When I tell people that I am raising my son as a vegetarian, most people try unsuccessfully to hide their disapproval. Although there are a few people who seem to support and be excited about the idea, most think it is a choice that is going to be a big pain and make my kid miserable. I even have gotten a couple, "Poor kid!"s. Well, raising a vegetarian child does not have to be a bother and it does not mean sacrifice on the part of the child. Many common assumptions can be easily proven wrong.
Your kid is going to miss out on so much good food.
Tofu is nutritious, but it is an acquired taste. Fortunately, there are also veggie versions of hamburgers, hot dogs, ground beef, steak strips, sausages, bacon, turkey, corn dogs, chicken patties and nuggets, and more. Just because a person is a vegetarian doesn't mean he or she won't be able to enjoy the foods the rest of the world is eating. Our version is just healthier, and slightly more expensive.
He'll feel weird when singled out from his friends.
This doesn't need to happen. Most day cares are willing to work with vegetarian families and prepare a meat-free meal that is similar to what the other kids are eating. Schools in many districts are required to provide a vegetarian alternative. And simple communication with parents of your kid's friends can help avoid awkward situations (ex: if he or she is invited to a birthday party serving hot dogs on the bonfire, you can send along veggie dogs).
Let the kid have a darn Happy Meal!
We all know fast food is not a healthy choice. If possible, we should avoid it entirely. But sometimes it is just too tempting. Being a vegetarian doesn't mean you can't enjoy fast food. We all know about the side dishes (fries, fiesta potatoes, etc). But there are vegetarian "main course" foods too: Burger King even has a veggie burger. I only recently learned of the BK veggie burger, and it is pretty tasty (they use a Morningstar patty). If you ask, they will probably sub it into a kids meal. You can also get vegetarian kids meals at Taco Bell and Subway (although at Subway, you have to get meat sandwich with no meat). And these options are much less fattening than their meaty counterparts that give fast food a bad name.
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3 comments:
I'm always shocked by how few parents I hang out with ask before they offer a neighborhood kid a snack. I always try to ask if they have a dietary needs, like allergies or vegetarian before sharing food.
That's a really good point. So many people just assume that whatever they would feed their kids is fair game. And it is nice of them to share their snacks, but many kids do have special considerations, either by choice or not. And small children obviously can't advocate for themselves in this kind of situation; you can teach them to do so, but it takes time and effort. Generally, they assume that if a safe adult offers it, they are able to eat it.
I'm not a vegetarian, but my son's friend (13) was raised as one. He is old enough now to decide for himself,(according to him) but he is choosing to remain a vegetarian. He always has to remind the guys that he doesn't eat meat - because they are always offering him pizza or chicken raman noodles, or something! It doesn't appear as though he minds having to remind them. And they don't care what he eats - its just becoming normal to them.
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