Do vegetarian parents have the right to decide for their children?...?!
Do vegetarian parents have the right to decide for their children?...?
I am vegetarian, and have been since I was 15. I made a decision to refrain from eating meat based on my personal ethics. However, if I ever have children, is it ethical to inflict my personal views on to their diet and (if not) how do I reconcile buying meat, and cooking it, for them to eat?...
Answers:
No, I do not believe that a Vegetarian or any other type of eater has the right to decide for their child how to eat.
I am a vegetarian and my kids eat meat, along with my veggie foods. Kids often have a "Body Wisdom" about what is good and healthy for themselves, and no one should override that.
good luck.
i think as a parent they can decied on what their children eat. However up to a certain age like 15, they should let their children decide.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with feeding them a vegetarian diet, granted you take proper care that they get all the iron etc that they need (which, as children, will be more than you need).
It is like raising your child a Christian, for example. They may not believe in that faith when they are older, but while they are your responsibility, you are going to do what you think is best for them. Vegetarianism may not be quite as strongly motivated as christianity... i mean, being a vegetarian does not mean that you believe you are saving the souls of your children... but if that is what you do under your roof, then that is the way you should raise them. With a bit of luck, they will grow up feeling the same way as you.
Should however, when they are old enough, WANT to eat meat, then by all means, bring some meat into their diet. You can direct them, but never force them.
No i think a child should have the right to eat meat and when the child feels something for or agianst eating animals thats when they should decide. Vege is a PERSONAL preference =)
Of course it is ethical. Dietary habits of a family, whether for health or religious reasons, are perfectly within your rights to decide as a parent. You will just have to be prepared to work harder and find ways to keep your child vegetarian until s/he is old enough to decide (I'm thinking of school lunches in particular). You will probably also have to work closely with a nutritionist to ensure your child is getting enough non-animal protein and supplements.
Well its not necessary that your kids should follow your personal views. the thing is these days though veg diet is healthy its always better to have egg which contains a lot of protien and other meat products for the child's health.
Cooking meat these days is nt a very difficult task. You can always go to a grocery and get frozen meat and just mix them with gravies you use for veg curry or gravies..I think this the most simpliest way to cook meat though there are many other options...
this may sound a bit vulgar, but it's true.
atleast with being a vegetarian, the worst that'll happen is they'll lack a little bit of vitamins. with meats, they are REALLY fatty. and they will have a 60% chance of becoming obese and dying from related problems.
I think as a parent, as long as they eat well and get plenty of nourishment, you should be able to decide what they eat until they become of a certain age and then let them cook for themselves and try what they want and so on. :]
Of course! Parents have an obligation to raise their children in the ways they feel best. Honestly, I don't think most children would choose to eat meat if they knew what it was; they end up filled with dead bodies before they have a chance to decide how they feel about it.
Fortunately, doctors are becoming more knowledgeable these days. I knew people who were raised vegetarians, and the doctors said the parents would be killing their children! He was very wrong of course. Many people are starting to understand the myths of eating dead animals.
I also know two little girls who are being raised veg. Their parents explained to them the *food* that was being served in other places when it was time for them to start going to school. They equipped their children with the knowledge necessary, and those children refuse to eat meat for moral purposes. They are almost teenagers now.
This whole *let them decide when they are older* stuff is bunk. Would you feed your children nothing but BigMacs and candy bars until they were old enough to decide to eat pastas and veggies?
Each parent raises a child in the manner s/he feels is best. When the child grows up, he can choose for himself, but it is your job to give him the knowledge to make those choices.
:)
If you consider it unethical to eat meat then you don't buy it.
People don't have an inherent right to eat animals. If your children want to eat meat they can go and obtain it on their own.
Turn your question around and ask whether or not parents have the right to force their children to eat meat...they don't, it's just how they were brought up so therefore it is the norm to them. If you are responsible in making sure that your child has a nutritionally balanced, healthy diet then you can feed them whatever YOUR conscience allows you to until they are of an age to decide for themselves. If they decide that they would like to eat meat and you are against it, then it is up to them to provide the food, and the separate utensils to cook it in, also to cook it for themselves. I am vegetarian but my husband isn't, we have separate cooking utensils and he does most of the cooking as I will not cook his meat/fish for him and he is quite happy with that because we are both reasonable adults. He will always eat whatever I cook knowing full well that it is completely vegetarian.
In your own home, there is nothing unethical about it. Not eating meat is not going to hurt your children. As stated above, turn the situation around. Do meat eating parents have the right to decide for their children? Of course they do.
Until a child is old enough to decide what is right for him or her, he or she should receive guidance from an older person, and that's what parents are for. As a vegetarian, you decided that the vegetarian lifestyle is the one that is most ethical for you, and you have the right, as a vegetarian parent, to guide your children to the path which you think is right.
It's a fact of life; most parents try to do what they think is right for their children. If that doesn't sit well with other people, well, that's none of their business anymore.
What you don't have the right to do is to force them to follow your beliefs, lifestyle, diet, etc. after they are old enough to decide for themselves.
As a vegetarian parent, do you really want to buy and cook something you do not believe in eating? I would not want to do that. After the child gets old enough to be told why he or she was raised vegetarian, you could give the child a choice. But after being raised vegetarian, I do not think his or her body would be able to handle animal products.
