Explaining veg-issues to small children??

March 19, 2003

We don't watch much tv either. Unfortunately, when we do, the kids are faced

with Ronald McDonald, Chuck E. Cheese, etc.. My son tells me each time that he

wants to go to Chuck E. Cheese's because he sees the kids playing games in the

commercials. (Now I try sticking to a short video here and there instead of the

tv)

My son went through a phase where watching his relatives eat non-veg foods was

upsetting to him. He would tell them 'you need to learn better', 'that's junky

stuff', and question me as to 'how come Nana and Papa don't care about animals?'

why don't they learn?' and 'Daddy Knows better! he doesn't listen!'..

My son's teacher has explained to him that everyone makes choices and decides

what's right for them. She went on to say that it's okay that some people are

vegetarians and others are not, blah blah... I have since had a conversation

with her regarding this, and now she speaks with me first before discussing

these types of things with my son. (It's fine and dandy that the world is full

of all types of people, but what about the animals? How can my son understand

how it's viewed as okay to hurt animals when I can't even understand it?! Yes,

everyone can make their own choices, but why would Nana choose to eat what's

left of a killed animal? Why would that be okay with her, and Papa, and Daddy,

and his friends.. ?)

I do have to give his teacher and staff some credit though - they have been a

lot better with having me check ingredient labels, etc when they're cooking in

class and do make a separate batch for my son if need be. I questioned why make

2 batches instead of 1 big (veg) batch for the whole class, not just my son, but

they didn't go for it.. {{sigh}} I don't get it. It's great seeing how the other

children accept him and ask questions about being vegetarian. For play dates, a

few of my son's friends have reminded their parents, 'you know, he doesn't eat

any animal stuff, right?!' - I love that! lol I just wish I knew what their

parents were telling them. (!)

I remember one time my son was pretty upset that people didn't care about the

animals. I told him vaguely of how long the process is from live animals

becoming somebody's supper.. (I didn't get gruesome or anything - I pretty much

told him that I think a lot more people would be vegetarian if they hide to

track down the animals themselves.. mentioning how there's a place where the

animals get hurt, and several other buildings and places in between that all

have jobs which turn the animals into the stuff you see in grocery stores.. So,

by the time people go to the store to buy their food, they don't even think of

where it comes from. Now, here's the best part that shows how lucky I am to

have my son.. He then says to me, " Well, we have to let everyone know! It will

be my job so they won't forget. I want my job to help people too. " (!!) Ohh,

I love my little guy! So now he helps me pack bags of vegan foods for the less

fortunate so the animals aren't getting hurt and the 'families with no houses'

have healthy food.

" Brian Shaughnessy " <ApMama2boys

....I have a three year old. He doesn't know yet that we eat differently, but he

has seen a few McDonald's commercials. At first, he thought that Ronald was

neat, then I explained to him that he was mean because he hurt cows, he doesn't

watch that much tv, but when those commercials come on he now starts yelling

" MEAN guy, he hurts cows! " At first I thought that was really cool, but now I

am worried, I don't want him to think that our family members are all mean.

Sara

March 20, 2003

On Wed, 19 Mar 2003, C-Mendola wrote:

> We don't watch much tv either. Unfortunately, when we do, the kids are

> faced with Ronald McDonald, Chuck E. Cheese, etc.. My son tells me each

> time that he wants to go to Chuck E. Cheese's because he sees the kids

> playing games in the commercials.

I don't have any advice about explaining veg issues to kids (my son is not

yet 2 and is still clueless that other people eat differently). But I did

want to point out that Chuck E. Cheese is not actually as bad as the name

would imply. Many, many people go there just to play the games. The food

is entirely optional. Plus, the pizza crusts and sauce are vegan and the

pizzas can be ordered with veggie toppings and no cheese. The one is my

area also has a decent salad bar. I wouldn't try planning a vegan

birthday party there, but I have taken my son to his cousins' parties at

Chuck E. Cheese and felt quite comfortable with the experience.

----

Patricia Bullington-McGuire <patricia

The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered

three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the

purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each

nonexisted in an entirely different way ...

-- Stanislaw Lem, " Cyberiad "

March 21, 2003