Vegan Child Tired of Being Different

April 9, 2009

Our son is 10 and he has been vegan all his life. My husband and I have always

rejoiced in being vegan -- it's one things that defines our lives -- so we've

tried to instill this in our son.

Nevertheless, our son has to live in a world where most people are not vegan, or

even vegetarian. So sometimes being different is not so easy. When he was

younger [!], he tried to convert some of the kids at school. He was so sure that

if explained it, they would see the light. He was actually successful in a

couple of cases, but mostly it was a case of casting pearls....and resulted in

ruffled feathers (pardon the mixed metaphor). He was so disappointed that more

people didn't understand.

So we told him this --

We all get to make our own choices about what we will eat. And we get to either

benefit from those choices or suffer because of them. We can't choose for other

people, only for ourselves. But what we can do is be a good example and help

people change if they want to.

and this:

The older you get, the more kids will be thinking about going veg. It's becoming

a very cool thing to do. And just think, when they do go veg, they will think

you're very cool because you've been vegan all your life.

Other things that can help your son feel grounded in being veg:

*****************************************************************

- Visit the Petakids Web site -- very cool... And they have some great

comic books (like The Life of a Cow) that help keep things in perspective.

- Talk about famous people who are vegan or vegetarian (e.g., Leonardo da

Vinci and Albert Einstein). Rejoice in the good things they've done for this

world. (Just do a search for famous vegans or famous vegetarians and marvel at

the length of it.)

- Seek out books and movies with vegetarian characters, e.g., in

Jurassic Park, young Lex is a vegetarian, and turns out to be quite a heroine.

- Look for a veg potluck group.

- Maintain an open dialogue about all the reasons there are for being

veg -- health, animal cruelty, the environment... Watch for news items about the

benefits of the veg lifestyle, and also about the perils of eating animals --

e.g, what happens to people who eat cows that have Mad Cow Disease?

- Let your son catch you watching a veg cooking show on TV (e.g.,

Christina Cooks on PBS). Watch it together.

- Leave vegan cookbooks around. Cook something together and eat it in

style, rejoicing in its delicious veganness.

- Point out the word " VEGAN " on packaging when you go shopping. Say

things like, " How cool is that! "

- Rejoice in being vegan! Try to talk about what you eat in terms of

positive choices -- e.g., not " We can't eat meat " but " We choose not to, " or " We

prefer not to. " (Actually, my husband says, " We're vegan, so we do not consider

meat to be food. " )

Good luck!!

-Elyse (in Bloomington, IN, where spring hath sprung)

--- On Mon, 4/6/09, admartin5 <admartin5 wrote:

admartin5 <admartin5

Vegan Child Tired of Being Different

Monday, April 6, 2009, 8:24 AM

Last night, my 8-year old who has seemingly been content with being vegan all

his life told me he is tired of eating differently than other people. I

explained to him that the reason we eat the way we do is because I want what is

best for him. I also told him that when he is " of age, " he can choose to eat

otherwise, but as long as I am responsible for what he eats, I will only provide

healthy foods for him.

Of course, all these words meant nothing to him!

Unfortunately, none of the people we associate with eat like us, which I guess

adds to the pressure. Ironically, however, an increasingly number of people that

we come in contact with want to learn more about our diet and want to

incorporate it in their lives but find it hard to do so. Even knowing this,

doesn't make my son feel better.

Has anyone else experienced this with their child? Also, are there any children

stories that you can recommend that might help a child with being different?

April 9, 2009

confectioner' s glaze " are not vegetarian.

I would check with the company to see what is in thier confectioners glaze.

Many commercial white sugars are not vegan since they are sifted through bone

char although that is changing. When I owned my vegan bakery we used sugar that

was not sifted through bone char. That included our confectioners sugar which we

used to make glazes. It did take some doing to find it and I spoke to many

sugar processors. Whenever I have a question about an ingredient I call the

company directly. They can usually tell you the source of thier ingredients or

the basic processes used to make them.

