Visit to abbotoir before veg. child allowed to be meat eater?

[poppynic]

My dp is a ultra-committed vego and decreed that if he had children they would have to be vego. Being desperate and clueless at the time I said, sure, whatever. We have now got through 4 years of vego child.

I asked dp when child could decide for himself. He said 5. Now child (4) is saying he wants to be a meat eater when turns 5. Dp wants child to visit abbatoir first . I'm a big softy and don't think it's fair to put ds through that horror - virtual child abuse. But I want him to be able to be a meat eater if he wants.

What do you think - is an abbatoir visit reasonable for a 5 year old?

Donkeyswife - fella doesn't wear leather - though he'd probably be keen on some nice s&m gear in vinyl - doesn't currently let ds wear leather (see below) - doesn't object to me wearing leather (knows I couldn't do without my leather shoes or bags).

And yes grandad (nice to meet you on here if you really are a grandad) - I've never heard him hassling anyone else about eating meat - just doesn't want his ds to be involved in something so evil....

I grew up on a dairy farm and on occasion my Dad would have one of the cow's buthchered for our freezer. We regularly had our own chicken and turkeys on our dinner table. I had the odd reaction and declared myself a vegetarian but I hated most veg as a child and would gradually go back to meat eating.

Why not a trip to an organic , free range farmer instead?

I was amazed when I found out that jellybeans are veggie! My friend buys them from Selfridges sometimes and we indulge.

poppynic, DD1 has also said that she would like to eat cows and pigs when we have had our chats about why people eat meat! At 2.5 tho I have a bit more control than you do of a 4 year old - I really feel for you in this debate as for us it is so much easier with both DP and me being veggie. For me, if the kids wanted to start eating meat it would be like what my mum must have thought when her farmer's daughter went veggie at 12. Not sure I could ever cook meat tho....

Message withdrawn

Wow, what a long thread...I am late to this but have to join up as my DH and family run a small abattoir and my DS1 is almost 5, and no, I would not let him see animals being killed. They have seen carcasses hanging up, which DS1 was quite interested in, but DS2 (2) didn't like. I have never seen them killing, but I have visited other abattoirs when they were killing and it is not as bad as you imagine. I make sure I tell my sons where their food comes from, but when DS2 asked "how do you get the meat out" of the animal, I was a bit lost for words. But I agree that children are probably not bothered if they are told from an early age...but I agree that taking a 5 year old is unacceptable and no abattoir would allow it I am sure. Agree with all the other posts about learning about farming and where food comes from, and provided the meat is from a local source and perhaps organic, you know that the animals are treated properly before their deaths.
If your DP said DS could choose when he was 5, to add on another condition now he is 5 is wrong. Good luck Poppynic....sounds like a tough dilemma!

I woulnd't let a child near an abbatoir, I think it would really traumatise them.

You can explain to them that meat is animals and perhaps explain that animals are kept caged up so humans can eat them and aren't always kept in happy conditions.

I'm a committed veggie and wouldn't go near an abbatoir, it would be far too upsetting.

I can relate to why your DP wants them to know about this, but they would be left with images of death which I think children should be spared IMHO.

An explanation would suffice me thinks.

Take him to a farm where the animals go for meat.
Explain that they have to die for him to eat meat.
But don't take him to an abbatoir.