1 year old - vegan or lacto-ovo?

[Guest guest]

This is my first posting and I'm seeking counsel from those who have been there

before... I'm a 3 year vegan (20 years veggie) and DH is a long-time veggie too.

 

I was a happy, educated, confident pregnant vegan and for myself fully committed

for life. I am however torn about my son who turned 1 yesterday. Originally I

thought he would be raised vegan, but I've recently felt uncomfortable with that

decision and have pretty much decided that he'll eat some eggs and dairy. At

home probably not much.

 

Ack. I'm not sure what I am looking for here -- I guess I am just wondering if

there are others out there who would be willing to share their experiences,

decisions made, regrets, concerns, challenges as they made the determination of

whether to raise thier kids lacto-ovo or vegan.

 

I think my discomfort is rooted in two things:

- feeling bad about making him be so " different "

- feeling concerned about nutrition (yes, yes I know it can be done well and

ultimately more nutritious, but I have not been making the quinoa/kale smoothies

that I thought I would - no time!)

 

That seems so lame as I write it, but there it is.

 

Thanks for any insight, thoughts, etc you have to offer.

[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

You are not alone in your concerns and don't feel bad/odd about asking

such questions. This is the right place for that. I'll share my

experience thus far. We have two children (ages 3 and 5). I have been an

ethical vegetarian for 14+ years and my husband the same. Technically I

am a vegan, although my husband is a lacto/ovo veg.

 

Nutritionally I think there is no problems with raising children vegan.

 

However, we chose to raise our kids lacto/ovo veg. Personally I would

LOVE for them to be vegan. But with dad not a vegan and the way society

is, I thought it would be more of a hassle than I was looking for. I

want my kids to be able to eat the birthday cake when they attend

parties. That's just one example, but I don't want them to be so

limited that they cannot partake in any of the school, extended family,

or social activities. At home they pretty much eat all vegan, because

that's the way I cook. I also don't want them to resent

vegetarianism/veganism because it prevented them from still

participating in things they wanted to do growing up.

 

So at home they eat vegan food and when we go out they may end up eating

pizza or having a bun that may contain milk. Or they may go to a

birthday party and eat a slice of cake. But something else interesting

has been happening as well....

 

Several months ago when we were on a vacation, my husband ordered

scrambled eggs for breaksfast. I can't remember the last time he ever

did that. Although he's a lacto/ovo he doesn't outright eat eggs/milk.

He just has it if it is in something (baked goods or pizza) or is cheese

outside of the house. I thought it was strange, but I didn't say

anything. My five year old daughter is a daddy's girl and so she did the

same as him. They both sat there eating scrambled eggs. Later that day

my daughter asked me why I didn't have any scrambled eggs. I explained

to her that I don't eat eggs and why I don't eat them. She was upset,

very upset, that daddy had ever ordered eggs. She said she was never

going to order eggs again. Then she went to daddy and told him not to

order eggs anymore because it is not nice to chickens! Dad agreed and

told her he will never again order eggs!

 

Then this past weekend we were at Johnny Rockets (they have a good vegan

burger and fries). I ordered mine (vegan) and dad ordered his, but for

the first time ever, asked them to put cheese on it. So my daughter did

the same with her veggie burger (a first). I went to the restroom and

when I came back my husband said that she asked him if it is soy cheese

or cow cheese. It was on her mind! He told her it was cow cheese. She

then asked me to tell them to NOT put the cheese on the veggie burger.

So I stopped the waitress and said to scratch the cheese on the kids

veggie burger. Then my daughter gave her daddy a hard time for getting

cow cheese on his.

 

The beauty in all this is that while I have given them the leeway to be

lacto/ovo (although I'd prefer vegan), as my daughter grows she is

leaning more toward vegan all on her own. Which has been wonderful!

Plus, SHE is getting dad to rethink his position and if she keeps at it

may end up turning him vegan.

 

When it comes to vegan or lacto/ovo or a combination thereof, you have

to go with what you feel will work for your family. Each family is

different and has different expectations and such.

 

Long post, my apologies, but I had a lot to say!

 

Jacqueline

www.vegblogger.com

[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

Just to add another opinion, my thoughts/experiences are pretty much the same.

I'm a vegan for about 10 years, and vegetarian for over 30 years. Hubby is a

long term vegetarian too, but not quite vegan.

 

We decided to raise our kids (now 5 and 7) as vegetarians, but mostly vegan. I

felt that vegan is just really hard, I don’t have full support from hubby, and

vegetarian is good enough. Should either of my kids choose to go vegan, we will

fully support that. However, while the whole family is behind the vegetarian

ethic, I can't say that even I am fully sure why I am a vegan.

 

We rarely have non-vegan food in the house (with the exception of

yogurt--something hubby loves), but the kids can enjoy cake and pizza at

birthday parties and life is a whole lot easier. Also, the kids can participate

in cooking projects at school, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. It would be

great if the cooking projects were vegan, but ...

 

My kids also ask me a lot of questions about my vegan choice. They do not seem

inclined towards veganism now, but they are very respectful of me and always let

me know if I can eat something they bring home from one of those school cooking

projects.

 

I fully agree with Jacqueline's fine comments at the end of her post. The only

thing I will add is this. Dietary restrictions complicate life. Be clear on your

choice before you make it. To live by that choice you will need find sufficient

food for your kid to eat (the easy part), explain it to your child in a way that

the kid is ready to live by, and have your husband fully support it.

 

Good luck.

 

 

--

Sharon

 

 

 

On Behalf

Of Jacqueline Bodnar

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 9:18 AM

 

RE: 1 year old - vegan or lacto-ovo?

 

Hello,

 

You are not alone in your concerns and don't feel bad/odd about asking

such questions. This is the right place for that. I'll share my

experience thus far. We have two children (ages 3 and 5). I have been an

ethical vegetarian for 14+ years and my husband the same. Technically I

am a vegan, although my husband is a lacto/ovo veg.

 

Nutritionally I think there is no problems with raising children vegan.

 

However, we chose to raise our kids lacto/ovo veg. Personally I would

LOVE for them to be vegan. But with dad not a vegan and the way society

is, I thought it would be more of a hassle than I was looking for. I

want my kids to be able to eat the birthday cake when they attend

parties. That's just one example, but I don't want them to be so

limited that they cannot partake in any of the school, extended family,

or social activities. At home they pretty much eat all vegan, because

that's the way I cook. I also don't want them to resent

vegetarianism/veganism because it prevented them from still

participating in things they wanted to do growing up.

 

So at home they eat vegan food and when we go out they may end up eating

pizza or having a bun that may contain milk. Or they may go to a

birthday party and eat a slice of cake. But something else interesting

has been happening as well....

