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HI Stacey!

I'm a 31 year old vegan homeschooling mom myself... how old are your kids??

do they know what they are eating?? Personally, as the main chef mamma, I'd

be cooking vegan meals, and NOT adding the slab of meat on the side.. I

think it is sending a mixed message.. I know you are trying to keep the

peace.. but instead I'd keep the PEAS! but seriously.. you have to keep

the peace within yourself, and you will not be happy with that slab of meat

at the table.. I say this because you said that it would be hard on your

conscious.. and I think doing so is sending a mixed message to your

family.. you would be saying that being vegan is not something that can be

done.. you would be saying that your own beliefs are not important....

 

I would suggest that you figure out why you want to go vegan, and when you

are prepared to discuss it with your family, and are able to voice to them

why it is important to you, and ask them for their support. As the main

meal making mamma, I think you have the right to cook woderfully healthy and

tasty meals for your family that EVERYONE (including yourself) can eat...

~~~. vegan is the lowest common denominator on the old food chain! I'd work

on making really tasty vegan meals (if that slab of meat is needed.. add a

slab of FAKE meat!)

 

we started out vegetarian... the kids and I loved cheese, and I love baking,

so giving up on the eggs and dairy was (or I thought it would be ) hard...

my son was 4 when we started thinking maybe dairy/ eggs were not ok... we

talked about it (about the life of the dairy cow, ) and he said to me "

mommy , if you were a cow, I'd tell that farmer to leave you alone! " ...

well.. pow, that made sense to me.. we stopped drinking milk..

 

we were still eating cheese at that time until we found soy cheese and we

switched to that (didn't know about casein at the time, have now switched to

, and I hadn't found an alternative for baking with eggs (now I use

flaxmeal) anyway... my point was that I had thought it would be hard for

them.. but they were part of that decision, and now are just waiting for the

moment when all the world will be vegan (jacob, our almost 8 year old , is

certain that the time will come!) I hope he's right!

 

www.vegweb.com has some great vegan recipes.. there are lots of places to

find things.. what types of food does your family like?? you can veganize

just about anything !! that is the route I'd go... I hope it works for

you!!

 

congratulations on deciding to go vegan!

and best of luck !!

=) jenni

in southern california

 

 

 

 

 

> Sun, 02 Nov 2003 13:10:31 -0000

> " Stacey Grimm " <stacey

> New List Member

>

> Hello, all!

>

> I joined the list yesterday because I would like some advice on going

> vegan and being the only one doing so in an ominivorous household.

> Oddly enough, I'm the mama, head chef, and meal planner. My family,

> which outnumbers me by 3, are ardent meat-eaters. I am formerly a

> " pescetarian " which went over fine with my husband but not my

> children. I reintroduced meat into our collective diet a while back,

> and now I'm ready to go back and perhaps cross the Rubicon to

> veganism. (Yes, I understand the difference between pescetarian,

> vegetarian, and vegan.)

>

> A little about me apart from the above: I'm a SAHM, and am

> homeschooling my kids. I live with my husband, two children, two cats

> (one a rescued stray), and one retired racing greyhound who is 10

> years old now. I enjoy hiking, crafts, music, spirituality, cooking

> and baking, among other things. I live in southern PA. I'm

> 30-something. Well, don't know what else to say.

>

> If you have any advice on the dilemma detailed above, please let me

> know. The only solution I can come up with is to cook mainly vegan and

> add a slab of meat for the family. That wouldn't clear my conscience,

> but it would keep peace in the home. Thoughts?

>

> Thanks,

> Stacey

>

>

>

> ______________________

> ______________________

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I wish it were so easy!

 

I've been working on the kids for a couple years now and they won't budge. We

started with talking about the " yucky " stuff found in milk. We talked about

how milk cows are treated. That didn't wash with them. They just don't care.

Seriously. It's like my kids have no conscience when it comes to animals.

 

We talked about how pigs are kept and the things pigs eat. Didn't wash. My

kids love pepperoni and care more for the taste of pepperoni than for the

welfare of the pigs and that of their own bodies.

 

My husband likes milk. He LIKES milk. Cow's milk. He thinks vegan arguments

against drinking milk are preposterous.

 

My husband's not big on beef, but he loves chicken. BTW, he becomes weak on a

vegetarian diet. I've yet to figure out what nutrient it is he needs more of

to compensate for the missing meat.

 

I had my family try out soy milk, soy cheese, and fake meat on several

separate occasions. They hate it! Meatless pepperoni was okay, but it

certainly didn't rank up there with the real thing with them. They came to

loathe mealtime because they knew there would be no meat. They were relieved

on those few occasions when I served fish. (My husband was mostly okay with

the pescetarian diet. The kids were not!)

 

Forcing the family on a vegan diet sends a very negative mealtime message to

the kids. They hear, " I don't care what you like to eat, you're eating this

or you're eating nothing at all. " Truthfully I'm saying, " I care very much

for your long-term well being, and that of those non-humans who share this

planet with us. Therefore I'm making these delicious, healthy, meatless meals

for you. " They really were delicious! Most of my recipes came from Vegetarian

Times and I don't think I've come across a single one from VT that my

husband and I haven't liked. There have been some that were so-so.

 

Anyway, I'm the only one who likes the meatless alternatives, and I'm the only

one who really appreciates going without meat. So, while going meatless is

better, it doesn't send the positive message I'd like for them to get.

 

My kids are 7 (8 in Feb), and 8 (9 in Dec).

 

Stacey

-who knows why she wants to go vegan, and is determined to make a peaceful way

for the family to cope.