Kids who want meat...

[sheilajolene]

Ok, I will start this by saying that ds is only 5 months, so realistically this is not something I will have to address for quite some time.

I am a very strict vegetarian, and people frequently ask me if I am going to raise ds vegetarian (this seems like an absurd question to me, but whatever). I plan on raising him vegetarian, and explaining to him why meat is unhealthy, inhumane, etc... and if one day, he comes to me and tells me he wants to eat meat, then I will probably let him have it (I kind of figure that if he's old enough to communicate this effectively, then he's old enough to do it Plus I assume he'd be curious about it since so many people around us eat it.

I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with children who wanted to eat meat and how you reacted. Do any veg^ns here have carnivorously-curious kids?

[Potty Diva]

We have recently made the change to a vegan diet and while Kailey loves chicken nuggets she also understands the importance of not killing animals to eat, or "horses either" as she likes to say. So instead she has soy nuggest. She loves them and really there is no taste difference.

If she liked beef I would do the same by offering an alternative to beef. Fortunately the only meat she ever liked was chicken, in nugget form.

She said if her friends ask her why she won't eat real meat she says, "I'll tell them its mean to eat animals."

[wildtigercubs]

My kids are older (8 and 2 4 1/2 year olds) and were raised omni until I went veg about 8 months ago. I've tried and tried switching them over. One of them doesn't mind the fake meat (seitan only, the twins and I are soy intolerant) but the other one hates the stuff. No matter what I do to it and all 3 of them frequently ask for meat (their Dad is also a meat eater). I let them eat it but continue to tell them why I don't eat it and why we shouldn't etc. I think it's hard mostly because of my meat eating DH.

[Alohamelly]

I'm a vegetarian and my DD eats meat. I have tried in the past to eliminate meat from her diet but it was too hard because everyone else in our lives eat meat, including her dad and my husband. I would love to raise my next baby as a vegetarian, but I doubt it'll work out. It's not a battle I'm choosing. As long as they are eating healthy, whole foods I'll live with it.

[BeanyMama]

My boys just started eating meat a bit this year, DH does when we're out and of course they're curious and find it yummy. DS1 knows where it comes from and how I feel, but I wouldn't "remind" him while he's eating and I try not to make a face watching my son bite into a gross piece of muscle. That would completely backfire, gross is so cool. I do try and talk about it at other times and educate them so they can make their own choice. I want them in have a strong, peaceful example of vegetarianism, not feel like their mom forced it on them.

[queenbean]

Let me just say that I'm not a vegetarian. But I like discussions like this.

I think that when a child is old enough to communicate and make choices like that, it's important to let him experiment, even if that means letting him have meat in a vegetarian household. It's just the same as in a non-veg household, if a child chooses not to eat meat, it shoudln't be forced on him. My nephew has a big heart, and once he found out where meat comes from (at age 3), he developed a strong aversion to it. He doesn't want to eat it at all. But my sister insists on making him eat meat when they have it for a meal. I do'nt see why she can't make more of the vegetables and whatever else they're having so that he can get full on that instead of making him eat meat... but whatever. Bottom line, when a child is old enough to start thinking for himself and making his own choices and communicating those choices as far as diet is concerned, unless he wants to go on like an all-cake diet or something, I think it's important to try to honor those choices as best we can.

[holyhelianthus]

my oldest DD is 3 and loves ham. :Puke DH and i eliminated pork products first thing before we even decided to go veg. my mother is a huge meat eater. not just meat but processed crap. not good quality at all. she is the type to buy a hamburger from a fast food place and eat the meat out of it and leave the bun and everything else. now my Lilith likes to do this too. :Puke if she wants to eat meat, okay, fine SPARINGLY. but not that crap! i wouldn't let her eat gobs of potato chips either.

[callmemama]

7.5yo ds has been vegan (ok, strict veg to be completely accurate!) since birth. Dh and I are too and we do not allow foods made from animals/animal products (with the exception of honey) in our home. Ds has never expressed a desire to eat animal products (when he was about 4, I remember him insisting that I ask if there was any dairy in some cookies he wanted to eat, and when we found out there was, he shunned them). After our homeschool Halloween party this year, I thanked ds for giving back the candy he received - his comment was "you don't have to thank me; I always do this".