 

Several months ago when we were on a vacation, my husband ordered

scrambled eggs for breaksfast. I can't remember the last time he ever

did that. Although he's a lacto/ovo he doesn't outright eat eggs/milk.

He just has it if it is in something (baked goods or pizza) or is cheese

outside of the house. I thought it was strange, but I didn't say

anything. My five year old daughter is a daddy's girl and so she did the

same as him. They both sat there eating scrambled eggs. Later that day

my daughter asked me why I didn't have any scrambled eggs. I explained

to her that I don't eat eggs and why I don't eat them. She was upset,

very upset, that daddy had ever ordered eggs. She said she was never

going to order eggs again. Then she went to daddy and told him not to

order eggs anymore because it is not nice to chickens! Dad agreed and

told her he will never again order eggs!

 

Then this past weekend we were at Johnny Rockets (they have a good vegan

burger and fries). I ordered mine (vegan) and dad ordered his, but for

the first time ever, asked them to put cheese on it. So my daughter did

the same with her veggie burger (a first). I went to the restroom and

when I came back my husband said that she asked him if it is soy cheese

or cow cheese. It was on her mind! He told her it was cow cheese. She

then asked me to tell them to NOT put the cheese on the veggie burger.

So I stopped the waitress and said to scratch the cheese on the kids

veggie burger. Then my daughter gave her daddy a hard time for getting

cow cheese on his.

 

The beauty in all this is that while I have given them the leeway to be

lacto/ovo (although I'd prefer vegan), as my daughter grows she is

leaning more toward vegan all on her own. Which has been wonderful!

Plus, SHE is getting dad to rethink his position and if she keeps at it

may end up turning him vegan.

 

When it comes to vegan or lacto/ovo or a combination thereof, you have

to go with what you feel will work for your family. Each family is

different and has different expectations and such.

 

Long post, my apologies, but I had a lot to say!

 

Jacqueline

www.vegblogger.com

 

 

 

---

 

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

qualified health professional.

 

edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.

 

 

[Guest guest]

It is hard to know you are making a choice for your child that will make them

feel different. it's one thing as I have chosen to be different from my own

upbringing, but also am raising my children veggie. I switched from a mostly non

meat eating to officially vegetarian with my first pregnancy. My posts tend to

get too wordy, so i'll try to keep it real short. my children are 6 and 8, very

proud vegetarians, leaning towards vegan. wish i could make the change, but find

so many challenges, and myself don't want to be left out completely from

socializing. hmmm, that sounds selfish as i write it, but it's mostly the truth.

i make the best decisions health wise, and conscious wise in our home. and make

some exceptions while we are out - they partake in cakes and sometimes cheese at

school, or while visiting family. i could write a book in defense of my

decisions, sadness over my indecisions, and drawn out examples. but really you

have to do what is in your

heart, and find the ground that you are comfortable with. you want to send a

consistent message to your child in ways that make sense to you both. and be

able to defend them, when challenged, and know when to ignore ignorance, when it

presents itself. everyday we are all facing struggles. and we have to survive,

and thrive in the face of them all. i have been laid off of work for over 7

months, and have been very financially challenged, and bought some food at

walmart last month, that i never thought i would be shopping there. but you

know, we do what we can, the best we can. i can't strangle myself so much with

righteousness, that i want to commit suicide. which at times, it comes up, bc

you think, nothing is fair, and what is the point. the point for me is to raise

my children the best that i can in a loving environment, as much as i can, and

sometimes i'm impatient, and imperfect, try to expose them to future

opportunities, and remind our daughters

that they are just as important as our sons. and for them all to be mindful of

the decisions they make. and to be careful with their bodies, and don't do

drugs, and have nice friends, and use their manners, and run and play as much as

they can. and read, and use their minds, and ask lots of questions. even if all

of those questions sometimes drive us insane. we just have to keep trying. and

as my mom is slowly dying of lung cancer, i think to myself, let's not let a

single day pass without saying the things we need to say, without doing the best

we can. while we can. and to make use of our time, but still stop and rest. and

have quiet times too. and just listen to silence, and to enjoy music...

ahhh, ok, this got longer than i intended.

peace,

love,

janeen

 

 

 

 

________________________________

wlwarren24 <wlwarren24

 

Tue, December 15, 2009 12:45:31 AM

1 year old - vegan or lacto-ovo?

 

 

This is my first posting and I'm seeking counsel from those who have been there

before... I'm a 3 year vegan (20 years veggie) and DH is a long-time veggie too.

 

I was a happy, educated, confident pregnant vegan and for myself fully committed

for life. I am however torn about my son who turned 1 yesterday. Originally I

thought he would be raised vegan, but I've recently felt uncomfortable with that

decision and have pretty much decided that he'll eat some eggs and dairy. At

home probably not much.

 

Ack. I'm not sure what I am looking for here -- I guess I am just wondering if

there are others out there who would be willing to share their experiences,

decisions made, regrets, concerns, challenges as they made the determination of

whether to raise thier kids lacto-ovo or vegan.

 

I think my discomfort is rooted in two things:

- feeling bad about making him be so " different "

- feeling concerned about nutrition (yes, yes I know it can be done well and

ultimately more nutritious, but I have not been making the quinoa/kale smoothies

that I thought I would - no time!)

 

That seems so lame as I write it, but there it is.

 

Thanks for any insight, thoughts, etc you have to offer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Well, I'd say don't beat yourself up about whatever decision you make

for your kids. It's your decision, based on your situation, and you and

your partner are the parents, not anyone else. :-) So, that said, I

think that vegetarianism and veganism are equally noble choices, and are

both really great for the world, animals and people. One is not better

than the other, and giving that any credence is divisive within our own

community - or within your own worrying process, in this case. :-)

heehee. We all make our own decisions, and each decision is the right

one for that person/family. You are teaching your kids great things by

deciding their diets to be vegetarian, and they will soon learn that all

people have slightly different diets (i.e., due to allergies,

preferences, lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity, family decisions,

etc., etc.). They may choose veganism on their own, and at the very

least, I'm sure with both of their parents being veg*ns, they'll at

least feel very comfortable with vegetarianism. And I don't think you

should feel guilty about any diet choices you are making, and nothing

you've written is lame (as your message said) - anything you're choosing

is way better than the standard mainstream diet. I think you're doing a

stellar job!

 

Happy birthday to your 1-year-old and have a wonderful pregnancy!!!!

Lorraine

 

 

On

Behalf Of wlwarren24

Monday, December 14, 2009 9:46 PM

 

1 year old - vegan or lacto-ovo?