Carol

April 10, 2009

When he was younger [!], he tried to convert some of the kids at school.

My daughters have done this too. My oldest daughter has a friend who wanted to

become vegetarian but her mother wouldn't allow it. She was afraid that her

child wouldn't get what she needed nutritionally. Even though she sees that my

daughter is never sick, is an athlete and is in all honors classes. More

recently, the same daughter got a boyfriend who's mother wants to go vegan.

They told me that she went out and bought some tofu but doesn't know what to do

with it. I wrote up some recipes for her. She was very happy to get them. I

also told her that I would be glad to talk to her about veganism and cooking for

her family any time. It is interesting the different ways people think about

things.

Carol

June 18, 2009

Hi Jacqueline,

Im wondering why you are opposed to dumpstered meat? I am i guess, more

freegan...if the dairy is going to be wasted, than there is no sense in not

eating it. I have friends that actively dumpster and sometimes deliver me

goodies that i wouldn't normally be able to eat such as cheese. I have no

ethical problems eating dumpstered meat i just can't do it!

There is nothing that makes me sadder than seeing meat being wasted. Its

like an extra bit of torture for the animal. I believe that the thing about

veganism which is important is not increasing the demand for animal

products. Only when there is no demand than will the abuse stop. I also

think dumpstered meat it an excellent source of pet food.

Ideally i wish there was no animal products in the dumpster, but there is so

instead of it going to landfill and making more methane it should be used.

This opinion of course is an ethical one and not based on individual health.

Is your aversion to dumpstered meat a health issue? Im really interested in

discussing this with everyone. What are everyones opinions of dumpstered

animal products on here?

Just throwing it out there!

Ange

On Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 11:00 AM, Alan <soy_decaf_latte wrote:

>

> Jacqueline,

>

> Glad you are on board, and got a good laugh to boot!

>

> These postings are viewed by lots of folks, and not all of us know each

> individual's history of comments over the years. Rather than assuming folks

> have that context, I find it best to simply respond to what's been said.

>

> While I do not agree that the health approach is self-serving, or that all

> forms of vegetarianism necessarily save animals, I do agree that it's time

> to let others take over the discussion or just move on.

>

> And for my bottom line on whether it's more beneficial to teach kids about

> the health, environmental, and world hunger consequences of our

> diets/lifestyles, or just teach them about animal compassion ... I'd say

> better to place them on a stool with 4 legs than 1.

>

> - Alan

>

> <%40>,

> " Jacqueline Bodnar " <jb wrote:

> >

> > Alan,

> >

> > It seems laughable, after all I have posted about ethical and

> > compassionate living, that you are posing such questions to me. You are

> > asking if I am teaching my kids that it is okay to abuse and torture

> > animals as long as it doesn't actually kill them. Anyone that knows me

> > knows the answer to that question. It's absurd. My vegetarianism isn't

> > about what it does for me (such as it is with people that take a health

> > approach to it). I do it for the animals. It is a selfless act, not

> > self-serving.

> >

> > As for Singer, I don't always agree with everything that he says. Some

> > of his work is good, others (like saying it's okay to eat shellfish or

> > go dumpster diving for meat and other food waste, isn't).

> >

> > I'm a fan of the Abolitionist Approach. You can check out the blog here:

> > http://www.abolitionistapproach.com. My goal is to cause the least

> > amount of suffering to animals.

> >

> > On another note... anyone else watch Earthlings yet? What a great movie!

> > Check it out, buy the movie or find a screening near you:

> > http://www.earthlings.com/ It's not about what animals can do to serve

> > people (including being nutritious or healthy to eat or not). They have

> > their own souls, lives, interests, families, etc. regardless of whether

> > or not their flesh is healthy for humans to consume.

> >

> > Here's my bottom line, because I don't plan to keep posting on this and

> > going in circles. All forms of vegetarianism saves animals. So that's a

> > good. Whether someone's motives for doing it are to protect themselves

> > (health), the planet (environmental) or the animals (compassion), or

> > religious (but that's usually founded in compassion), each one ends up

> > doing what I want -which is to not kill animals. So that's a good thing.

