Parents Vegetarina- Kids what to do????

Wow,

Ur DD is so responsible I would say..

When she has learnt to stay veggie outside, I wonder what makes you ponder over this??

 

Hi,
I can understand what you are going through. My family is vegetarian, but I used to eat eggs. My father always opposed it, but my mom used to support me. When father is not at home, she used to make egg curry/egg bhurjee for me at home. My sisters dont eat non-veg, but i do. Even after marriage, its a big no at my in-laws place, but DH and I eat eggs.
You leave the choice to your kids. You give them the option, if they want to eat non-veg they will opt for it. Maybe, your DD is not interested in eating non-veg so she threw it. There are many who are not allowed to eat NV at home, but love NV. I have few more friends who eat NV on a regular basis, even though they are born pure vegetarians. This without the knowledge of their parents.
If you give them the option now, it will not be a heartbreak for you in the later years, when they start eating NV w/o your consent.

 

Atleast when kids are this age (like yours and mine as well), it is easy for us parents to make a decision for them. So as a prent what you feel is more important. As long as they understand and respect that both of these are available and that they are just choices, it will be fine. And if you want to remain a vegetarian, there are more choices now than ever. I think your daughter seems to have understood that you are vegetarian and has shown a preference to remain the same. Right now, I don't see a reason why you should introduce non veg if you don't want to. I am sure at a later stage you might run in to the same issue and it could be an appropriate time to reevaluate your thoughts/feelings then.

 

Radha;
Please leave it for your daughter to decide. If she prefers vegetarian let her be, no need for introduce NV. You are lucky that your LO respects the choice you made. Be flexible/open-minded. We are NV but I have not forced it to my LO. Its her choice/liking.
-Nitha

 

At home we are vegetarians. I'm a hardcore lacto vegetarian (no eggs please). My husband and daughter eats eggs when they are outside of our home (in restaurant or hotel or friends/relatives homes). But these days my daughter (she's 6 now and in KG) has learned to reject when it comes to egg. She thought herself that egg is not considered as vegetarian as amma doesn't eat it I would touch it either.

At school when there's a party or special snack, she makes sure she ask the teacher or the parent whether egg is there in the cake/cookie or snack. The other day when she told me that she was not taking a jello snack as it had gelatin in it I was taken aback. Now I leave this to her though I wouldn't want her to eat egg or cheese with rennet.

Since you kids were taught to be vegetarians your daughter is sensible enough to differentiate and make a decision. Don't force your kid to eat meat just because everyone else does. In this vast America, there's a good set of people who have changed themselves from meat eaters to vegetarians and vegans. There's no shame to have your kids as vegetarians in this country.

-Uma

 

We are vegeterians too. I started eating eggs while I was pregnant. My kids eat eggs too at home.
When my first daughter started daycare , we were in all white people area. There was no choice for me besides allowing her to eat chicken(I still don't allow beef, pork, ham etc). Now she is in 1st grade, takes a lunch box on the days they serve other than veg and chicken.
I slowly started getting frozen chicken nuggets too. I toast them in the Toaster oven seperately and give her in special plates :thumbsup.
Its really hard for kids to stay vegeterian in this country.

 

I don't agree to this. I know lot and lot of my friend's kids (grownups) are pure vegetarian and stay in this country and canada. Its your will that takes you through not where you live.

-Uma

 

We're vegetarians... i do bake at home using eggs but no scrambled eggs. that's the exception. My son will be 5 soon and lunch is served at his kindergarden. but i check the menu and on those days when there's no vegetarian option i send him food. Now he knows to ask if there's any meat/fish/gelatine in what he is eating. we send him to birthday parties/play dates. i tell the mom and also he himself checks.

I do not agree that it's impossible to live as vegetarians in a country. as vegetarian adults, when we moved from India, have we not stuck to that? it's only what message we give the child. i tell my child that this is our practice. right now he practices it and i'll be happy if he continues to do so as an adult.

to tell you frankly my german friends here understand us being vegetarians and all that. only fellow indians make fun - oh why are you not giving eggs? there's no protein in vegetarian food etc., etc., indian vegetarian food is well-balanced... okay that's another topic...

personally i wouldn't cook non-veg separately for my child just because he/she must get 'used' to it. so it's upto you to decide what is important for you as a family.

Latha