 

 

This is my first posting and I'm seeking counsel from those who have

been there before... I'm a 3 year vegan (20 years veggie) and DH is a

long-time veggie too.

 

I was a happy, educated, confident pregnant vegan and for myself fully

committed for life. I am however torn about my son who turned 1

yesterday. Originally I thought he would be raised vegan, but I've

recently felt uncomfortable with that decision and have pretty much

decided that he'll eat some eggs and dairy. At home probably not much.

 

Ack. I'm not sure what I am looking for here -- I guess I am just

wondering if there are others out there who would be willing to share

their experiences, decisions made, regrets, concerns, challenges as they

made the determination of whether to raise thier kids lacto-ovo or

vegan.

 

I think my discomfort is rooted in two things:

- feeling bad about making him be so " different "

- feeling concerned about nutrition (yes, yes I know it can be done well

and ultimately more nutritious, but I have not been making the

quinoa/kale smoothies that I thought I would - no time!)

 

That seems so lame as I write it, but there it is.

 

Thanks for any insight, thoughts, etc you have to offer.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Just wanted to add one more thing that pertains to this discussion. Just

yesterday I posted about vegetarian and vegan labels on my blog. You may

want to check it out here:

http://www.vegblogger.com/blog/2009/12/vegan-or-vegetarian-choosing-a-label.html

 

Jacqueline

[Guest guest]

We had been raising our son vegetarian but realized he had a milk protein

allergy fairly early on, and we stopped trying to re-introduce it before he

was 2, so we cut out all dairy for him, and eventually got to where we

didn't think it was fair (and I hated having stuff we could have that our

son could not, and thinking ahead, we decided that we'd all be dairy free).

On a whim, sort of..(our son was about 3) when I did an experiment and cut

out eggs (I never liked them, and found such great resources for making

things without eggs and substituting for them) and after a month I told my

spouse that we'd been vegan that whole time. He was impressed and agreed to

being vegan at home (but he and our son decided they liked eggs, and were

ovo-veggie when not at home). With the allergy, it made some choices much

easier, and for going out and visiting family and so on, we found that being

vegan was just A LOT easier for us to tell them -for things to look for

(since many people and restaurants and so on assume if you are vegetarian

that dairy is ok, and it wasn't in our case). For about a year or so now,

I'd guess, my husband and son have not had any eggs (my son still claims to

like them, but I honestly can't say when the last time he actually had any

was in the past 2 years).

 

What we do for him, he's 6.5yrs old now, when there are birthdays or school

functions etc. is that I make him something equivalent - I find out what the

other parent or what the school is planning on having and I just make a

vegan version for my son. On occasion I have also volunteered to bake for

the class or for the function (which also gives others a chance to try what

my son is having). So far, it's worked out pretty well and I've never had

any problems or heard about any problems at school from other kids. I think

it probably helps that there is a very serious nut allergy child in his

class, so they get the allergy restrictions and have talked about it in

class or at home -since it's serious enough that no one can bring in any

kind of nut - the school is also peanut free (I think they have at some

point discussed it with the class, so it's not 'scary' or 'weird' to the

others/majority). My son found out that one of his classmates this year is

also a vegetarian, but does eat milk, but he identifies with this child more

so than some of the others, since they both don't eat meat.

 

I think that since food allergies are so prominent for school age children

(we know several children with SEVERE food allergies) that kids having to

bring their own food in and to have separate food from what 'the rest of the

kids' are having is less of an issue NOW than when we were children.

 

I have found that just simply requesting that he not be given *anything* not

sent from home (because of the allergy and that he is vegan) is enough. In

the past, I have volunteered to bake muffins or cake for the whole class

(and abiding by the nut/other allergy restrictions) that they are usually

good about it and it's quite encouraging.

 

My son actually likes having different stuff, and I think he feels a little

special, too on those days when he needs something that I've made or that he

has to bring in for himself. I don't know if he's talked to other

children about it, as he's never mentioned it or about anyone giving him any

problems, other than he found out one of his new pals was a vegetarian.

 

I also like being able to bring vegan items in to school so that others can

try them -maybe makes it less 'scary' or 'different' if they can have it

too... (one child said that my blueberry muffins were the best ones he's

ever had in his whole life!). I think is a way to at least get the other

kids interested in vegan stuff, and showing them that it's not weird or

funny tasting or whatever ideas they may or may not have about what it's

like (or even just bringing it to their attention in the first place). I

think with so many children today having food allergies, that it is not

nearly as 'out there' as it maybe once was (like when I was a child - it was

unheard of where I lived in the small town I grew up in).

 

Not sure if this is what you were looking for. I don't think my son feels

singled out or anything (at least not that's ever come to my attention by

him or anyone else). I found a good vegan children's vitamin, and for peace

of mind, I give him those about every other day. I'm pretty confident he's

getting enough of a variety of foods that I'm not too concerned, but I do

try to keep up with the B12 (I have a different sublingual one we take every

other day, opposite the vitamins, so it's different every day).

 

I think the most challenging thing was for us when we figured out the milk

allergy (and have since had testing done to confirm) was dealing with family

who just didn't get it at all (even when we'd been vegetarian before going

vegan). The hardest thing to deal with was after we tried making things

EASIER for them when they'd have us over or do a sleepover with our son - we

had gone so far as to giving them lists (like easy references) first of what

to avoid and then giving them acceptable item lists if they did want to pick

something up. We'd also - and always - send food along or bring food along

with us, but usually they'd just ignore it, and try to play the guessing

game (which they'd often get wrong and have issues from hidden or missed

milk ingredients - when they could have just given him what we packed...It

was a lot of trial/error and feeling like nothing we did to make it easier

for them worked for us. But it has gotten better in the last couple of

years.

 

Hope this helps some

Missie

 

 

 

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 11:45 PM, wlwarren24 <wlwarren24 wrote:

 

>

>

> This is my first posting and I'm seeking counsel from those who have been

> there before... I'm a 3 year vegan (20 years veggie) and DH is a long-time

> veggie too.

>

> I was a happy, educated, confident pregnant vegan and for myself fully

> committed for life. I am however torn about my son who turned 1 yesterday.

> Originally I thought he would be raised vegan, but I've recently felt

> uncomfortable with that decision and have pretty much decided that he'll eat

> some eggs and dairy. At home probably not much.

>

> Ack. I'm not sure what I am looking for here -- I guess I am just wondering

> if there are others out there who would be willing to share their

> experiences, decisions made, regrets, concerns, challenges as they made the

> determination of whether to raise thier kids lacto-ovo or vegan.

