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 Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:22 am
Let's try to revive this thing with some debate- express your thoughts!!
Do you think that it's right for parents to raise their children vegetarian, vegan, etc, from birth?
I was, and I have to admit that it made my childhood a lot harder. I was constantly bullied, and I didn't try meat until I was 7 (a bite of a bologna sandwich on a dare).
In my case, it is related to the fact that my family is Hindu, but what do you think?
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:10 pm
I'm sorry you were bullied in school. I think we all have a karmic debt to pay for the meat we have eaten. Yours, my friend, is very very small. heart
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:59 pm
I wouldn't say it's right nor wrong.
The way in which a parent raises his/her child may cause the child to experience some criticism in school. But guess what? We pretty much all deal with that for one reason another. Kids are mean.
What I think is wrong if a parent raises his/her child purposely to fit in. A family is supposed to nurture you into the person you want to be, not the person society demands you to be.
I suppose another question would be, "Is it wrong for a family to raise their kids omnivorously?" I don't agree with that, but I understand my family raised me that way because they thought it was best.
I think it's right for parents to raise their kids to be their healthy selves. Anything else is wrong. Although the child may later decide against the values the family has tried to instill within him/her, the bottom line is his/her family was doing the best they could, and that's what matters.
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Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:33 am
My family raised me omnivorous with emphasis on meat and starch, and I was still picked on because I was a little chubbier than the other kids (overweight kids around that time in my culture was rare), especially when I started to gather that "womanly" fat. And because I was lactose intolerant.
I was also raised pretty passive physically.
Sure, I can understand what it was like to be picked on as a kid - but right now, I'd be glad if I had been picked for an odd, healthy meatless diet and being sports crazy.
The name calling hasn't had as bad of an effect on me as the unhealthy part of my upbringing (though otherwise I love and respect my mom and dad - they weren't completely rotten parents, just overweight and ignorant about health). Kids are keen on being awful to each other, it's a fact, but as an adult it doesn't matter as much.
Unless you're like me and still trying to shake off some extra pounds and shyness... lol
I think you should try to raise your kids healthy and as proper, kind people above all. Getting picked on as a child is something next to everyone will experience, so one shouldn't worry about it.
Ï could go on about what I believe about plant-based omnivorous and lacto-ovo diet being better than pure vegetarism, but it's sorta besides the point. As long as your kids are healthy and happy, raise them as you see fit.
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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:19 pm
i dont see any problems with parents raising their kids veg*n. parents are supposed to do what is best for their kids, and if they feel feeding them a cruelty free diet is right, then by all means they should do it. their diet is not the only think the child could be picked on for, so i dont see this as being a problem since it isnt garunteed that feeding them meat will make them bully resistant. and if its not like they would be picked on for something unhealthy.
i feel that when the child is old enough, tho, they should be allowed to make this decision for themselves. the parents should introduce all the facts to the child when they feel they are old enough and not push them to hard.
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 9:32 am
I think, truly, it's the parents decision. As time goes on, new parenting ideas come and go. It's the parents' decision whose advice they will listen to. They all want what's best for their children.
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Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 6:24 am
If I ever get a kid, I'll raise him/her as a vegetarian...No excitations
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:14 pm
Wishing4Wings I think, truly, it's the parents decision. As time goes on, new parenting ideas come and go. It's the parents' decision whose advice they will listen to. They all want what's best for their children.
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:12 am
Raising your kids as omnis isn't a neutral position. It's just the normal one, and it's one that does damage to many kids' health.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:47 am
My girlfriend and I decided that if we ever reproduce, our child(ren) will be vegetarian.
As long as a child is getting the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong, I don't think it matters.
It's kind of sad when you see kids that are clearly being fed crap...
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 11:45 pm
You're lucky. I would have given anything to be raised vegan. I have a lot of proverbial blood on my hands.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:48 am
I look at it like this - parents do have a moral obligation to do their best to help their children grow up healthy, happy, and into decent human beings. I would definitely provide only vegetarian food in my home.
But as children grow older, they start making their own moral determinations - like Christian?/Hindu?/Buddhist?/Agnostic?/Athiest?/etc. Or to smoke / not to smoke. To drink or not to drink. To be sexually active or not. There are many more morally controversial topics that we face as we grow up. I would include veg*nism in this list. Just like I can't force my kid to not do drugs, I can't force him/her to not eat meat. I would rather provide my kid the information necessary to come to a rational decision to be veg*n or not. (Of course I would hope for veg*n). Also, since it's my house he/she'll be living in, I can impose certain rules like:
- no having the girl/boyfriend sleep over in my house
- no storing meat in my fridge
- etc.
And pretty much any issue in this list invites ridicule from those who are different. Vegetarians, Christians, Muslims, Non-Drinkers, and a host of other designations will. So while we're feeding our children delicious and nutritious vegetarian food, lets also teach them the virtues of respect and kindness to fellow human beings.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:01 am
It's healthier, it's better for the environment, and obviously better for the animals.
If I have children, they will be raised as vegans. Outside of my home, they can make their own choices, obviously. However, I feel parents have an obligation to raise other compassionate, caring, humans.
Children get bullied and picked on, because of their religion, sexuality, race, parents' sexuality, religion, race, their political affiliation, appearance, and so on. I wouldn't force my child to conform to religious or sexual standards to avoid being picked on by other children. I plan on either moving to Washington or Oregon after college, or hopefully back to Sweden, where veganism is much more tolerated.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:35 pm
I know this topic is kinda old, but oh well.
If I ever had kids, which I don't plan on (and if I did, they would be adopted), they would be raised vegan, NO exceptions. I could not be true to my own ethics otherwise. My boyfriend is an omni, but we've already agreed on a meat-free home.
Giving the "they'll be picked on" excuse is a s**t one. That's the same thing they say about a gay couple having kids. Kids are ******** mean. If it is not one thing, it will be another, and they will pick on you anyway. They FIND things. I will not raise my child against my own ethics just to have them be "normal."
The "you're making them vegan against their will" excuse is dumb as well. NO child has a say in what they eat, what religion they're raised with, etc. Parents give them what they think is best for them. I could say my parents forced me to eat meat, dairy and eggs when I was a child. The kid doesn't have a choice until they are more grown up and are able to make up their own minds.
If I do have kids, they'd probably have a hard time anyway, considering they'd also be raised religion-free, since I'm an atheist and my bf is agnostic.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:24 pm
i wish i was raised vegan from birth.
my pre-k-through-8th school [i attended for 11 years] had a really diverse student body since it's the top secular private school in my city [and i live in a big oil city, so lots of foreigners]. tons of hindu kids went there. they were vegetarian, and they were never picked on. on school field trips and stuff, the school always made accommodations for them.
in high school, i just switched to vegetarianism, and along with other changes i've made in my life [spiritual, consumer-related, environmental, etc.] i've become the black sheep of my family. i get picked on by my own blood relatives. fabulous.
it's really frustrating, but it's nothing i can't handle. the pain is worth the lack of guilty conscience.
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