While I am trying to raise ds to be a compassionate vegan, dh and I initially made the switch for health reasons. Ds may very well (probably!) rebel against our values someday, but for now I'm grateful that he embraces our eating style. Many of you are too young to remember the British government telling the people that they could not get Mad Cow disease from eating beef. Turned out to be a lie (according to research I read in Howard Lyman's book The Mad Cowboy and/or listening to him speak & watching his documentary, I learned that there is a 10-40 year incubation period for this disease). Its deja vu now with the US government telling the people that beef is safe to eat. So for me, its not "just" about compassion for the animals, its also (in my mind) a life and death matter. So would I let my child eat beef if he asked today? No.

[Dakota's Mom]

I've only been veg for a year now. My son still eats meat as does his father. I do talk to him about where meat comes from. When I take him to a farm a make a point to point out the animals he eats. He decided he didn't want to eat piggies any more because they're too dirty. That lasted until the next time daddy ordered pepperoni pizza. Now he goes back and forth. The other day we had pizza and daddy asked him if he wanted meat or no meat. He asked for the no meat. But when it was gone and he wanted more, he ate the meat pizza. Also when we are having hot dogs, (rarely, but we had them on his birthdya) he wants the no meat ones. I don't know if he's finally accepting my way of eating or if he just wants to be different. He knows mommy doesn't eat meat because it makes mommy not feel good. He also knows that mommy doesn't want to hurt the animals. I think he's confused at five years old. I hope that someday he will decide to go veggie. But I will support his decision whatever it is.

Kathi

[MonkeyPrincess]

I've been steadily eating more and more of a vegetarian diet, so my kids have noticed that we aren't eating meat. I don't even think they'd notice it if I didn't talk about the ethical part of it, as it comes up.

My 8 yo dd wants to not eat animals, but will if there is nothing else (like at get togethers, etc.). My 9.5 year old was told my his uncle and his grandfather that he has to eat meat to grow up big and strong. : Since he is a thin kid (he gets that from his dad, not me!) he thinks he's "weak" because I don't prepare meals with meat in it. When I explained to him that's not true and how its not true, he was happy to not have to eat meat.

All that to say, I'd find out why they want to experiment with eating meat first. Then I'd help them find meat from a more responsible, humane place - i.e. a local farmer, not the corner grocery store.

[wytchywoman]

My DS 1 is a gigantic carnivore. His favorite food is steak. What I am about to type may not be too popular here, but it is the truth and how I feel so I am going to say it anyways and deal with the flames if they come:
Both of my DS's are old enough to decide , within reason, what they want to eat, I limit junk food and what not, but I do allow each of them to decide what their meals will be and they have their definite preferences. DS 1, aside from chicken nuggets and fish sticks, is a lacto-ovo veg. He hates red meat and I have never, even when I ate meat, forced him to eat it as well.
DS 2 loves any kind of meat, but prefers red meat and ham the most. I puchase it and allow him to eat it. I also model what I believe to be ethical meat eating behavior, meaning I puchase organic free range products when ever I can. I have also shown him info I have from various sources about factory farming and the harm that befalls animals because of the mainstream meat industry. I encourage him to at least try my veg dishes and slowly but surely I am winning him over. He is a true and deep animal lover and this is impacting the choices he is making in regards to his own food eating habits and his diet.
I also have a very non-mainstream opinion on food in general because of the spirituality I practice. In short, in my mind all things are living and all things are sacred. That includes the lettuce for my salad, the water I drink, and the cow that becomes a hamburger. Just because I am vegetarian does not mean that I am not taking the life of another entity to sustain myself. We all have to do that, irregardless of what we choose to eat, because every living thing on this planet is interdependant upon other entities to survive. The importance I believe in is compassion. I refuse to support people who are being cruel, either to animals or plants. I try very, very hard to purchase food, whether it be produce or meat, from sources that act compassionately towards who they deal with, either their crops or the animals.
I have never, and will never, engage in a battle of wills over food. Short of a food allergy I will not outright ban any particular item from my DC's diet because I think it causes resentment that can spiral into gigantic eating issues. Just like my mother forced me to eat meat and clean my plate, I view forcing a child to eat all veg*n meals in the same light. Raising a child as a veg*n is one thing, forcing them to become one is another, especially if they want or crave meat. By allowing them to eat what they like and by trying to educate them, I am hoping some day my boys will choose to eat compassionately as well.
So that's just my 2 cents and how I deal with my kids. I hope that helps you some.