>

> I think my discomfort is rooted in two things:

> - feeling bad about making him be so " different "

> - feeling concerned about nutrition (yes, yes I know it can be done well

> and ultimately more nutritious, but I have not been making the quinoa/kale

> smoothies that I thought I would - no time!)

>

> That seems so lame as I write it, but there it is.

>

> Thanks for any insight, thoughts, etc you have to offer.

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

~~~~~(m-.-)m

http://mszzzi.zoomshare.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mszzzi/

http://twitter.com/mszzzi

 

http://www.derbylite.org

 

www.VeganOutreach.org

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Greetings! I totally empathize with your dilemma. I have had very similar

conversations with myself over the years. You want what's best for your kids

and you want to raise them is a way that's consistent with your values. After

doing lots of research, we ultimately decided to raise our kids vegan.

Whenever I find myself doubting my decision to raise vegan kids I re-read

" Healthy Living for Life for Kids " by the PCRM. Every time I read it, I give a

big sigh of relief, comforted that a vegan diet is excellent for kids.

Ultimately though, I'm a big believer that it's a very personal choice and you

guys are the best qualified to decide what is right for your family. Know too,

that what's right may evolve over the years.

 

Here's the blurb I wrote on our family blog about the exact two points you bring

up. This is how we answered those same concerns in our family. I don't know if

this is helpful or not but on the off-chance that it adds to your dialogue on

the issue here it is...

 

Nutrition:

As the nutritional gate-keeper for my family, I decided to read, fairly

extensively, on the viability of a vegan diet for children. I learned that

vegan children have lower rates of ear infections, asthma, obesity, and cancer.

I learned that vegan children can get all the nutrition they need, without any

of the long-term health implications associated with meat and dairy. The only

vitamin I needed to supplement for in their diet was B12. It’s a vitamin that

was already in their daily multi-vitamin, plus we found a great B12 spray that

Mia loves. The PCRM has identified the new four food groups as whole grains,

legumes, fruits, and vegetables. www.pcrm.org They have easy to follow

guidelines for ensuring that kids at each age level are getting all the

nutrients they need. Thanks to their help and the help of my family, we’ve been

able to ensure that the kids are healthy and well-fed.

 

Bigger lessons:

 

One of my parenting goals is to raise my kids to be compassionate people whose

behavior is guided by their values. Teaching our kids to feel a kinship with

other sentient beings (both human and non) is one way we hope to teach

compassion.

 

Next comes the “guided by their values” piece. Our kids are going to have to

make hard choices in their lives. We all do. We believe, as parents, it is our

responsibility to give them practice and guidance making decisions that support

their well being, as well as, that of others. I expect that there is truth in

the concern that they will feel awkward when the kids at the birthday party are

eating the dairy filled cupcakes or the hot dogs that have come off the BBQ. In

that moment they will have to make a choice. We believe that making the

difficult choice to say “no” to temptations like these will teach them how to

stand up to peer pressure and to reference their values before deciding which

path to take.

 

What if they decide to say “yes,” you wisely ask? Well, then together we

explore that decision. I should note that by “explore that decision” I don’t

mean talk them into seeing things my way. I do mean an engaged and lively

conversation in which I am open to learning what drove their decision without

judging it or insisting that they made the wrong the choice. I expect there

will be levels to this. Right now, the kids are so young that I get to make

these decisions for them. As they grow, they will rightfully demand more

autonomy to make decisions. When they are 5, I will likely make the choice but

explain to them the reason for the choice and provide an alternative. When they

are 10, maybe I’ll tell them which choice I’m making and they will make their

own choice. When they are 15, perhaps they will make the choice and we’ll

discuss it afterward. That’s my future thinking but, if parenting has taught me

anything, it’s to approach the job with humility, openness and flexibility. So

we’ll see when the time comes.

 

 

Best of luck. I'm sure whatever decision you make it will be the right one for

your family.

 

Rachel

 

 

 

On Dec 14, 2009, at 9:45 PM, wlwarren24 wrote:

 

> This is my first posting and I'm seeking counsel from those who have been

there before... I'm a 3 year vegan (20 years veggie) and DH is a long-time

veggie too.

>

> I was a happy, educated, confident pregnant vegan and for myself fully

committed for life. I am however torn about my son who turned 1 yesterday.

Originally I thought he would be raised vegan, but I've recently felt

uncomfortable with that decision and have pretty much decided that he'll eat

some eggs and dairy. At home probably not much.

>

> Ack. I'm not sure what I am looking for here -- I guess I am just wondering if

there are others out there who would be willing to share their experiences,

decisions made, regrets, concerns, challenges as they made the determination of

whether to raise thier kids lacto-ovo or vegan.

>

> I think my discomfort is rooted in two things:

> - feeling bad about making him be so " different "

> - feeling concerned about nutrition (yes, yes I know it can be done well and

ultimately more nutritious, but I have not been making the quinoa/kale smoothies

that I thought I would - no time!)

>

> That seems so lame as I write it, but there it is.

>

> Thanks for any insight, thoughts, etc you have to offer.

>

>

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

One more response to your question. I am a vegan of 24 yrs. My husband was not

even vegetarian when we met. He is now mostly vegan. He does eat some eggs in

baked goods outside the house. Saying that, he is the main cook in the house

though. I had a vegan pregnancy, and my 14 yr. old son has been vegan since

birth.

I agree with the other postings which said that choosing your child's diet is

very personal. It only makes sense that you need to be comfortable in what

challenges that you wish to and can handle when it comes to social situations

with family, friends and school.

My son is a very proud vegan. We have discussed the ethical, health and

environmental reasons for our choices. My son is deaf and wears glasses. He is

different from most people in very obvious ways. The vegan thing is really

incidental with him most of the time. When he went to public school, we brought

in treats and shared them with the class. Reading labels made reading fun and

meaningful for him.

I have chosen to have a vegan household. That means that as long as my son lives

with me he eats vegan food in my house. I see it similar to someone who keeps

kosher. When he moves out, then he can eat whatever he chooses outside the

house.

It is sometimes a bit more work to bring vegan food. That has never stopped him

from going to friend's houses, parties and other social functions.

We are home schooling now, and are planing a vegan cooking and nutrition unit.

The bottom line is follow your instincts and keep asking questions. There are

plenty of people in this group who have walked in your shoes. The support is

here and if you choose to move toward a vegan choice for your children, we are

more than willing to give you suggestions and approaches that are easy.

Nasmaste,

Laura

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I have to agree with this. I a vegetarian, my 14 yo daughter is vegan and

both my son and husband eat meat. I became vegetarian after my pregnancy

