help me answer the inevitable question...

October 21, 2004

Hi there,

When it was just me who was a vegetarian I didn't go out of my way to have

my answer ready when people asked me " Why? " I figured they wanted a quick

answer so they could argue their point sooner, and I never had an easy answer.

But now that it is my daughter that they are asking about I want to have a great

response when they ask me why we are raising her as a vegetarian. I had a

conversation with a women the other day that made me realize I wasn't prepared

enough, not to mention that she made me angry, when I said that my daughter

didn't eat meat she asked me, " If you gave her chicken wouldn't she eat it? "

Well, yes, and if I give her toilet paper she eats that too! She is 14 months

old. Any great answers, come-backs, or brilliant responces would be

appreciated. Thanks,

Julia

October 21, 2004

I think your question relates to the common misconception about veg diets

being a " deprivation " of sorts; focusing on what you don't eat rather than what

you do. My response to people like that is to say something like, " I want my

kids to be fit and healthy, so we eat only vegetarian foods that reduce our risk

of disease and food poisoning. " Especially since children are much more

vulnerable to food-borne bacteria than adults (remember all those E. coli

cases?),

that's one approach to take.

The ethical approach is also good: " Our family doesn't eat animals because of

the terrible cruelty involved with meat (and dairy and egg) production. " Or,

" Eating meat is a choice, not a necessity, and we choose not to for health and

ethical reasons. "

You could also modify your own great reply: " If I gave her toilet paper,

she'd eat that, too, so it's up to me to give her the healthiest diet I can, and

that's vegetarian/vegan. "

Good luck (and keep your sense of humor with clueless people),

Jill

October 23, 2004

Another thing to remember is that you're not FORCING anything on them other

than your family's value system, which is something every family does. For

example, not only would your dd eat toilet paper if you gave it to her, she

would also take toys from other children, hit people, interrupt

conversations, be rude, make fun of people, etc. It is your moral/ethical

value system that it is not okay to hit other kids, to take their toys, or

to be mean. Similarly, it is your value system that it is morally

unacceptable to torture and kill sentient animals just so you can enjoy how

they taste. It's completely different than if you were " forcing " some other

random thing on her. As another example, would you let your child make fun

of someone of a different race, or insult a person because of how they look,

or whack the family dog with a stick? No, you would make it really clear to

your child that that is not an acceptable way to live. And similarly, you

are making it clear to her that in your family, it is not okay to torture

and kill animals. It's a beautifully consistent way to raise a child.

So when people ask me why I'm not letting my children " choose " to be veg or

not, I tell them that veganism is an ethical and moral value in our family,

not unlike raising your child with certain religious values, like " do unto

others, love your neighbor, " etc. I'm encouraging the natural follow-through

in my kids to not be cruel or unkind to ANYone. You " force " many things on

small children, and vegism is a huge ethical/moral value. I also tell

people, however, if we get into a further discussion about it, that I will

not force them to be veg once they are older, and have their own money and

are buying food on their own. I'm not sure exactly what that age will be,

maybe over 12 or so, but if at that time, my kids want to try meat, I will

leave that choice up to them. Having known many many ethically vegan

families over the years, I have never seen a child raised veg for ethical

reasons choose to eat meat. I have seen only kids who were raised veg for

religious/health reasons stray from their diet. It has been my experience

that if the child really understands the ethical implications of

meat-eating, they would never choose to do it.

Actually, I have the opposite problem with my daughter - though we're vegan,

we're not very strict in our family about products containing honey - we do

eat graham crackers and such. The other day I handed my daughter a graham

cracker in the car, and she exclaimed, " Does this have honey in it? " I was

shocked to hear her ask, as we had never discussed honey or anything about

it, but I said, " well, yes, it does have a little bit of honey in it. " Then

she says, " But we don't eat honey! " I'm sitting there wondering who has told

her this, and say, " Why not? " And she says, " because it comes from bees! " So

suddenly I'm trying to explain an inconsistency in our diet to my dd, who

has now become " veganer than thou " at the lovely age of 3 1/2. Very funny.

Leena

Michael Byrum [mdbyrum]

Thursday, October 21, 2004 12:52 AM

help me answer the inevitable question...

Hi there,

When it was just me who was a vegetarian I didn't go out of my way to

have my answer ready when people asked me " Why? " I figured they wanted a

quick answer so they could argue their point sooner, and I never had an easy

answer. But now that it is my daughter that they are asking about I want to

have a great response when they ask me why we are raising her as a

vegetarian. I had a conversation with a women the other day that made me

realize I wasn't prepared enough, not to mention that she made me angry,

when I said that my daughter didn't eat meat she asked me, " If you gave her

chicken wouldn't she eat it? " Well, yes, and if I give her toilet paper she

eats that too! She is 14 months old. Any great answers, come-backs, or

brilliant responces would be appreciated. Thanks,

Julia

October 23, 2004

actually- I like the toilet paper one!! ok- this is way off thread here but I

need to ask. I rescued a dog today who is EXTRMELY EMACIATED. really- this is

beyond cruel, and the flies have bloodied his ears. I know I am new here and I

hope I am not offending anyone but was wondering if anyone knew anyone who could

post him or foster. now here is the kicker- plz do not delete after I say the

breed- he is an american pit bull terrier. ok wait!!! I have allready had him

around kids, which he loved, and his temperment is exceptional. I have an apbt

of my own and in honesty they really are great family dogs. with that said- if

anyone has any advice- I am more than grateful. thx. cristene

-

JilloHC<JilloHC

mdbyrum<mdbyrum ;

< >

Thursday, October 21, 2004 12:06 PM

Re: help me answer the inevitable question...

