel sad that animals died to create our meat.  even 3 year olds understand death.  there are dead possums and racoons and armadillos all over the place.  find some dead animals and show your 3 year old when you run across them - every family is different - point this out too.  some families live in apartments, some in big houses, some in trailers.  some families have only one child, some have 3 or 4, some families go to church some don't.  families are different and IN OUR FAMILY we don't eat anything that comes from dead animals.  does this give you some ideas.  it's not an either or situation.  use the natural things that exist in life - roadkill, cut up chickens in the grocery store, skeletons, etc, to help her understand.  Then use the "in our family we do this" explanation.  

Answer 16

well i dont think that a child should lack in certain nutrients especially at this crucial time in her life(as a growing child)

so maybe dont buy raw meat etc,but maybe nuggets that are made,just need to cook them or something

plz accept my point,a child will decide once shes ready but until then she should eat healthily  

Answer 17

Sorry but your hubby is right. Just tell your daughter not to share the info with anyone unless they ask.

Answer 18

You could explain to her that personally you don't want to eat animals because you feel bad for them and you feel that they should live their lives as animals and not food products. but then remind her that everyone has a choice, and that a lot of people do eat meat. Tell her that even though your family chooses not to eat meat, it doesn't mean that her friends are bad. It's just their family's choice.

Answer 19

I would tell her, that eating meat is bad, because it upsets the animals and that you dont want to hurt the animals' feelings. Than when she gets older you can give her a more grown up reason

Answer 20

I am not a vegetarian but you should already know from other veges that you don't need to eat or drink dairy, etc to get plenty of nutrients. Explain to your daughter that the way you eat is healthy and doesn't cause you to get sick when you get older. i would invest in some child appropriate books to read to her about your way of life. I wish you lived near me to teach me more about vegetarian diets. I would love to start eating more fruits and veggies and explore ones i haven't tried before.