with DD. Kate decided on her own to become vegan (we support it`!)about 3

years ago. I always tried to give her " normal " looking food that she would

eat. Her lunchbox has tofu nuggets, edamame, protein muffins (vegan recipe

with soy powder), mac & cheese, and just plain tofu (as long as I pack

tomato sauce) We love The Vegan Lunchbox and Lindsey Wagner's (yes Bionic

woman) High Road to Health. I don't agree with some of Lindsey's health

ideas, but her recipes work!

 

 

 

On

Behalf Of VAP79

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 10:48 AM

 

Re:1 year old - vegan or lacto-ovo?

 

 

 

 

 

One more response to your question. I am a vegan of 24 yrs. My husband was

not even vegetarian when we met. He is now mostly vegan. He does eat some

eggs in baked goods outside the house. Saying that, he is the main cook in

the house though. I had a vegan pregnancy, and my 14 yr. old son has been

vegan since birth.

I agree with the other postings which said that choosing your child's diet

is very personal. It only makes sense that you need to be comfortable in

what challenges that you wish to and can handle when it comes to social

situations with family, friends and school.

My son is a very proud vegan. We have discussed the ethical, health and

environmental reasons for our choices. My son is deaf and wears glasses. He

is different from most people in very obvious ways. The vegan thing is

really incidental with him most of the time. When he went to public school,

we brought in treats and shared them with the class. Reading labels made

reading fun and meaningful for him.

I have chosen to have a vegan household. That means that as long as my son

lives with me he eats vegan food in my house. I see it similar to someone

who keeps kosher. When he moves out, then he can eat whatever he chooses

outside the house.

It is sometimes a bit more work to bring vegan food. That has never stopped

him from going to friend's houses, parties and other social functions.

We are home schooling now, and are planing a vegan cooking and nutrition

unit.

The bottom line is follow your instincts and keep asking questions. There

are plenty of people in this group who have walked in your shoes. The

support is here and if you choose to move toward a vegan choice for your

children, we are more than willing to give you suggestions and approaches

that are easy.

Nasmaste,

Laura

 

 

[Guest guest]

I find it so interesting how so many people are in the same situation! I am

vegan now, I was a new vegan right before I became pregnant and then added back

in some dairy because my boyfriend was concerned about it. But I have been

veggie for about 18yr and vegan now totally for about 9mo and my boyfriend has

been veggie for 17yr. Our daughter (13mo) is so far vegan. I want her to

remain vegan but her dad wants her to be vege because of all the reasons you all

talk about, feeling different, social events, parties, and good old pizza and

mac and cheese!

 

I have a huge problem with this! I think that dairy is actually bad for you and

I dont want her having it, plus I think that non organic dairy is disgusting and

this is what you normally get out, eggs too!

 

We have eggs in the house and dairy only when my boyfriend shops (that is rare,

lol!), but as she gets older I think we will have to cut the eggs out of the

house so she does not see it and wonder why we have that... I need to figure out

some other breakfast options for her dad.

 

I am so pro vegan I wish I chould get my man on board because I think it is

going to be really hard to keep our daughter vegan without his support.

 

I love the stories of kids deciding on thier own!

 

thanks for asking this quesiton!

 

elisa

[Guest guest]

If you want him to get on board, why not read the China Study ?? That

should be enough to convince you to never eat dairy foods again.

 

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 6:32 PM, ejsrejsr <elisaelisa wrote:

 

>

>

> I find it so interesting how so many people are in the same situation! I am

> vegan now, I was a new vegan right before I became pregnant and then added

> back in some dairy because my boyfriend was concerned about it. But I have

> been veggie for about 18yr and vegan now totally for about 9mo and my

> boyfriend has been veggie for 17yr. Our daughter (13mo) is so far vegan. I

> want her to remain vegan but her dad wants her to be vege because of all the

> reasons you all talk about, feeling different, social events, parties, and

> good old pizza and mac and cheese!

>

> I have a huge problem with this! I think that dairy is actually bad for you

> and I dont want her having it, plus I think that non organic dairy is

> disgusting and this is what you normally get out, eggs too!

>

> We have eggs in the house and dairy only when my boyfriend shops (that is

> rare, lol!), but as she gets older I think we will have to cut the eggs out

> of the house so she does not see it and wonder why we have that... I need to

> figure out some other breakfast options for her dad.

>

> I am so pro vegan I wish I chould get my man on board because I think it is

> going to be really hard to keep our daughter vegan without his support.

>

> I love the stories of kids deciding on thier own!

>

> thanks for asking this quesiton!

>

> elisa

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

Regards,

 

Vibeke

 

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know

peace.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

thanks I am going to get it, I have not read it either... I am also going to get

" Healthy Living for Life for Kids " by the PCRM that was mentioned. Hopefully

these will help! If I can only find the time to read them!! thanks a lot,

elisa

 

, Vibeke Vale <vibekevale wrote:

>

> If you want him to get on board, why not read the China Study ?? That

> should be enough to convince you to never eat dairy foods again.

>

> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 6:32 PM, ejsrejsr <elisaelisa wrote:

>

> >

> >

> > I find it so interesting how so many people are in the same situation! I am

> > vegan now, I was a new vegan right before I became pregnant and then added

> > back in some dairy because my boyfriend was concerned about it. But I have

> > been veggie for about 18yr and vegan now totally for about 9mo and my

> > boyfriend has been veggie for 17yr. Our daughter (13mo) is so far vegan. I

> > want her to remain vegan but her dad wants her to be vege because of all the

> > reasons you all talk about, feeling different, social events, parties, and

> > good old pizza and mac and cheese!

> >

> > I have a huge problem with this! I think that dairy is actually bad for you

> > and I dont want her having it, plus I think that non organic dairy is

> > disgusting and this is what you normally get out, eggs too!

> >

> > We have eggs in the house and dairy only when my boyfriend shops (that is

> > rare, lol!), but as she gets older I think we will have to cut the eggs out

> > of the house so she does not see it and wonder why we have that... I need to

> > figure out some other breakfast options for her dad.

> >

> > I am so pro vegan I wish I chould get my man on board because I think it is

> > going to be really hard to keep our daughter vegan without his support.

> >

> > I love the stories of kids deciding on thier own!

> >

> > thanks for asking this quesiton!

> >

> > elisa

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

> --

> Regards,

>

> Vibeke

>

> When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know

> peace.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Re: 1 year old - vegan or lacto-ovo?

 

" Are you raising a vegetarian or vegan calf? If so The Vegetarian Resource

Group, has created a network of bulls, cows and calves. "

 

say what??!!

 

Mama cow would not let her baby consume any milk but her own and you should

follow her lead.

 

Calves are the only ones who need or receive 100% benefit from consuming cow's

milk.

 

It is true that human children & adults can derive some nutrients from cow's

