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Original poster

Vegetarian ? Do you intend to bring up your children as vegetarian also?

122 replies

KickingScreaming · 02/02/2023 14:09

Or will you let them decide when they are old enough to make an informed choice themselves?

OP posts:
geeteetoo · 02/02/2023 18:51

I still stand by thinking it's odd to be veggie parents and 'let your children eat meat'.

Why? Why is that the default?!

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 18:57

I am a vegetarian but feed dh and the kids meat. It's not my place to say what the can and can't eat, it's their choice.

I was at a kids party recently and the mum is a veggie and I heard her crossly saying to her 4 year old 'no you can't eat that buffet, it has meat in it!' abs that's not right imo.

I absolutely hate buying and cooking meat but I do it because of the rest of the family want to eat meat that's up to them. I would never force my views onto my family.

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 18:57

Nugget not buffet!

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bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 18:58

And not abs

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 18:59

@geeteetoo why should I be allowed to force my kids to be veggie? What if they don't want to be? They are separate people to me.

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 19:00

@geeteetoo each to their own but u did ask. All I can do is desperately hope they choose to be veggie when they're older. I can't do anything more.

geeteetoo · 02/02/2023 19:46

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 19:00

@geeteetoo each to their own but u did ask. All I can do is desperately hope they choose to be veggie when they're older. I can't do anything more.

But you could say you are forcing them to eat meat?

geeteetoo · 02/02/2023 19:47

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 18:57

I am a vegetarian but feed dh and the kids meat. It's not my place to say what the can and can't eat, it's their choice.

I was at a kids party recently and the mum is a veggie and I heard her crossly saying to her 4 year old 'no you can't eat that buffet, it has meat in it!' abs that's not right imo.

I absolutely hate buying and cooking meat but I do it because of the rest of the family want to eat meat that's up to them. I would never force my views onto my family.

Why isn't that right? I don't understand. If the kid is veggie then no, they couldn't eat the buffet if it was meat? Same as any human who was veggie.

TwoMonthsOff · 02/02/2023 19:48

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 02/02/2023 14:17

Same as @CampervanQueen.

We are vegetarian at home, so dd has always been vegetarian at home as well - we just don't have meat in the house.

From when she was very little, we always made it clear to her that she was free to eat meat outside of the home whenever she wanted to - whether it was just to try it out of curiosity or whether she wanted to eat it regularly. So it has always been her choice and we genuinely wouldn't have minded if she had wanted to eat it.

To date, she tells me that she has never tried it and never been tempted to try it. She says that she is glad that she hasn't ever tried it because she doesn't miss it, whereas many of her friends want to go veggie but find it too difficult.

She is 17 now, and she eats a good balanced diet. She is in very good health. Maybe she will decide to eat meat in future, or maybe she won't. If I had to bet on it, I'd say that there is a higher likelihood that she will go vegan, based on her current eating habits, but we'll see.

That’s really good

anaconda1831 · 02/02/2023 19:48

I’m veggie and DP is vegan. DS is 2 and veggie but when he’s old enough to understand he can choose if we wants to be vegan or eat meat, but we won’t cook him meat here if he does choose that.

VerbenaGirl · 02/02/2023 19:52

I have two very good veggie friends, both married to meat eaters. One fed her children veggie, but was always open to them trying meat as and when they wanted to. One has remained committedly veggie, one started eating meat mid-teens. The other gave them meat, leaving them to make their own decision when they are older.

Cynderella · 02/02/2023 19:55

When my kids were little, we didn't eat meat, but I did buy Lmc sausages to make toad in the hole. Only one of them (four) eats fake meat now. One will eat it if she cooks it for her daughter. None has knowingly eaten meat. When they were children, they were seen as weird by some people, but they all found everything about meat repulsive.

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 19:55

Because being veggie should be a choice. The poor kid just wanted to eat a chicken nugget on her birthday and it didn't sit right with me that she wasn't allowed. She 'has' to be veggie.

Hahahaha I don't force my kids to eat meat but that really did make me laugh out loud and nearly wake my baby who I'm holding! I offer meat and it's a take it or leave it approach in my house.

HeadNorth · 02/02/2023 19:58

We are a veggie household so obviously we brought our children up eating as we do - I’ve never wanted to encourage separate meals for children, we always ate as a family as much as possible. Obviously when the children got older and more independent they could eat what they wanted outside the house. My children are adults now and have stayed vegetarian - entirely their choice.

geeteetoo · 02/02/2023 20:19

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 19:55

Because being veggie should be a choice. The poor kid just wanted to eat a chicken nugget on her birthday and it didn't sit right with me that she wasn't allowed. She 'has' to be veggie.

Hahahaha I don't force my kids to eat meat but that really did make me laugh out loud and nearly wake my baby who I'm holding! I offer meat and it's a take it or leave it approach in my house.