[Potty Diva]

I refuse to allow animal products into my home, so even if Kailey was adamant about eating a particular meat, she would be out of luck.

When she can purchase the food on her own, she can cook it and eat it.

[Roar]

My observation is that children who are raised in vegetarian households from birth usually don't express interest in eating meat. It may be a different story if one parent is a meat eater or if the family switches over after years of meat eating. Our 11 year old has never expressed an interest. I think it would be like him expressing an interest in eating wood or a cat or something. It would just seem really weird to him.

[mammastar2]

Originally Posted by Roar

My observation is that children who are raised in vegetarian households from birth usually don't express interest in eating meat. It may be a different story if one parent is a meat eater or if the family switches over after years of meat eating. Our 11 year old has never expressed an interest. I think it would be like him expressing an interest in eating wood or a cat or something. It would just seem really weird to him.

Yes! I was raised vegetarian, and sometimes people would ask me if wanted to try it - it is rather like asking me if I want to try some strange bug or a pet for dinner...

On the other hand, I did eat fish as a child, and have recently returned to doing so on occasion. Because it was part of my childhood, it didn't seem so weird, at least the kinds I had tasted in the past.

Dd eats fish, no meat, but her dad eats meat, so she does ask about it and has occasionally speculated about trying chicken. I've just said no so far, for health and ethics reasons. I can't just say "it's mean to eat animals" full-force, though, since she knows her dad does.

[nicole lisa]

There are no animal products in our house but DS can choose his own food when we're out for dinner. Sometimes he'll have chicken nuggets at the pub but he says he feels bad when he does. He's really working on the ethical issues right now. He's turning 7 and we let him know we're all on our own path and we respect his journey and he respects we don't have meat or dairy in the house.

[UUMom]

I would insist that a child old enough to want meat understand his options. (We moved from over a decade of vegetarianism because of pressure from our children...although I think it was a thoughtful, researched change). I would explain to him what I was willing to purchase and what I was not willing to purchase (That would mean no factory farmed anything, and I would not use my own money for fast food and explain why. There would be no trips to McDs or KFC on my dime).

If they were older, I would ask them to watch relevant movies with me (currently Fast Food Nation and Supersize Me). I also have lots of info on people who are thoughtfully raising organic, free range animals etc., so they would understand eating meat doesn't mean supporting the polluting world of Purdue, stripping rainforests to hell and the like.

[Potty Diva]

But it still supports the killing of animals for consumption (which is of course only my opinion).

I don't want to push my beliefs on to Kasiley, but I also don't want to support the killing of animals.

How do I do this?

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by Potty Diva

But it still supports the killing of animals for consumption (which is of course only my opinion).

I don't want to push my beliefs on to Kasiley, but I also don't want to support the killing of animals.

How do I do this?

Dh and I don't believe there is a divine power guiding all, and we tell this to our children. We do not want them growing up thinking there is a power that makes decsions regarding their goodness or 'badness'. We are frank about our (non) belief in divinity.

So, I would encourage you to share with your kids your heartfelt belief about food. Raise them in your beliefs. It's what parents *do*.

OTOH, I feel I need to repsect my children when they choose a different path, but we do not have to aide a path that doesn't work for our value system. 9Although I will and have). Share with her your beliefs. If she shares them, you're golden, if not, ...well, I know what I would do, but you have to do what you would do. I trust my children to know what is best for them.

But trust me, I've fretted about one of my children coming to me saying they believe in a guy -on -the- throne. For me, the vegetarian questioning and subsequent rejection of it was far (far!) easier.

[wytchywoman]

Originally Posted by Potty Diva

But it still supports the killing of animals for consumption (which is of course only my opinion).

I don't want to push my beliefs on to Kasiley, but I also don't want to support the killing of animals.

How do I do this?

I hate to say this , but in short, I don't think having both is possible. If you don't purchase meat because of ethical reasons, then you are pushing these beliefs onto your daughter. If you don't want to push your beliefs on your daughter and she asks to eat meat, then you are participating in the killing of animals for comsumption. The only alternative would be to occasionally find meat from an animal that is already dead or that is dieing and needs to be put to sleep, neither of which I would consider as a healthy alternative. It is indeed quite a quandry.

[Potty Diva]

I know, then we have the negative health issues of eating meat. Oy!

I guess this is one bridge we will have to cross when we get to it.