milk - but it's what else comes along with it that is problematic- even if it's

organic, local, grass fed, low fat or fat free, whatever. And any nutrients we

can get from milk we can get from plants - just like mama cow does. Cows don't

make any calcium - they get it from plants, which get it from the soil.

 

Is Dad aware of the possible link between dairy and Type 1 diabetes in children?

 

Is he aware of the 50 plus naturally occurring hormones in cow's milk that are

there to stimulate cell division and rapidly turn a calf into a cow/bull? Even

if it's organic milk and has no BGH. Does he want all of those foreign hormones

circulating in his child's body?

 

Is he aware of the link between dairy consumption and breast/prostate cancer and

other reproductive health issues?

 

Dad needs to do his homework and look into tuberculosis, leukemia, Brucellosis,

chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn's disease, autism, antibiotic use & pesticide

concentration in livestock, asthma, Campylobacter infections, Creutzfeldt Jakob

Disease etc in relation to dairy consumption, not to mention obesity, heart

disease, stroke, arthritis and other cancers besides breast and prostate.

 

And then he needs to decide how much he's willing to gamble with his child's

long term health - all because it might be a small challenge socially to not

expose his child to these risks versus the short term ease of avoiding " feeling

different " . Making small accommodations at social events & parties or providing

vegan versions of pizza, ice cream, mac and cheese etc is really no big deal for

a multitude of vegan & lactose intolerant families world wide.

[Guest guest]

Wow, thanks so much for all the kind, thoughtful, supportive comments. I truly

appreciate the time that you all put into sharing with me and feel like I got

some really good advice -- in particular the fact that we need to be at peace

and consistent with our decision. Obviously not there yet!

 

Rachel, could you share the name/brand of the B-12 spray? I looked at B

vitamins for my son at one point and only found adult B-complexes. The

nutritionist I spoke with convinced me that he'd get it from my breast milk

provided I supplement well which I do, so I left it at that. However as he

nurses less frequently, I'd feel more comfortable supplementing B-12 in addition

to the D that I'm already doing. Also, I will look into PCRM's " Healthy Living

for Life for Kids " . I've been referrring to " Becoming Vegan " alot for my

nutritional information, but would like to broaden it to additional reliable

sources.

 

Interestingly today I was informed by my daycare providers that they are

supposed to begin feeding the kids cow's milk at 1. Even if he does not become

a vegan baby, I was not imagining giving him *cups* of milk. Yikes! Apparently

I need a note from my doctor to exempt him from this and allow them to sub

formula or soymilk. It makes me pretty angry actually; its not a requirement of

the daycare but rather from subsidy program managed by the Agriculture

Deparement. I am still nursing frequently (he's in daycare only 3 half days a

week) so I can't see that my doc should have any problems with it.

 

Thanks much for all the insight and understanding.

[Guest guest]

Danita wrote: " And then he needs to decide how much he's willing to

gamble with his child's long term health - all because it might be a

small challenge socially to not expose his child to these risks versus

the short term ease of avoiding " feeling different " . "

 

When it comes to discussing dairy consumption and gambling with ones

health I think people tend to really play it up and make it a much

bigger deal than it really is (I'm speaking about nutrition here, not

ethics or environmental implications, just nutrition). While you can

cite statistics all day long about how bad dairy products (or meat) are

for the human body, it's a hard sell when you have grandparents that are

82 years old, going strong, and have been eating meat and dairy their

entire lives. Besides, I think the vast majority of people would be hard

pressed to believe that eating an occassional piece of birthday cake

that may have dairy and/or eggs in it is not going to lead to big health

problems.

 

Danita wrote: " Making small accommodations at social events & parties or

providing vegan versions of pizza, ice cream, mac and cheese etc is

really no big deal for a multitude of vegan & lactose intolerant

families world wide. "

 

I'm wondering if this statement actually comes from experience? I make

some accommodations right now and I would not say it's " no big deal "

because it is. I have to always be on top of what they are going to

serve at parties at school and try to head them off and make

substitutions. I can tell you without a doubt, that even with allowing

my kid to eat the cheese pizza and cake, that the other parents still

find me to be a freak because I don't let my kids eat the gummy candies,

the marshmallows, and other non-vegetarian items. Trust me, I already

get the glares, the " poor her " looks at my kids and the parents who feel

I'm a weirdo.... Is it a big deal? Hmm...

[Guest guest]

I accidentally put a " not " in there when I shouldn't have. It should

have read:

 

Besides, I think the vast majority of people would be hard

pressed to believe that eating an occassional piece of birthday cake

that may have dairy and/or eggs in it is going to lead to big health

problems.

[Guest guest]

I think in my case he believes that a little bit of cheese only once in a long

while will not do harm and he is probably right. But so far by babe is vegan

and I will do my best to keep it that way! thanks! elisa

 

, Danita <danitamark wrote:

>

> Re: 1 year old - vegan or lacto-ovo?

>

> " Are you raising a vegetarian or vegan calf? If so The Vegetarian Resource

Group, has created a network of bulls, cows and calves. "

>

> say what??!!

>

> Mama cow would not let her baby consume any milk but her own and you should

follow her lead.

>

> Calves are the only ones who need or receive 100% benefit from consuming cow's

milk.

>

> It is true that human children & adults can derive some nutrients from cow's

milk - but it's what else comes along with it that is problematic- even if it's

organic, local, grass fed, low fat or fat free, whatever. And any nutrients we

can get from milk we can get from plants - just like mama cow does. Cows don't

make any calcium - they get it from plants, which get it from the soil.

>

> Is Dad aware of the possible link between dairy and Type 1 diabetes in

children?

>

> Is he aware of the 50 plus naturally occurring hormones in cow's milk that are

there to stimulate cell division and rapidly turn a calf into a cow/bull? Even

if it's organic milk and has no BGH. Does he want all of those foreign hormones

circulating in his child's body?

>

> Is he aware of the link between dairy consumption and breast/prostate cancer

and other reproductive health issues?

>

> Dad needs to do his homework and look into tuberculosis, leukemia,

Brucellosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn's disease, autism, antibiotic use &

pesticide concentration in livestock, asthma, Campylobacter infections,

Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease etc in relation to dairy consumption, not to mention

obesity, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and other cancers besides breast and

prostate.

>

> And then he needs to decide how much he's willing to gamble with his child's

long term health - all because it might be a small challenge socially to not

expose his child to these risks versus the short term ease of avoiding " feeling

different " . Making small accommodations at social events & parties or providing

vegan versions of pizza, ice cream, mac and cheese etc is really no big deal for

a multitude of vegan & lactose intolerant families world wide.

>

[Guest guest]

I was not planning on weighing in on this, since I have very limited

computer time, but perhaps my experience will be useful to you too.

