Raising a child is an extremely difficult task to begin with... but then you add to that by realizing that not only do you have to make sure this little person eats, sleeps, learns to use the potty and gets an education - you're also a mentor and guide for this being to grow into a well-rounded individual. And I'm not talking about waistline.
At least, in my opinion, as a parent you should be guiding your child and teaching them right from wrong and all that good stuff. How do we do this? Well, how did you learn? It's time to take the "best practices" of our parents and benchmark them. Spanking didn't do a whole lot of good for you, did it? Axe that. What about "time out" did that work? Worked for me.. keep that one..
And how about dealing with society? Is it always good to "shut up and do as you're told"? Well.. not always. Sometimes you have to ask "why".
What about diet? Is it me or is the "normal" size of a child getting bigger? Why do I get questions on my sons "smaller end of average" size when most everyone elses child is overweight?
What about religion? Obviously you're going to want to teach your child whatever you believe, right? If you're Christian, you'll most likely want to raise them Christian. If you're Catholic, the same. And the same goes for Atheists, Jewish and Muslim, etc, etc, etc. Because it's what we know, right? Maybe you believe personally that a child should choose for themselves? That's a choice as well.
So the point of my little bit of rambling is this: If the "normal" thing to do is raise a child according to your beliefs and what you feel is best for their safety and well-being, why do vegan parents get so much shit for wanting to raise their children vegan??
My son is five. He's been vegan since conception. I was vegan throughout the pregnancy and it was a very healthy pregnancy and he was a very very very healthy baby. 10lbs 4 oz healthy, what do you think about *that* "malnourishment"? I had to have a c-section because he went breach, but that was the only complication. He's continued to grow at a steady speed and is rarely sick. He enjoys being vegan, he likes to help cook and he likes to talk about rescuing animals.
In those five years, here are the most common gripes from omnivores that don't agree with my raising my child vegan.
1. You're depriving him.
Seriously. "Depriving" him?! I'm so sorry that I'm "depriving" my son of a higher chance of cancer, high cholesterol and heart disease. I guess I should run out and get him a hamburger to make up for the years of "deprivation". I'm such a horrible mom for not allowing my son to dine on the flesh of the tortured innocent animals!
2. He's malnourished!
Oh yeah. He's the absolute picture of malnourishment.
In fact most vegan children are healthier than children on the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) especially since non-vegan American kids most likely live off of chicken nuggets, cows milk (puss & veal mmmm...), hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza... oh and french fries.
3. It's not right for you to push your beliefs on him, he's just a child!
Oh no! Why on earth would I want to push my moral values upon a poor innocent child? How dare I raise him to be thoughtful and compassionate?? I should be rushing him to the nearest forest with a shotgun and teaching him how to murder the innocent! That's a step in the right direction! First start with deer, then maybe he'll graduate to hurting people too! How dare I teach my child that there is no such thing as "happy meat" and that we don't have to exploit another species just to eat? For shame!
"Imposing our beliefs" on our children... Isn't that what parents do?? If I think a vegan lifestyle is the healthiest and the best way to live, wouldn't I want the best for my child? I don't see a problem with that.
4. What are you going to do when he gets older and wants to eat meat?
What's to suggest that he will *want* to eat it? I accept that he may try it out of curiosity, or whatever reason. Why do people seem to think that vegans secretly want to eat meat? If he decides he wants to "rebel" and start shoveling dead animals into his mouth, that's his problem. I'll still be cooking my tofu at home.
Most of my friends and family are pretty supportive, but I have had run ins with some pretty arrogant and ignorant people. Unfortunately his father is one of those people. Lately my ex-husband seems to think that I am being cruel by "forcing my beliefs" on our son. Apparently when I'm not around, Ethan doesn't want to be vegan. That's funny... because when he's not around, Ethan doesn't want daddy telling him he should eat meat.
Like I said... Ethan's five years old. He's going to tell daddy whatever daddy wants to hear. In fact.. hehe.. he said to me one day...
"Mommy, I'm going to take your side, okay, but I'm going to tell daddy that I will listen to him."
I tried to hold back the laughter and high five by saying, "Ethan, you shouldn't take sides. I'm glad you want to stay vegan, all you have to do is say 'No thank you, Daddy, I'm vegan.' and you don't have to worry about taking sides."
-sigh-
That's all I can think of for now. If you have anything to add - by all means do so!
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