I think your question relates to the common misconception about veg diets

being a " deprivation " of sorts; focusing on what you don't eat rather than

what

you do. My response to people like that is to say something like, " I want my

kids to be fit and healthy, so we eat only vegetarian foods that reduce our

risk

of disease and food poisoning. " Especially since children are much more

vulnerable to food-borne bacteria than adults (remember all those E. coli

cases?),

that's one approach to take.

The ethical approach is also good: " Our family doesn't eat animals because of

the terrible cruelty involved with meat (and dairy and egg) production. " Or,

" Eating meat is a choice, not a necessity, and we choose not to for health and

ethical reasons. "

You could also modify your own great reply: " If I gave her toilet paper,

she'd eat that, too, so it's up to me to give her the healthiest diet I can,

and

that's vegetarian/vegan. "

Good luck (and keep your sense of humor with clueless people),

Jill

October 25, 2004

Regarding the dog, call your local humane society and see who does

rescues/fosters. There are some places set up especially for pit bulls, because

they are

" special needs " dogs not just because of their condition if they've been

abused but also because of their reputation (which is not true of all pit

bulls).

You can also go online and look up " pit bull rescue " .

Good luck, and thanks for helping him.

Jill

October 25, 2004

Cristene,

Check the internet for an APBT rescue league. I know there are rescue

leagues for almost every other type of " purebred " so maybe there's one for

this little sweetie too.

God's Peace,

Gayle

October 25, 2004

If they don't have info on rescues, then DO NOT take him to a humane society,

they are all about people and don't really care about the animals. They

automatically put pit bulls down due to their reputations.

Sara

-

JilloHC

Monday, October 25, 2004 10:34 AM

Re: help me answer the inevitable question...

Regarding the dog, call your local humane society and see who does

rescues/fosters. There are some places set up especially for pit bulls,

because they are

" special needs " dogs not just because of their condition if they've been

abused but also because of their reputation (which is not true of all pit

bulls).

You can also go online and look up " pit bull rescue " .

Good luck, and thanks for helping him.

Jill

October 26, 2004

thx. will look into that. only problem is that most are " too full " . as we all

know- most ppl get these dogs for all of the wrong reasons. I just wish you

could see him. I really mean it- skin and bone. cristene

-

quintmom<quintmom

< >

Monday, October 25, 2004 10:35 AM

Re: help me answer the inevitable question...

Cristene,

Check the internet for an APBT rescue league. I know there are rescue

leagues for almost every other type of " purebred " so maybe there's one for

this little sweetie too.

God's Peace,

Gayle

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org<http://www.vrg.org/> and for materials especially useful for

families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This<http://www.vrg.org/family.This> is

a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice.

Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional.

edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.

October 26, 2004

oh no- he isn't going anywhere from here but to a good home!! we have bsl here

in ohio and you're right- he would be pts immediately. I appreciate all of the

support!! plz keep him in your prayers(if you pray). oh- took him to the vet

yesterday- he weighed ~30lbs. that is with the 1 or 2 lbs he put on here. he is

supposed to be ~65-70 lbs. ppl make me sick. besides that the vet said he is

actually doing very well and his temperment is amazing!! cristene

-

Sara<SaraShaughnessy

< >

Monday, October 25, 2004 4:14 PM

Re: help me answer the inevitable question...

If they don't have info on rescues, then DO NOT take him to a humane society,

they are all about people and don't really care about the animals. They

automatically put pit bulls down due to their reputations.

Sara

-

JilloHC<JilloHC

< >

Monday, October 25, 2004 10:34 AM

Re: help me answer the inevitable question...

Regarding the dog, call your local humane society and see who does

rescues/fosters. There are some places set up especially for pit bulls,

because they are

" special needs " dogs not just because of their condition if they've been

abused but also because of their reputation (which is not true of all pit

bulls).

You can also go online and look up " pit bull rescue " .

Good luck, and thanks for helping him.

Jill

October 27, 2004

I must support your efforts to find a home for that poor dog.I grew up with a

pit bull as our family dog and can attest to thier loving,friendly

personalities.My sister was 4 years old when we got her.Never once did we worry

about her safety.In fact,our dog would probably fight to the death to protect

her.I would love to adopt her myself if we could have pets.Have you considered

researching a pit bull rescue group?Unfortunately there are many out there due

to the barbaric dog fighting these wonderful creatures are put through.They may

be able to provide a home for her or find a family to adopt her.Good luck!!

cristene bailey <maibee23 wrote: