We’re all vegan, as a family. We feel eating a vegan diet is the healthiest way to go so why wouldn’t we want our kids to eat the same way we do? Why would I, as an educated mother, not give them what I think is best for them? Some of our reasons for being vegans are ideological and all the reasons were discussed with our 4 year old who had no issues making the switch and when he wants to eat meat (in pre-school) or cheese (at parties), he does. Our 20 month old never ate meat to begin with and we don’t make a deal out of our diet at home. Just like us, the kids are eating healthier than they ever have – meat or lack of it plays such a small role – vegan diets are about balance, grains and veggies and everyone gets the recommended protein amount through tofu, tempeh, vegan meat substitutes and grains (we saw a nutritionist for detailed food plans for every member of our family…as an aside, how many parents you know have actually done that, no matter their diets?). Our kids regularly see their doctor, are growing through the roof and have energy to tire out an ox if an ox was energetic enough to babysit them.
We, as parents, all raise our children in ways we think is healthist, for them – this is why we raise them on a vegan diet, because we know for a fact how unhealthy meat and dairy is and after the rigorous research we have conducted, we believe this is the best for our family. What other parents to with their kids is about their knowledge of nutrition and what they believe is best. No parent can tell me not to raise my kids on a vegan diet because I tell no parent to not give their children meat.
The burden of ‘proof of healtiness of diet’ is not on me, it’s on whoever wants to get into this discussion with me. The question shouldn’t be ‘should vegan parents make their kids eat they way they do?’ because it implies that everyone else somehow lets their kids decided and choose to eat meat and dairy, given all possible options. Since this doesn’t happen, all of our kids eat what we tell them to eat and none of it has to do with imposition of beliefs or it all has to do with imposition of belief and then we’re all guilty of the same thing. What needs to happen is that all parents should be asked about their reasons for feeding their kids what they do and let them critically examine what habits they’re passing on or what facts they’re informed or misinformed about. Because, I gotta tell you, you can try to see if my kids are sick all you want, but I know your (not yours, but you know what I mean) kids are overweight and on a horrid trajectory, healthwise.