Let me preface it by saying that how you choose to do this is a very

personal decision that has to work for your family. The challenges are

definitely different if both parents are not vegan.

 

I have a very full plate. I have an 8 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a 4 yr

old. My 6 yr old son has cerebral palsy, and uses a wheelchair.

Because of his disability he is still in diapers. He cannot walk or

crawl, or sit up. His speech is labored. He has many doctor

appointments a month, and has many medical issues. The three of them

go to 3 different schools. But they have all been vegan from birth,

and we maintain a strictly vegan household. I could not have it any

other way, because not causing suffering is not a dietary choice in

our house (like, say, not eating tons of junk food) but instead it is

a family value, as meaningful as not being racist, or not being

violent to people.

 

The suffering of dairy cows is arguably the worst suffering of any

food animal. I have friends who grew up on small dairy farms who went

vegan simply because the sound of the mothers on the day they took the

calves away was too much to bear. This does not even touch on the

factory farmed dairy cows. I will not go into this further since most

of us on this list are already familiar with the horrors of the dairy

industry. Is it easy to raise 3 kids vegan, especially with the

additional burden and limitations of my son's disability? No, it is

not. But I am not about to teach my kids that it is okay to

compromise non-violence to animals because it makes some extra work

for us.

 

Yes, I have to plan ahead for food that will be served at social

functions. I produce yummy replacements for birthday parties, school

functions, church events. I volunteer to bring muffins for the whole

3rd grade at the holiday party so that my daughter can partake. I have

to pack lunches every day. But I try to treat these all as outreach

opportunities. I have made cupcakes for the girl scout troop that

received " best cupcake ever " compliments from non-vegan kids.

 

I am not a super mom. My house could be a lot cleaner and better

decorated. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and very little on

the computer. We have many rescued pets as well, which also take up a

lot of my time. But my kids have excellent diets, are used to eating

a variety of vegetables, grains, beans. My disabled son needs almost

double the calories as a typical kid his size because of the high

muscle tone of cerebral palsy, and so my husband and I work our

behinds off getting high calorie vegan foods into him every day. But

all 3 of my kids understand that we do not harm animals, we don't

force cows to give up their babies so that we can take their milk, we

don't spend one dollar of our money to pay someone else to torture a

sentient being for our palate.

 

I will certainly let my kids choose to be not vegan once they are old

enough to have money in their pocket and be out with their friends

alone. I don't intend to " force " anything on them. But if you could

hear my 8 year old explain to a friend why she is vegan, you would not

wonder what choice she will make. I don't think there is anything

wrong with having a strong ethical value and sticking with it. I am

grateful to have a husband that shares my views and supports us in

this effort. We try to go to Farm Sanctuary yearly, and expose the

kids and ourselves to regular reminders as to why we have chosen a

path that is indeed sometimes not very convenient. But we make a lot

of choices as a family that are less than convenient, simply because

they are the right thing to do for our family, the planet, and those

we share it with. However, I have learned a lot of tricks and ideas

over the years to make it less inconvenient, and I am happy to share

those.

 

That is just my 2 cents - hope it is helpful!

 

Leena

[Guest guest]

it's a hard sell when you have grandparents that are

>82 years old, going strong, and have been eating meat and dairy their

>entire lives. Besides, I think the vast majority of people would be hard

>pressed to believe that eating an occassional piece of birthday cake

>that may have dairy and/or eggs in it is not going to lead to big health

>problems.

 

You make a good point. I agree - eating an occassional piece of birthday cake

that may have dairy and/or eggs in it is not likely to lead to big health

problems- as long as that it's not added to other lifestyle, genetic, &

environmental risk factors that can have a synergistic effect on each other.

Show me the kid that lives in that bubble.

 

And limiting consumption to an occasional piece of cake? That is not the reality

for most people who eat dairy/eggs. Even ovo/lacto vegetarians. It is daily, if

not multiple times a day, consumption of these products. It didn't sound like

Dad would have been limiting her to only an occasional piece of diary & egg

birthday cake for their daughter.

 

The average grandparent is not " going strong " , but either dead before 82, closer

to death or more debilitated than necessary b/c of heart disease, type 2

diabetes, cancer, obesity, hypertension, stroke, kidney disease, osteoporosis,

glaucoma, macular degeneration etc.

 

Also today's 82 year old grandparents that are " going strong " didn't consume

dairy or meat at the high rates during their childhoods that today's children

eat, especially dairy. And the meat, dairy & eggs 82 years ago wasn't full of

added hormones, antibiotics, pesticide residues etc. And it wasn't wrapped,

stored & zapped in plastic, nor was their water supply in plastic bottles or PVC

pipes.

 

Today's 82 year olds - during their childhood years, in general, had cleaner air

to breathe, cleaner water to drink (as far as chemicals, maybe not bacterial),

more sunshine, way, way more daily exercise, virtually no (human made) exposure

to electromagnetic and nuclear radiation etc.

 

And they hit puberty later too - which is linked to longer life. Our kids are

maturing earlier, that is, " aging " faster and then with all the chronic diseases

means they are the first modern generation likely to live shorter lives than

their parents.

 

Parents of every generation learn new things that differ and are an improvement

from the way they were raised. And other values/choices from past generations

are retained. This issue is just one more thing for each parent/family to figure

out.

 

>I'm wondering if this statement actually comes from experience? I make

>some accommodations right now and I would not say it's " no big deal "

>because it is.

 

Yes I am speaking from experience. And again, with a caveat, you are right. I

was perhaps too quick to say its not a big deal, but it's all relative.

Sometimes it has been a really big hassle, lots of time and energy, social

awkwardness etc. Other times, not so much. But really, it's a big deal similar

to being a freak b/c we didn't let our child play with guns, lots of electronic

gizmos, watch much TV etc.

 

Our values are important to us and sure, sometimes we get tired of swimming

against the tide - but that's life if you have any principles. Mostly, I am just

really grateful that I have the education that I have, so that I can make more

informed choices than my parents or my neighbors, and then the hassles don't

bother me so much. But I can't imagine choosing to take the easier path when I

know what that means for his long term health.

 

If someone forced me to go back in time and made me give my child meat or dairy,

I would choose to give my child a little meat now and then and NO dairy, instead

of no meat and a little dairy now and then.

 

Our son is 12 - so maybe I've forgotten the worst of it when we navigated his

preschool & elementary years - and we still have some social hassles in middle

school. We had been ovo lacto for about 7 years when he was born and we ate a

lot of dairy. Then we started transitioning to vegan when he was age 3.

 

And yes we can limit the discussion to just nutrition. I am currently working on