But they've grown up eating meat?? So of course they will eat it.

You said 'I wouldn't force them to be veggie' but it's the exact same thing but with meat.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 02/02/2023 20:40

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 18:57

I am a vegetarian but feed dh and the kids meat. It's not my place to say what the can and can't eat, it's their choice.

I was at a kids party recently and the mum is a veggie and I heard her crossly saying to her 4 year old 'no you can't eat that buffet, it has meat in it!' abs that's not right imo.

I absolutely hate buying and cooking meat but I do it because of the rest of the family want to eat meat that's up to them. I would never force my views onto my family.

See, I don't understand that. If my family want to buy and cook meat for themselves, then they're welcome to do so, but I see no reason why I would need to do it for them.

BCxx · 02/02/2023 20:42

I’m a vegetarian, always have been and I’m not the best cook. I’ve never made anything involving meat, even for my husband who isn’t a vegetarian. When we had our son I wasn’t sure how it was going to go but it’s ended up being if I cook the meal then it’s vegetarian and if his dad makes it he’ll have whatever he is having and it will be meat. It does mean he really doesn’t eat much meat at all though but I would rather it that way and he can decide when he’s older

Emmamoo89 · 02/02/2023 20:43

dodgedabullet · 02/02/2023 14:27

Is it healthier to eat meat or be vegetarian? I've often wondered and if you are vegetarian how essential is it to eat substitutes or can you just not have either?

Healthier to be a meat eater. Substitutes you mean fake meat? That shit good for you.

BooksAndHooks · 02/02/2023 20:44

Yes kids eat the same meals as us, the same way children of meat eaters do until they can decide otherwise.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 02/02/2023 20:44

bakewellbride · 02/02/2023 19:55

Because being veggie should be a choice. The poor kid just wanted to eat a chicken nugget on her birthday and it didn't sit right with me that she wasn't allowed. She 'has' to be veggie.

Hahahaha I don't force my kids to eat meat but that really did make me laugh out loud and nearly wake my baby who I'm holding! I offer meat and it's a take it or leave it approach in my house.

You're kidding yourself if you think you're not making choices for your children by feeding them meat for an early age. I'm not saying that they're the wrong choices. But they're still choices.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 02/02/2023 20:46

Emmamoo89 · 02/02/2023 20:43

Healthier to be a meat eater. Substitutes you mean fake meat? That shit good for you.

Show quote history

I disagree that it's healthier to be a meat eater, but I'm not a fan of processed meat substitutes. Either diet can be healthy or unhealthy to be honest...it depends on how you do it.

Emmamoo89 · 02/02/2023 20:47

Emmamoo89 · 02/02/2023 20:43

Healthier to be a meat eater. Substitutes you mean fake meat? That shit good for you.

Show quote history

That shit not good for you*

MockneyReject · 02/02/2023 20:49

KickingScreaming · 02/02/2023 14:09

Or will you let them decide when they are old enough to make an informed choice themselves?

Yes, my children are being raised vegetarian, and they can make up their own minds when they're old enough to make an informed choice.

Sashimito · 02/02/2023 21:12

I've been thinking about this a lot recently. I'm due to give birth soon and I'm considering raising my child as a vegetarian - even though I'm a meat eater.

The way i see it is, when they are older they can make an informed decision whether to eat meat or not. It feels wrong to give them meat without them understanding that they are eating an animal.

I have seen the look of horror on so many children's faces when they understand the thing they are eating is the animal they have seen on TV/at the farm/in a field.

It somehow just doesn't sit right with me that I get to make that choice for them.

NannyGythaOgg · 02/02/2023 21:13

Iam not vegetarian but I eat very little meat and a little more fish.

On a personal level I believe that we have developed as omnivores so it is unlikely to be unhealthy to eat some meat. I also think that the amount of meat eaten by many is far more than humans developed eating.

This thread has impressed me in how many people believe it is a personal choice. Regardless of individual choices, it seems to be widely accepted by most (not all) that what offspring choose to eat (in the future) is their own choice.

No one I know in my generation (I'm in my 60s) is vegetarian. I eat less animal protein than all my contemporaries. My children (S & D both in 40s) eat meat. Son is full on omnivore, dislikes most veg. Daughter is more like me but eats meat more than I do.

My son's partner is vegetarian. She likes veg and meat subsitutes, he is really no keen on either of those. Luckily they have no children as their shared diet is appalling. Beige food features highly for both of them and they love a big plate of chips.

Daughter is more like me but has a couple of vegetarian friends. One has chosen to be mostly but not strictly vegan. Never meat, but will cope (away from home) with butter, eggs and cheese in recipes). The other has a meat loving husband and 2 daughters. Whilst sticking with vegetarian food for herself the girls get vegetarian when it is just her and them and offered meat when husband is home. As babies they got a bit a of both and I'm not sure what they now eat.