To think that parents shouldn’t force their children to follow their dietary preferences?

[TVD2103]

I’ll start by saying that I am a vegetarian, I haven’t eaten meat for years. I have a child who likes meat, therefore I always buy them the snacks and meals that they enjoy, I don’t restrict their eating at all just because I choose not to eat it.

I follow someone on social media, for recipe inspirations, they have a child younger than mine (I would say maybe 6 or 7?) and they mainly eat raw vegan food. They also have a toddler and they make both the children eat the same as them, I know this because they post what their children eat everyday. They’ve just posted a lunch for their child from the other day and it hardly had anything on it! It was literally like a couple of small tomatoes, salad leaves and humus and that’s supposed to be one of the main meals that fills a child up? They are quite restricted in their eating and are also passing this onto their child, I’ve noticed that a lot of vegan families on social media are also like this and it just feels quite extreme, especially when the children are too young to understand the choice of lifestyle and why they have to eat a certain way.

AIBU for thinking that your child should have a diet of everything including meat, regardless of your own dietary preferences, until they are at an age where they can choose for themselves?!

We’re dairy free vegetarians, as our children, they’re raised knowing they can eat meat or fish when they’re able to earn enough money to cook it in their own home, or when they can afford to pay for meals in restaurants.

Every single meal you make for your children is putting your own dietary preferences if you’re a responsible parent who doesn’t allow the children to pick what they eat.

My nephew isn't being brought up as Muslim so no they are not doing the wrong thing.

Presumably that means they aren’t Muslims then? It’s a bit like a Christian teaching their child to break the Ten Commandments. I mean either you believe it or you don’t.

I’m only telling you my friend told me about her niece’s baby @LaNuitPorteConseil . But I must admit it does sound too ridiculous to be true. But you never know. People are odd!

I’m not talking vegetarian parents keeping their children on vegetarian diets. Talking things like apple pie when the kid has never eaten it and parents are convinced that child doesn’t like apple pies.

used apple pies as an example as that happened with a friend’s son.

I find all the handwringing around this bizarre. I was raised vegetarian, have never eaten meat and now eat a primarily vegan diet. I am so glad I was raised this way, as is my sister, cousin and friends who were raised that way. Not all of them are still vegetarian, but all have varied diets, and don't subscribe to the 'its not a meal without meat notion'. I will not be buying my son meat.

No as long as the diet is balanced and healthy who cares. My kids, now teens, were raised as vegetarians, one chose to eat meat recently one is still veggie. Why does meat need to be the default?

The mother is a Muslim who doesn't eat pork or drink alcohol etc. But the son and his dad aren't Muslim.

It isn't for a religious reason it's because they know pigs are dirty

I am vegan and my husband is pescatarian, my DC have never eaten meat, but have eaten fish. If they want to ear meat they're very welcome to but I'm not going to cook it for them mainly because I have no idea how to. Their diet is very healthy and lots of variety so they don't seem to have felt the urge to eat meat yet.

If you don't force your child to follow your diet would you just let them eat worms and mud if they wish? What about cups of coffee? What about fois gras or veal? How about shark soup? Everyone raises their children differently, stop judging.

I'm against animal cruelty so why would I teach my child it's okay to be cruel to animals ?

Yes but only halal. And that is another choice that has been removed. Very few catering firm/restaurants/schools/supermarkets now offer non-halal meat. I find that really offensive as a vegetarian who cares about animal welfare. I know the official line that halal slaughter is not cruel, but the practice itself is clear as to what happens and there are many breaches. Now a meat eater in the UK doesnt get a choice about that realistically.

We are going to Europe soon and I have told my meat-eating DC that there might be veal on the menu. They asked what veal was - I explained. Their reaction was "oh so the same as lamb - what's the difference/problem?" If you eat meat that seems a fair response. So many British people will eat lamb. I grew up as a meat eater until about age 18 - my family would never eat veal or lamb. Britain in the 70's, but my dad was close to veggie as he could be and my mum was quite conventional on her food. DC haven't quite realised that I want to try out the veggie/vegan haunts where we are going! But if they want to try the local dishes - I will be encouraging them. They need to learn and grow themselves. But fois gras - I was given some pots a few years ago from a culture where it was OK. I ended up having to throw them as no-one at all from family, friends, neighbours, local people, etc wanted it. Shame I couldnt find a good home - it was given as a generous gift but in the UK it is mostly not wanted.

It is very cruel, see a video of an animal having it's throat cut. Poor things

Stunning is permitted for Halal meat. Explain to me how a stunned animal having it’s throat cut is acceptable but a stunned animal having its throat cut whilst a prayer is said isn’t.

If you want to object to all slaughter - fine
If you want to object to unstunned slaughter - fine
But objecting to all halal slaughter stunned and unstunned only would seem a bit odd.

I object to killing animals other than birds and fish or for human food, and was saying of course cutting an animals throat is cruel how could it not be

@iamreallyabee
There have been countless threads on this site on how halal slaughter is somehow worse than any other type of slaughter. The vast majority of slaughter involves the animal getting its throat cut. The core issue is stunning not throat cutting.

So Halal is when they don't stun ?

No.

Some halal meat is slaughtered without pre-stunning, but in the UK most is stunned. What makes it halal is the method of killing, by knife, and prayers being said over it (possibly played on CD)

Kosher meat is never pre-stunned.

I don't think vegetarians need to feed their kids meat, not least as they might not know how to prepare it safely and the child could
get salmonella

Personally I wouldn't feed my child meat until they were old enough to opt IN.

I'm shit at being vegetarian. I just wouldn't introduce my children to meat in the first place. And I'd raise them knowing the harms of it and the dairy industry. Though, I'd allow a little dairy as I do think kids need it, especially without meat.

At 5 I remember being horrified when I made the connection between bacon and pig. I didn't want to eat it anymore but had no agency. So was essentially brainwashed into the 'it's a requirement' mindset.

It isn't. And even now I know it isn't, I still struggle not to eat meat.

I'd raise my children knowing that all lives are sacred and we should try to abstain from unnecessary harm.

I wouldn't judge them if they chose to eat meat as they got older. But they'd ideally, not be getting it from me.

I was raised as a vegetarian, but I never had compassion for the animals just thought it was gross and tastes horrible to me. Only I did care when I was really young. Since I got my cats though I am starting to have compassion for farm animals because I can imagine a little baby cow scarpering around and playing like my kittens do, and I haven't looked into it but I wouldn't just assume they are of lesser minds. When I was a young child it appalled me when people ate meat, and I think it's actually brainwashing to train children out of that empathy. I eat dairy and I don't feel right about it anymore.

Absolutely agree pp. It's brainwashing we all go through to train us out of empathy for animals.

Funnily enough it was when I got cats that I started to question things too. And after looking into things, I wholeheartedly agree with the vegans. Values wise. In practice I'm not there yet xD

Friend of mine is vegan and her children follow the same diet.Her eldest ds has dental problems with loose teeth, dentist says this is due to vegan diet.