> > But I still think that compassion is the only reason that can't be

> > compromised. It is also a selfless route, seeking to help other

> > creatures, rather than to do just what benefits me. It's still the

> > reason I feel will resonate the most with my kids and build a long

> > lasting reason to stick with this lifestyle.

> >

> > Jacqueline

> >

>

--

" One person flying in an airplane for one hour is responsible for the same

greenhouse gas emissions as a typical Bangladeshi in a whole year. " -

Beatrice Schell, European Federation for Transport and Environment, November

2001.

* The global livestock industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas

emissions than all the planes, trains and automobiles in the world combined

June 19, 2009

Angela,

I believe eating animals is wrong. This doesn't matter if someone paid

for a top dollar steak, got a .99 burger, had someone offer it to them

for free as a sample, or if someone dove in a dumpster for it. By diving

in a dumpster for it you are not saving animals, the animal has already

been slaughtered. You are just saving it from other animals and bugs

eating it. You are not doing it a favor. All you are doing is saving

yourself money from purchasing it. But you are still helping to create

an appetite for it that may extend beyond if there happens to not be

meat in the dumpster one day. I see dead animals on the road quite

frequently. But I don't jump out of my car to grab the free meat so that

it is not wasted. I don't want to eat meat, regardless of whether or not

it is free. I also have no desire to eat everything that may emit

methane when put into a landfill. My body is not a garbage disposal for

ridding the world of such materials.

If you eat dumpstered animal products you are not a vegetarian,

obviously. But you are still contributing to the industry. Just because

you didn't buy it doesn't mean you are out of it. Instead, you are part

of disposal system of it for the store. The store needs to dispose of

it, regardless of whether blood-lusting people dive in to get it, or it

goes to a landfill where other animals and bugs will eat it. And like I

said, if you eat it you will create an appetite for it and may very well

purchase it later, should your economic situation improve or you get a

craving for it and nobody has thrown any out. You are also not setting a

good example for anyone that sees you eat that meat. They most likely

won't know that you got it for free and did the cow a favor by eating it

to spare it from the landfill, but they will assume that you are like

eveyrone else and like eating meat. This is similar to someone that

still wears leather because it hasn't worn out. To others you are

endorsing that product. Life doesn't come with an asterisk attached to

explain where it came from, how you got it, what you really think. Our

lives are our examples. My example is that I don't eat meat. I don't

care where it came from or who is offering it. I don't eat it.

Jacqueline

June 19, 2009

Hi Ange,

Hmmm, I think everyone has to make their own decision on this and we have

friends who agree with you wholeheartedly. My feeling about it is that itâ€™s

not my responsibility to, nor can I, fix the meat industry by eating meat that

has been tossed out. Iâ€™m not sure it honors an animal for me to make sure it

doesnâ€™t go to waste when I didnâ€™t pay for or support the dismal factory farm

life, killing, butchering, cooking and serving of the meat. Iâ€™d rather honor

the animal by not supporting all that, not eating or wearing it ever, and

knowing that Iâ€™m not part of the system. All that said, thatâ€™s my

intellectual reasoning â€“ I also donâ€™t really want to eat any dumpster food

since itâ€™s been in a dumpster (I know, I understand the lack of waste reasons,

but the ick factor is not ignorable for me), and I donâ€™t want to eat any

animal since I think itâ€™s bad for my health, and Iâ€™d rather spend that same

time doing other things that are good for the environment and animals. This is

an interesting topic, though â€“ sort of how different people make different

decisions about whether to wear recycled leather or that owned before they

became vegetarians, and some people are sicked out by it immediately upon not

eating meat. Just shows that there are as many types of

vegetarians/vegans/humans as there are humans. â˜º

Have a great day!

Lorraine

On Behalf

Of Angela Nagle

Thursday, June 18, 2009 3:56 PM

Re: Vegan Child Tired of Being Different