New member

[Guest guest]

Hello to all. I am a new member, though I've been reading the posts for the

past couple of weeks and have been doing a lot of thinking about at least one of

the threads. I have not eaten meat or fish for 25 years and have avoided using

or consuming other animal products as much as possible. But the perpetual

question of what is a vegetarian/vegan is one that I can't get involved with

because I really believe that people have to follow their own hearts and do what

they can to further the cause. I greatly admire PETA for its militancy but I

also embrace any effort -- however small -- made by people who nevertheless may

be a bit clumsy in their attempt to become " vegetarians. " I remember visiting

an amazing animal shelter called Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah a few

years ago, where vegan meals were served to visitors but the message was very

gentle, and everyone was welcome -- whether vegetarian or not. I completely

reject the person who calls him- or herself a vegetarian because it is

fashionable, and then innocently eats a tuna fish sandwich. But when I meet

someone who wishes to be a vegetarian because he or she realizes it is

chauvinistic and just plain wrong for humans to consume and otherwise exploit

animals, I respect that and appreciate the logistical challenges that person

will face.

 

Having said that, I'll get to the real reason I joined this group. I have an

almost-four-year-old son -- my only child -- who has been an ovo-lacto

vegetarian from birth. At his two-year physical exam, his pediatrician

expressed some concern about his weight, and we were launched into a seemingly

endless cycle of nutritionist and GI specialist visits to try to get his weight

up. We've examined every possible medical and behavioral cause, tried different

supplements and medicines, checked for allergies, and even endured exploratory

surgery, all to no avail. My son is about 27 pounds at 47 months -- admittedly,

very thin. But he is as bright as can be and so full of energy that his doctors

once joked that if he ever stopped moving he'd probably gain five pounds

immediately. He is healthy -- he has few colds, has never had an ear infection,

has no allergies, and developmentally is at or above where he should be. But he

is simply not interested in eating very much, and I've struggled to remain calm

about it. As for his vegetarianism, while the doctors have never suggested that

I should feed my son meat (though one nurse practitioner did, right before she

diagnosed him " failure to thrive " ), recently two friends advised me separately

to stop the vegetarian diet. How absurd to suggest that my son's health would

improve if he started eating meat! Perhaps a better idea would be to develop a

weight chart for children who haven't been raised eating food that is riddled

with growth hormones.

 

Anyway, I would be interested to hear whether other parents of vegetarian and

vegan children have had concerns about weight, size, etc. The funny thing is

that my son is a proud " vegerarian, " as he puts it. When he was about three, I

started to talk with him about the reasons why mom and dad don't eat meat, and

he seems just fine with it. He has never been to McDonalds -- though it's good

to hear about the veggie burgers being introduced at some of the fast food

places -- and I do expect that the peer pressure will set in eventually but

until then we're doing okay. His school knows his situation and is supportive.

But I've always said that he can make his own choice when the time comes, but in

the meantime I've been trying to create an enivironment that will help him

understand the issues and learn to respect animals. I figure if he sees me

taking spiders outside, or stepping around ants, that will be what's natural and

familiar to him.

 

Thanks for any advice you can give me,

 

Terry

 

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