Veggie kid

[Guest guest]

We have 2 kids (3 yrs & 17,mths) who have been veggie

since birth (with the exception of a babysitter not

realizing that the non-chicken nuggets we had for my

son were just that, non-chicken, so she figured it was

ok to give him regular nuggets -- this was over a year

ago). Anyway, he is in school now and they are very

helpful in providing him veggie meals while most of

the other kids eat everything. He likes to tease that

he is going to eat meat or chicken. He is a very

compassionate little boy and we explain to him why we

don't eat it animals although some other people do,

but he still seems to want to -- I think it's

probably just curiosity and he feels that he is

missing something but I worry that he might try

another child's at school, play date, wherever, that

we may not be and not really sure how to handle this.

He was really into the movie Babe for a while and once

when he asked for ham (we were at my in-laws and

everyone else was having it) I said, no we don't eat

that, that would be like eating Babe he proceeded to

have a tantrum shouting " I want to eat Babe, I want to

eat Babe " it was hysterical and humiliating at the

same time. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Alexis

 

 

 

 

 

The all-new My - Get yours free!

 

[Guest guest]

I have wondered about this as well. My son has shown some curiousity towards

eating meat. I have told him that it is dead animals and that seems to gross

him out, but he seems to be preoccupied with it. He talks about how other

people eat meat, even the people who he loves and looks up to. I have taken him

to farms and let him see and play with the animals, I tell him things like how

animals are our friends and we don't hurt our friends. I have decided that all

I can do is teach him why I feel that it is wrong and continue to serve him

vegetarian food. I can't be there all of the time and I can't have total

control over what he eats. I have decided that I won't get too upset if he

decides to try meat when he is older, all we can do is let them know what our

beliefs are and hope that they " get it " .

 

Sara

 

 

 

" They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country or our people.

And neither do we. "

 

George W. Bush

-

Alexis Middle

Tuesday, November 16, 2004 11:40 AM

Veggie kid

 

 

 

We have 2 kids (3 yrs & 17,mths) who have been veggie

since birth (with the exception of a babysitter not

realizing that the non-chicken nuggets we had for my

son were just that, non-chicken, so she figured it was

ok to give him regular nuggets -- this was over a year

ago). Anyway, he is in school now and they are very

helpful in providing him veggie meals while most of

the other kids eat everything. He likes to tease that

he is going to eat meat or chicken. He is a very

compassionate little boy and we explain to him why we

don't eat it animals although some other people do,

but he still seems to want to -- I think it's

probably just curiosity and he feels that he is

missing something but I worry that he might try

another child's at school, play date, wherever, that

we may not be and not really sure how to handle this.

He was really into the movie Babe for a while and once

when he asked for ham (we were at my in-laws and

everyone else was having it) I said, no we don't eat

that, that would be like eating Babe he proceeded to

have a tantrum shouting " I want to eat Babe, I want to

eat Babe " it was hysterical and humiliating at the

same time. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Alexis

 

 

 

The all-new My - Get yours free!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

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.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Some of these books might be a bit old for him, but I would recommend

getting/reading him some of the following:

 

Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat (deals with being different than your

peers in your eating habits)

Victor the Vegetarian (deals with why we don't eat animals from an ethical

perspective)

Victor's Picnic with the Vegetarian Animals (the sequel to Victor the

Vegetarian. This one deals with why humans are designed to be vegetarian from a

physiological perspective - compares our teeth, jaws, etc. to a deer and then a

wolf, etc.)

 

I believe that all of these can be found on amazon.com. They are children's

books, so they don't contain anything graphic.

 

Ultimately, you will have to decide when you are comfortable with him making

his own choice as to whether to be vegetarian or not. I turned this choice

over to my kids rather early - as soon as I felt they were old enough to

understand what meat was. I believe that they were about two when I told them

why we

were vegetarian ( & I am vegan) without being too graphic & told them that

they could choose what they wanted to eat. Thus far, neither of my kids has any

interest in eating meat. I know many parents who wait much longer, though, so

I guess that you have to decide when that point is that he can make his own

choice. I just figured that they would be more likely to want to be vegetarian

if they didn't feel like it was a decision that I was forcing on them.

 

Good luck.

 

Christa

 

In a message dated 11/17/2004 7:03:59 AM Mountain Standard Time,

alexismiddle writes:

 

 

We have 2 kids (3 yrs & 17,mths) who have been veggie

since birth (with the exception of a babysitter not

realizing that the non-chicken nuggets we had for my

son were just that, non-chicken, so she figured it was

ok to give him regular nuggets -- this was over a year

ago). Anyway, he is in school now and they are very

helpful in providing him veggie meals while most of

the other kids eat everything. He likes to tease that

he is going to eat meat or chicken. He is a very

compassionate little boy and we explain to him why we

don't eat it animals although some other people do,

but he still seems to want to -- I think it's

probably just curiosity and he feels that he is

missing something but I worry that he might try

another child's at school, play date, wherever, that

we may not be and not really sure how to handle this.

He was really into the movie Babe for a while and once

when he asked for ham (we were at my in-laws and

everyone else was having it) I said, no we don't eat

that, that would be like eating Babe he proceeded to

have a tantrum shouting " I want to eat Babe, I want to

eat Babe " it was hysterical and humiliating at the

same time. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Alexis

 

 

 

 

 

The all-new My - Get yours free!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

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.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I think all kids go through a bit of rebellion and want a taste of the

forbidden. Ds decided he was going to be veggie when he was 3 (before

that he had eaten meat at other people's houses, but not at home--dh is

not veggie, and I wanted it to be a decision that ds made on his own.)

I, of course, encouraged it; and i would not take him out for

hamburgers, etc. Most of the time he was with me, and it was rarely an

issue. When he was two, and still trying to work it all out in his

head, he told me:

I don't want to eat A chicken; I want to eat chicken like at Autie

Kate's house.

 

Sometimes it's hard to see that those are them same when you are 2.

Anyway, having it be his choice has made him much stronger in it--and

all in all he never ate that much meat, since he didn't eat it at home.

After that he told people that it was HIS choice. And HE decided that

he was going to be a veg. He was proud of it.

 

He has been out and seen sausage samples at the farmer's market, and

once or twice he wanted a taste (it certainly doesn't look like meat).

He likes to sample and snack at the market--that was the appeal, not

the meat (he used to do all the cheese snacks at the market, but I took

him off dairy for other health reasons, and so his choices are

limited). I told him it was meat, and if he wanted to eat animals

again, that was his choice, but he was still not going to eat

sausage--that is about as unhealthy as meat gets. He didn't bring it up

again, and neither did I.

 

I know my kid would not stick to my decision, and he would rebel

against me; but if it is his choice that is rebelling against the

world, then he'll do it.

 

sorry this is so long. hope it helps.

Cindy

 

 

 

 

 

The all-new My - Get yours free!