(vegan/vegetarian ppl) what would you say or do if...?

Question

...your little kid (say like, 7-9 yrs old or so) suddenly busted out with "i'm sorry but i'm a meat eater and i don't care about the animals, my favorite thing is meat" after they somehow got a hold of like a hotdog or something from some other kid at school? i mean they already know how cruel and unhealthy and just generally revolting you think meat is so you can't lay that one on them, so now what do you say or do?

this is something that just happened to someone i know btw.

and yea she totally knows what a hotdog is made of too.

Answer 1

You cant expect to bring up a child as a vegan/vegetarian because they don't completely comprehend exactly what it is about They're going to get hold of meat somehow, whether its given by accident or by choice because of curiosity. They should be bought up knowing all options in they're life otherwise they've being given a biased view.

Answer 2

It's incredibly hard to answer this without sounding arrogant. It's even less meaningful because I myself don't have kids.

(I'm assuming they're well aware of the alternatives to eating meat, of which there are many.)

I would first make them experience the things that caused me to become vegetarian. I would introduce them to a cow, a sow and a chicken, and then walk them through a slaughter house to see what is done to them. (Most of you are questioning my sanity right now, but the reason why I'm a vegetarian is cruelty to sentient beings, and it's best to show what happens to them to understand my reasoning. Granted, I watched a fish die, not walked through a slaughter house, but in my mind that was worse, because I killed the fish. The most tasteless meal I've ever eaten.)

Having met several vegetarians who made their decision because of similar events, that should clarify the situation. That age group would be as young as I am willing to try it, earlier than that and it would either be traumatizing or incomprehensible.

If that didn't work, then I would (this is where I sound arrogant) deny them to eat meat. And I'd hate myself for it, but I cannot and will not support that behavior, it would be just like paying for a friend's steak. I won't do it.

As to my short term reaction, while that is mainly what you're asking about, I couldn't fathom how I would respond. That sort of duress is not something that can be predicted.

I hope this is a reasonable response.  

Answer 3

I would never force my child to conform to my beliefs.  If s/he wanted to eat meat, I'd gladly let him/her.  I don't believe in forcing your kids to do something just because you happen to do it.  I believe in making informed decisions with what information you have, and then putting that information to use, whether for good or bad.  My child would know the reasons I personally didn't eat meat and would be allowed to decide to eat whatever s/he wanted.

On the flip side, if I ate meat, I wouldn't have any problem with my child becoming vegetarian or vegan.

Answer 4

I think all you can tell them is, okay. But we won't be supplying meat for you in the house.

Answer 5

I would tell them that all animals have feelings. Iwouldn't care if they ate meat, although it is not healthy at all for them! but I would at least get the point across that animals have feelings and that a child who enjoys (and actually says it outloud) the slaughtering of animals is a little messed up.

I'd really be offended if they said it that way.

Answer 6

It would be okay but I wouldn't be buying or cooking it for them so they better find their 7-9 yr old self a job and a way to get it cooked and served!

Answer 7

When I was in grade school, one of the kids in my class was from a vegan family. Every day he brought some kind of vegetable stuff to school. We fed it to the class hamster, and one kid or another always had a sandwich to share with him. So he ate ham or salami or roast beef or some such thing for lunch every school day for the 7 years I knew him. Oddly, it was common knowledge among us kids but his parents never had a clue.

We went to different high schools, so I have no idea what happened afterward.

Answer 8

i would let them eat it because denying it would only make it more desirable

Answer 9

they can go right ahead and keep eating meat but not in my house and i'm not cooking it. i refuse to touch meat.

every child is different. i think a lot of eight yr olds can figure out what they want in life.

Answer 10

Well, I plan to raise my children to be as healthy as possible, and that means no animal products in our household. I can't control what their choices are when they're out with friends, but I truly believe that if they are made fully aware of how gross and cruel it is to eat animals, they would never consider it.

Answer 11

That's fine, it's better for my child to eat meat and choose veganism on their own as an adult or teen than to just do whatever I tell him to do.

That doesn't mean he can eat it in my house or that I'll buy it for him.

I wasn't raised vegan and I'm glad that I came to it on my own and wasn't just handed a certain ideal to follow. That doesn't mean that I won't share all of the information that I have.

I don't know the people that you're speaking of, so for all I know they could be the most reactive, emotional and dysfunctional family that you know.

Answer 12

You tell him/her why he /she should not eat meat. You are the parent and should take control since the child is not even 10 years old. When they get older, you can allow a certain amount of freedom and maybe let them choose. But at this stage, your house, your rules.

It's like if they ask "daddy, where do babies come from?" You try to explain it to them in a manner in which they can understand. Yo don't have to be graphic and shocking or complicated.

Making them choose at this stage is a mistake in my opinion. If they say" daddy, i all i wanna eat from now on are worms, bugs and dirt". Would you be supportive and let them?

Answer 13

If i felt sure my kid could make a reasonable moral decision, i would accept it.

Its proven science though that children up to the age of 10 often have no concept of "life", death" and what is "living"

eg, you will find many children in tests will apply "living" attributes to things like cameras, phones, cars.

If you don't think thats true, research about it - i was shocked and amazed when I saw kids talkng about products during a BBC documentary on the subject.

You can tell a 10 year old that mom is dead and some will say "thats sad, when is she coming home to cook dinner ?"

Because of that, i think 10 ( let alone 7-9 as in your question ) is too young to fully understand the impact of ones actions and therefore i would guide my kids to stay veggie for a while longer.

EVERY parent ( except whack-jobs ) guides thier kids morals on things like religion, crime, bullying, education, types of friends, drugs, s*x, etc , why not on diet as well ?

its called parenting.

I can't wait for the episode in Christophers "parenting" book, you, know, the one where he explains that murder is wrong. What'll you do, march them past a murder scene ?

I think i'll skip the chapters on beastiality and genocide if you don't mind.