Raising vegetarian children?

Question

Is it easy or hard for you to keep your children out of fast food joints, and I mean any of them? Have you ever been told off by less than educated people like at your child's school or the health department? How do you handle well meaning people who just don't understand that you can get your full supply of calcium and protein by eating vegetarian? Do your children understand your point of view about not eating meat?

Answer 1

I'm seventeen and have been raised as a vegetarian all my life.

I did get bullied a little as I entered secondary school (I'm english) but I had an excellent diet and still managed to be very athletic and in good shape. One day I thought it was time to show people that vegetarians can even excell meat eaters and had a fight with one of the bullies, I won.

So long as you teach your children about why they are vegetarian they will be fine. The people that will not understand it are not the people you want them to be friends with, I have loads of friends that eat meat but understand my decision, these are the people worth keeping close.

Answer 2

OH YEAH!  hi Mom, good for you teaching your kids to eat.  when my oldest son was in 5th grade ( he's 32 now ), i got a letter from the school nurse.  it threatened that if i did not start to feed my son some meat sandwiches in his lunch that they would force my son to eat a meat sandwich so he could get proper nutrition!  the battle that ensued was amazing - I WON! - i simply used my education on nutrition and explained how all the elements in a simlpe PB&J actually had all the basic, protien building blocks, complex carbs, & sugars needed to break down carbs & assimilate protiens properly.  got another letter from school nurse - thanking me for my letter and my patience with them.    a few yrs down the line my daughter came home from school, VERY angry - it was pizza day at school - all the pizzas had meat!  she and the other kids who did not eat meat couldn't eat - i told her not to be mad, do something about it ( she was in 4th grade )- so she made a petition for cheese pizzas to be included on pizza day, had all her friends who did not eat meat sign & a few teachers and the gave it to principle.  next pizza day there was cheese pizzas.  o.k.  one more insident - the youngest son - same sort of thing he always had PB&J w/ chips, carrot stix ,apple or some fruit.  he came home w/ sister laughing at him all the way - he had barfed on the school bus and when his sister asked him why he barfed he said "cuz they made me eat weenies!"  i laughed too it sounded funny, well that called for a trip to the school and since the major part of our veggieness is Religious - i used the "D" word - discrimination - told them his civil rights were violated when he was forced to eat meat - boy did i get an apology from woman who made him eat it, with the assurance that they would make sure he always got what ever he needed.  and yes the kids know why they are veggies and supported eachother as they grew.  they are all grown now and raising veggie kids of their own.  by eating a plant-based diet - you not only help you own body, but the body of our Mother Earth - thank you & Mom you CAN do this

Answer 3

It is not hard to keep your children from fast food, just plain do not allow it, simple really! I personally think pushing your vegetarian beliefs on your child is not completly right.  It should be a personal choice that the child makes for themself.  If they was to try a chicken nugget, heck let them.  You should never try to make your children believe what you do.  Have them understand where you are coming from but allow them to make their own choice.  I really hope your children do not grow up to resent you!

Answer 4

It's not your choice to decide if your kids are gonna eat meat or not. It's their own personal choice.

And I agree with Claire. What you are saying can acutally offend people.

Answer 5

i think it's their decision.  but the world tends to be that way.  but you're a good mother don't worry

Answer 6

Being the kid in school with the "weird" diet restrictions myself (I wasn't allowed to eat refined sugar, so no sweets, soda, etc), it was kind of hard sometimes at birthday parties and field trips and that sort of thing, being the one who wasn't able to eat what everyone else was having and having to pack my own stuff.  But, ultimately when I grew older I was thankful for this as I see myself now being able to make much better dietary choices than most of my peers.  Vegetarianism has much less of a stigma these days and several fast food joints have vegetarian options, I don't think it will be such a big deal.

Your kids will be able to make their own dietary choices when they move out, which may include meat, but they'll have much better knowledge of what it means to eat healthy and in moderation.

Answer 7

Some of the answers are astonishing.

Of course its natural for a vegetarian parent to bring up a child as vegetarian until the child can make informed decisions. All parents do exactly that wilth many aspects of life - diet, morals, health, manners, religion, language, culture, choice of friends....we all influence our children in our way until they can make thier own informed decisions. thats called parenting.

If you believe racism is wrong, and your child starts exhibiting racism, you would stop it, right ? That would be you influencing your childs morals

If you child wanted to make friends with the wino under the bridge arch, you would stop it, right ? Thats you exercising your belief that the child might be unduely influenced or harmed.

If your 5 year old child only wanted to eat junk food, you woudl stop them, right ?

Its called parenting.

Why on earth would food be any different ?

Are all those answerers above saying they would never try to influence thier child over anything ?? Thats neglect.

Answer 8

Raising your children to be anorexic, what type of mother are you?

Answer 9

Wait until they are a bit older, around 11 or 12 and sit them down to talk about weather or not they want to choose the choice of ether being veg or eating meat. Its their choice not yours, if they are old enough to understand what being a veg is about then its their choice.

Answer 10

my children are 13, 15 and 18 and have never had a burger

do they feel deprived? nope, they are highly educated about food and not only do they know and understand about nutrition they can also cook you any dish, and its delicious. we cook as a family, always have

as for the " vegetarians cant be healthy" thing

its old, too old to even dignify with an answer any more

Answer 11

My best advice is not to push your beliefs onto our children.  If you do they will probably resent you when they become old enough to make their own decision.  Allow them to be children and eat at fast food places or their friends BBQ's until they make their own choice about how they choose to live.  If they choose to become vegetarian, then they will stay out of fast food places of their own accord.

Also, I believe that most schools and defiantly most fast food places now offer vegetarian options in their menus.  Just because you disagree with eating meat, doesn't mean that your child should miss out on the experience of joining their friends at these places.

Answer 12

How dare you be so narrow minded to assume that meat eaters are "less educated". How dare you even force your child to conform to your views without even giving them the choice. And lastly - its been well documented that growing children have deficiencies attributed to not having a balanced diet that includes meat. There is plenty of fresh good quality meat out there without having to resort to Mickey D's. Give your child the chance to grow up healthily and allow them to make their own choice in life.