School and vegeterian

[Letstryagainshallwe]

Sorry rubbish title. I am vegeterian and so are my children (please I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of this, they can make their own decision when they are older) my daughter came back from school telling me she had eaten sausages , I pulled her TA up about it today (she has asd) and was told they lost her card which specifies she's veggie. Aibu in thinking this is not acceptable!?

AssassinatedBeauty

Eating meat is not a belief system....it is a part (very important part) of our evolution. The vast majority of humans eat meat. Now I'm not saying that doesn't have issues attached because it does (factory farming) but it is not a belief system.

Well yes, it is, it is the belief that it is not wrong.

@WalkingDead11 Of course it is a belief system. Yes, we evolved to be able to eat meat, but we don't have to, we are not obligate carnivores. We can choose whether to eat meat or not. Parents make that choice, whether actively or without too much thought based on their culture.

1. For those citing allergies I do not think this is comparable. There is a level of physical harm if a child eats an allergen. I understand that an encroachment on your belief system could be upsetting but there is no actual danger.
2. Your dd's TA will not be with her all day as she has an entitlement to a break too. When you say she has a responsibility to check she is getting the correct food is that just helping with choice. Could her lunch card have been lost in the transition from decision making to delivery?

Whilst this is unfortunate I don't think it is something that requires you to go in all guns blazing. I would mention it to your TA and possibly go into the school and highlight that this has happened and point out the potential serious ramifications had it actually been an allergy.

My friend has a pretty bad allergy to pea starch which is often found in sausages. Would you all be saying this was no big deal if it was an allergy?

It's not on talk to the TA and the school and request this does not happen again. They need to respect your choices for your children it's just the same as any other choice that you make for them until they have a grasp of it for themselves and can make their own decisions.

Oh or forget the allergy thing what about a Muslim or Jewish child being given pork? Not dangerous but it really is a big deal to them and their family.

Thedc of course it's comparable to an allergy as we're not talking about the effects, we're talking about the failure of procedures which led to this happening in the first place. If it happened for a vegetarian child, it could happen for a child with allergies.

Just to be clear my dd has a morning TA and an afternoon one. So they are both with her half the day. She is not left unsupervised at all. Probably be told that's another "drip feed" but it's not relevant to my op my op is my daughter was given meat. Not now many TAs she has.

op there is nothing else you can do. they made a mistake you told them. the end!

it's irrelevant how many tas your little one has. don't feel like you need to explain that! x

Yes a mistake was made. Now is the time to ensure this cannot happen in the future. My school has pictures and names of all the children with specific requirements. One member of catering staff is responsible for those children and if high risk allergy ,two members sign for giving them their meal. Do they do this there , of not why not ?

I guess it should have been avoided but it does sound like she wanted to. She's limited with her verbal communication but obviously wanted to eat it or ... she wouldn't have!

1. For those citing allergies I do not think this is comparable

Of course its comparable if they rely on a slip of paper to denote what diet a child gets and its lost and no-one can remember what they are allergic to.
If they cannot remember she is vege after all this time then there is something far wrong.

I guess it should have been avoided but it does sound like she wanted to. She's limited with her verbal communication but obviously wanted to eat it or ... she wouldn't have!

Seriously?

She has the mental capacity of a 2-3 yr old how the hell would she know that it wasnt vegetarian sausage and if the adults who have known her over a year gave her it to eat why would she think there was anything wrong with it?

I think because you hear so much about children with asd having restricted diets, that's what's leading me and other people to assume the sausage was tasty and that's why she ate it.

The allergy reference is completely relevant to this issue. No one is comparing a dietary choice with a life-threatening food requirement. It's about the breakdown of a system that should work but hasn't in this instance. Fortunately it was life-threatening this time but next time it could be.

Imagine Child A's parents saying that their dd can't eat something in particular because of such and such a reason. Child B's parents saying their dd can't eat something in particular because of such and such a reason. Child C's parents saying that their dd can't eat something in particular because of such and such a reason. All of these children then eat the banned item due to a breakdown in the system. Child A has a dairy allergy. Child B is vegetarian. Child C only eats halal meat. Ultimately, the system doesn't work and needs to be fixed.

If a vegetarian can be given meat then a child with an allergy to dairy could be given a yoghurt. This is why the allergy argument is brought into it.

YANBU. From the point of view of a 1-1 Sen TA who has also spent all lunchtimes with a child this should not have happened. There should be good systems in place to make sure children are not eating things they are allergic to or are not allowed.

A good 1-1 would make sure something like this wouldn't have happened and would not mind addressing it and making sure it doesn't happen again if you talk to them.

*Wasn't life threatening that should say

She licks walls and eats leaves, should I just let her because she "obviously wants to"?! No I take them away or stop her. As the responsible adult should have done so in this situation

She is non-vebal, has the age level of a 2-3 yr old her TA is supposed to ensure she gets the correct meal. If a child is incapable of arguing with an adult over something its not a 'choice' she is consciously making Oh the irony - she has NO choice her parent has made that clear.

And Non verbal ??

came back from school telling me she had eaten sausages

Her diet isn't restricted at all. Not all asd children are the same, hence why it's a spectrum. Whose to say she ate the entire thing it may have been a bite she can't say.

it's not worth ruining the relationship you have with the school over an unspecified amount of sausage. try and put it behind you xxx

Love mkusic - being vegetarian is much healthier than being a meat eater really

Well, yes, of course it is. Eating processed meat has been shown to cause some cancers, for example.

'According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than meat eaters. Vegetarians also tend to have a lower body mass index, lower overall cancer rates and lower risk of chronic disease.' (From www.webmd.com/diet/features/is-it-better-to-be-a-vegetarian#1)

Of course, it depends on the choices you make as a vegetarian, but I think on the whole it is healthier.

WalkingDead - The Humanist Society regularly debates the indoctrination of children in this respect. How is a child supposed to make sense of a world when they are given only a narrow view of it? I don't force my ideas on my children, I give them information, encourage them to find information and come to their conclusions themselves.

Hahahahaha. The 'indoctrination' of children? What an odd and emotive word to use about food. Aren't you 'indoctrinating' yours into being a meat eater??

The Humanist Society appears to support vegetarianism:

Many humanists have moral concerns about eating meat, based on concerns about the way we treat animals, the environment, and world poverty. For these reasons, some humanists become vegetarians, while others may choose to eat less meat, or to eat only "free range" meat.

It's not giving them a 'narrow view' of the world if you choose not to let your dc eat meat, ffs! It's not affecting their education, friendships, travel, cultural experiences - all those things give a rounded view of the world. Food is one little aspect of life.

Plus, many vegetarians actually explore food choices and eat much more widely and more adventurously than many meat eaters - meat, potatoes and two veg is quite 'narrow' too.

So, if you educate your dc on food issues, do you show your dc photos of slaughterhouses and factory farming conditions so they can make a free choice about whether to eat meat?

I said basically non verbal. Her level of communication is very low, she can answer basic questions as in I asked her and she gives a one word answer, she can not have a conversation.

book I don't eat processed meet and I'm sure a lot of people don't? If I stop eating meet I get quite ill as my iron levels drop even though I eat loads of fruit and veg. Meat is a important part of my diet and it's the same for many others.

Both my dd's have ASD, one will eat whatever is put in front of her and the other is fussy and a vegatarian (her choice).

Letstry my dd2 is similar to your dd (can answer simple questions) there's no way she could understand and make her own mind up about what she eats, my dd2 would happily live on chips if given the choice.