my graduate degree in nutrition in order to become a registered dietitian. Our

son and our experiences as parents are the big reason I went back to school - to

make it easier on all of us that choose this path- and for my parents generation

and my neighbors that don't yet get it. I really think it will continue to get

easier. Look how rapidly parents & schools became savvy to kids with peanut

allergies, gluten intolerance etc. Being vegan is becoming more and more common

place and that's a good thing, because vegan kids are the future for all of us.

 

Peace and Good Health,

Danita

[Guest guest]

Danita wrote: " Being vegan is becoming more and more common place and

that's a good thing, because vegan kids are the future for all of us. "

 

I really do hope you are right. The last research I heard was that

vegans make up just one percent of the population and that hadn't

changed much over the last several decades. But I really do hope it's

true or heads in that direction...

 

 

Jacqueline

[Guest guest]

The B12 spray we use is made by Pure Vegan. We get it at our local natural

foods store but you can get it on Amazon too. Here's the Amazon link...

http://amzn.com/B0014BA0OA

 

Best of luck!

Rachel

 

, " wlwarren24 " <wlwarren24 wrote:

>

> Wow, thanks so much for all the kind, thoughtful, supportive comments. I

truly appreciate the time that you all put into sharing with me and feel like I

got some really good advice -- in particular the fact that we need to be at

peace and consistent with our decision. Obviously not there yet!

>

> Rachel, could you share the name/brand of the B-12 spray? I looked at B

vitamins for my son at one point and only found adult B-complexes. The

nutritionist I spoke with convinced me that he'd get it from my breast milk

provided I supplement well which I do, so I left it at that. However as he

nurses less frequently, I'd feel more comfortable supplementing B-12 in addition

to the D that I'm already doing. Also, I will look into PCRM's " Healthy Living

for Life for Kids " . I've been referrring to " Becoming Vegan " alot for my

nutritional information, but would like to broaden it to additional reliable

sources.

>

> Interestingly today I was informed by my daycare providers that they are

supposed to begin feeding the kids cow's milk at 1. Even if he does not become

a vegan baby, I was not imagining giving him *cups* of milk. Yikes! Apparently

I need a note from my doctor to exempt him from this and allow them to sub

formula or soymilk. It makes me pretty angry actually; its not a requirement of

the daycare but rather from subsidy program managed by the Agriculture

Deparement. I am still nursing frequently (he's in daycare only 3 half days a

week) so I can't see that my doc should have any problems with it.

>

> Thanks much for all the insight and understanding.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I'm an ethical vegan and my husband is now too. When we had our daughter,

however, he was lacto-ovo. We agreed that our daughter would be vegan except

for the occasional piece of birthday cake. I care about (not) financially

supporting the dairy, egg, and meat industries so I don't see much harm in

consuming something that's already made and would otherwise go to waste or be

eaten by someone else. (I would never make or buy non-vegan food.)

That said, when the time came for her to attend other kids' birthday parties, we

both changed our minds. We believe it would be harder to explain the exception

to our friends and have them continue to respect our general vegan orientation

than to bring vegan cupcakes and teach our daughter to ask what's in food.

Now 4, our daughter is the only vegan in her preschool, and she's proud of her

values. In fact, several of the other parents have asked us for information

about veganism, explaining that their kids are intrigued by our daughter's food

choices and her simple explanations of ethics (e.g., " I don't drink cow's milk

because it's wrong to steal. Milk belongs to baby cows. " ).

Hope our experiences are helpful to you.

 

Sincerely,

Jessica

 

 

EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD

Join me

 

 

[Guest guest]

I must say that I am finding it inspiring to hear the stories of people

who are doing veganism with their children (outside of the house as well

as in). It is encouraging to me! We have mostly heard from people young

children who have done this. Is there anyone on the list that has raised

their child vegan and is at high school age by now (or close to it)?

What has that journey been like? I know that when the kids are 4 or 5 or

even elementary school age it is easier to monitor and make

substitutions on what they are eating. But how is it by the time they

get to high school? Easier since they can make some of the choices and

substitutions themselves or harder?

 

Thanks for sharing everyone, these are great conversations. While I had

already said that I do let my kids have the birthday cake to avoid

problems, I am also an ethical vegan, so it's not something that I am

ever comfortable with. It is nice to know that veganism is working out

well for others. It gives me hope! But I do think my daughter is leaning

toward veganism all on her own now, simply because of the things I

teacher on a regular basis and because she sees how and what I eat.

 

JB

[Guest guest]

My experience is that as the children age, it becomes a little more

complicated as you have less control. At some point, unless you plan on

keeping your child under close watch every moment, they are on their own.

You have to have some degree of trust in your abilities to have modeled a

great example and faith in your child to make the right decision.

 

I think a lot of how easy or difficult it is has to do with how important it

is to your child to fit in. My son, like Missie's, takes pride in being

different and doesn't give a whit about have the exact same thing as the

other kids. He's 7 1/2 now. What I do find is that he only is perturbed if

other children get a treat and he doesn't, which is understandable.

Thankfully, his school has a no-cupcake/birthday cake policy so that makes

things much easier. I have told his teacher to let me know on the rare

occasions when they get treats because it is very important for me that he

is also able to enjoy and participate. It's important not only because it's

fair to him, but we want to show everyone else that the vegan life is not

one of deprivation.

 

Marla

 

>

> I must say that I am finding it inspiring to hear the stories of people

> who are doing veganism with their children (outside of the house as well

> as in). It is encouraging to me! We have mostly heard from people young

> children who have done this. Is there anyone on the list that has raised

> their child vegan and is at high school age by now (or close to it)?

> What has that journey been like? I know that when the kids are 4 or 5 or

> even elementary school age it is easier to monitor and make

> substitutions on what they are eating. But how is it by the time they

> get to high school? Easier since they can make some of the choices and

> substitutions themselves or harder?

>

> Thanks for sharing everyone, these are great conversations. While I had

> already said that I do let my kids have the birthday cake to avoid

> problems, I am also an ethical vegan, so it's not something that I am

> ever comfortable with. It is nice to know that veganism is working out

> well for others. It gives me hope! But I do think my daughter is leaning

> toward veganism all on her own now, simply because of the things I

> teacher on a regular basis and because she sees how and what I eat.

>

> JB

>

>

>

> ---

>

> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

> http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

> http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

> provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

> qualified health professional.

>

> edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

> professional.

>

>