As an informed parent it is not only your RIGHT but your OBLIGATION to make good choices for your child. I raised my 12 year old daughter vegetarian, and took alot of flak from friends and family for it. But, I stuck to my guns. When she was old enough, maybe around 7 or so, I explained to her why we are vegerarian. As she got older, she questioned it more, and I provided her with the information she needed to make her own choice. I told her that I would not prepare meat in the home, but she was free to eat it out in restaurants or at grandmas or friends homes. She tried it once, gagged, realized it was a dead animal, and never had it again. She eats a well balanced diet, is clearly healthier than her meat eating friends, and is an honor roll student. Society, as a whole, has no right to dictate how you raise your child. The mystery that seams to surround vegetarianism is astounding. Everyone thinks we just nibble on carrots and celery all day, when in fact, my daughter and I have a more varied diet than most meat eaters. Her principal comes by her lunch table everyday to see what interesting food she has. We eat alot of interesting ethnic foods. Her friends LOVE to come to dinner at my house. We have intersting fondues, with exotic sauces and unusual dunkers, veggie lasagna with white sauce, etc. I can never understand why people think it is weird or tragic to not cause something to die and bleed, just so we can eat. When you have children, raise them YOUR way, and let them make choices as they reach appropriate age. My daughter knows that she is free to chose how and what she eats. I am free to refuse to cook dead animals. Its great that you are researching this and looking ahead. Good on you.
its really nice to read the positive replies to this question. I am not in position to have to answer this question for myself, but one day i will be and its great to hear everyones points of view on this.
No one questions if it's right to feed their child meat. To contribute to the death of Billions of animals and start their child down the road to heart disease, cancer, and a host of other problems. If it's not wrong to do this, then I can't imagine a logical augment as to why a vegetarian could not choose to raise Vegetarian children. All major World health and Dietetic associations agree It's perfectly healthy for Children to eat a Vegetarian or Vegan diet. It's perfectly ethical.
Yes, until they are old enough to decide for themselves. Your parents inflicted their meat-eating beliefs on you until you were old enough to decide. Whats the difference?
You have the right, and arguably the responsibility, to raise any children you may have according to your beliefs, so long as such practice does not incur risk to them.
While I am a carnivore, I am aware that it is entirely possible to create a healthy diet that is free of meat and other animal products.
There is, however, a moral line that others do cross. Christian Scientists, for instance, believe that seeking medical care is sinful, and that injury and illness should be addressed with prayer. For an adult to bear the consequences of his or her own beliefs is one thing, but for a parent to deny medical treatment to a child for such reasons is unconscionable, and needless deaths have been attributed to such decisions.
You're nowhere near that neighborhood.
how they raise their is their choice, it's better for the children anyway. when the children become older it is their choice. the parents have to hope they make the right dicission for themselves. It's almost like religion except being a vegatarian and it's benifits is scientific fact and cannot not be denied.
Do meat-eating parents have the right to decide for their children?? I guess the argument could go both ways.
I think that when I have children they will be reared on a vegetarian diet until they are older, then the choice can be theirs. I abhor the thought of brining meat into my home and preparing it. It goes against my principles.
Yes. If you have to decide their clothes, ethics, religion, and everything else then why not their diet? A truly loving parent will teach their children the right way and then when the children are older, they can decide for themselves. If you give them a healthy start, you will insure a healthy outlook later. Plus you will help fight the obesity we see in so many children who are not taught healthy eating habits! Don't be too strict though, or they will rebel later and sneak things. Just play it by ear. Your children are individuals and need to be heard but if you teach them correctly, they will work with you to find compromises.
i think it is great you took your life and turned it into a healthier life but if u ever have children it is their decision if they want to eat meat. its okay for opinions but it is the child's choice. it will be hard to cook meat for them if you're a vegetarian but you can probably handle it. i hope this helps but remember if your a vegetarian it is because u decided to not cause of ethics you could of easily took control and said I WANT TO EAT MEAT its alright i go with any decision you choose.
just let them make their own decision most probably they should make their own judgement.My first cousins cook and eat meat while I am a pure veggie
I don't think that it is right that just because you don't like it your kids can't eat it. You should test them out and ask them if it would be okay for them if they couldn't eat meat. They might not want to eat meat in the first place after them seeing you not eat it. But they might not ever get to taste meat if you don't let them eat it. Once they do try it they might like it and be mad at you for not letting them eat it before. I don't know how your kids would behave and what their like and dislikes are so I can't tell you. If you ask a doctor they might be able to help you determine what is best for YOUR kids.
Well, I'm in the same situation at present, but in reverse:
I am not a vegeterian, but my daughter had decided to become a vegetarian 2 plus years ago now. I felt perplexed initally but felt I only could adapt to the change since like you I wanted her to have a choice. This does mean at times, I make two variations of a meal or simply eliminate the meat portion in her case. I don't ask her questions about why she chosen this and I don't try to make her feel as though she's weird or irrational in anyway for her choice, I support it completely. We both have accepted that we have to power to chose our own diets and don't ridicule the other for our personal food choices. It's wonderful and liberating.
There is one thing in your case that I would find challenging, and that is cooking meat and serving it if you are not comfortable with it? I think it best if you simply eat as you do in your childless state even after your bundle arrives, just make small accommadation for them in early development ( that doesn't mean you should serve meat) Then as they understand more and there awareness grows you can see if the child would then like to have meat prepared for them at home after introdution. Adjust their diet according to their liking at that point ,without feeling like you've kept them from choosing for themselves.