Would you 'allow' your child to become a vegetarian?

[Minnie824]

I know this may start a debate, but I am curious as to how people feel on this. A friend of mine has a 12 year old daughter, who just recently decided she wants to become a vegetarian (one who eats only oatmeal and toast, but thats another issue). Anyway, would you 'let' your child do this? Do you feel as a parent you have a right to say, hey, you have to eat meat. Or, would you support their decision? Can they make that decision for themselves at that age? My oldest is 4, so not really a concern yet, but I just wanted to see how people felt about it.

 

[Marseeya]

It depends.

My DD wanted to become a "vegenarian" about a year ago when she was 9 years old and I wouldn't let her. She's the pickiest eater in the world and hates veggies. How can you be a vegetarian without eating veggies? So I tried cooking vegetarian meals for her and she hated it. If she's willing to go about it in a healthy manner, then I'd be alright with it.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Yes. But then I try to plan a few vegetarian meals every week, we only eat chicken and turkey when we do eat meat, so it wouldn't be a huge thing for us.

 

[In a hurry]

If my child wanted to be a vegetarian, then I would help them be a healthy one. Eating crap doesn't help anyone grow strong and healthy. If they wanted to stop meat as a protein source, then we would study what other options there are. It is a parent's job to feed their kid a healthy well-rounded diet, regardless of whether it includes meat.

 

[debster812]

I know this may start a debate, but I am curious as to how people feel on this. A friend of mine has a 12 year old daughter, who just recently decided she wants to become a vegetarian (one who eats only oatmeal and toast, but thats another issue). Anyway, would you 'let' your child do this? Do you feel as a parent you have a right to say, hey, you have to eat meat. Or, would you support their decision? Can they make that decision for themselves at that age? My oldest is 4, so not really a concern yet, but I just wanted to see how people felt about it.

Food and eating habits can become SUCH a hot issue, and a 12 year old girl is a PRIME target for all sorts of eating disorders, if food is allowed to be turned into power currency.

I think I would probably not only allow it, but encourage and help, and work with her to find other things that she'll eat that would be healthful for her.

Food is just one battle I'm not going to fight with my child. He's only 8, he's not a great eater, but just OK. We make sure he gets a multivitamin every day, encourage him to try new stuff, and always have a peanut butter sandwich to fall back on.

 

[In a hurry]

The other issue I see is this child has already been allowed to develop pathetic eating habits. It should have been dealt with at 5 rather than at 12.

 

[VSL]

I would allow it, and would make sure that he/she was aware that being a vegetarian would not mean that I would be allowing them to eat junk.

They would still be eating food that I would make for them, and it would still be v.healthy.

I don't think that meat/eggs/dairy are necessary in our diet anyway - especially dairy (which is not made for us anyway).

 

[imsorry]

How do you force a 12 year old to eat meat? I'm just curious; if you try to force her won't you cause more problems? This is for the parents who say they would not allow their child to become vegetarian.

 

[Magickndm]

If she really wanted to, then yes. We already eat healthy, I'd just have to make sure she got enough protein if she cut out meat all together.

 

[L107ANGEL]

I decided not to eat meat at about that age. My mother allowed me to make my own decision. It lasted about a year.

 

[gris gris]

I decided to become a vegetarian in 4th grade. I was tricked into eating veal at a friends house and was told afterwards it was a "baby cow" and from that point on I was done with meat. My parents thought it was a phase I was going through. The rule became if I didn't like what mom put on the table, then I could make my own dinner. 23 years later I'm still a vegetarian. The only one who really had a problem with it was my "meat and potatoes" grandmother, but she too realized it wasn't a phase. So, if my DD wanted to be a vegetarian, I would support it. My DH is not a vegetarian and but he married me anyway.

 

[Magickndm]

I don't think that meat/eggs/dairy are necessary in our diet anyway - especially dairy (which is not made for us anyway).

I don't understand this. How is one supposed to get all the calcium that is required if you cut all dairy? Other than vitamins I mean.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We are vegetarian, so maybe not the people to ask, however, my teen son did want to give up all meat products, which we do eat. I required that he research it, figure out what he would eat, make me out a grocery list, and make sure that he would get enough protein. He hasn't really carried through on it, but he has cut out certain things from his diet.

I wouldn't force a child to eat anything, however, I would want them to be eating a healthy diet. Not that one or two unhealthy meals will hurt them, of course.

My 12yo is not exactly known for his healthy eating and I've told him that as he gets older than he either needs to eat healthier or he needs to start eating meat, which he didn't appreciate.

 

[Briarmom]

When I was in 9th grade I made that my New Years' Resolution. I quit eating meat for about 4 years. I would absolutely let my child make their own decision here.

 

[NMAmy]

Well, sure, I would. I'd make sure that we researched it together to make sure she was getting all the nutrients she needed. My sister and my nephew's wife are both vegetarians so it's not a big deal to me. I've never been much of a meat eater myself so it's probably my fault. Although, in dd's case, that's made her more of a carnivore than ever--she's constantly begging for steak or roast (two things I don't eat and therefore, don't cook.) When I was growing up, I was allowed to skip the roast and fill up on carrots, potatoes, and onions and I'm certainly not a picky eater. I'm not sure why it would need to turn into a big power struggle for some people.

 

[Brad&Kryssi]

^^^Actually, you can get all the calcium you need from certain dark leafy greens and vegetables.

I agree with those who said they would help their children to find adequate sources of protein if they chose to become vegetarians.

 

[VSL]

Don't get me wrong, I eat dairy myself. I just don't think that we are meant to - it's for the baby cow/goat/whatever, not for us!

There are other [natural] ways to get calcium (leafy greens, etc.), but we (the UK/USA/Western world in general) have been a bit brainwashed IMO by the governments and people involved in selling such foods.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

My 15 DS has been a vegetarian since 4th grade and. He had a teacher he just idolized who is a vegetarian and it was also about the time that they started talking about Mad Cow Disease. The teacher never pushed being a vegetarian but my son just wanted to be just like his teacher.

Sometimes I tease that my son is a pastatarian because he loves pasta and cheese. He doesn't eat meat, fish, or eggs. He eats lots of beans, cheese, fruits, dairy products, and some vegies. He's done pretty well and always finds something to eat. My DS being a vegetarian has probably made my whole family healthier eaters.

I just feel that as long as he is healthy and growing, this is not a battle worth fighting.

Now if I could just figure out what to do with my 16 DD who only likes pizza, pasta, and cesaer salad

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I don't understand this. How is one supposed to get all the calcium that is required if you cut all dairy? Other than vitamins I mean.

We are the only animal that drinks the milk from another animal, and we most certainly can get the calcium that we need from plant sources. Having said that, we do drink milk, so I can't tell you exactly how, but I do know that milk causes problems in a lot of people and I think that I might be one of those people. I just haven't given it up for a period of time to tell if it has helped me.

 

[In a hurry]

I don't understand this. How is one supposed to get all the calcium that is required if you cut all dairy? Other than vitamins I mean.

Lots of veggies have calcium. I believe spinach is high...but I can't for the life of me remember the others!