My daughter doesn't want to be vegan anymore?!

You have to explain to her a few things. First of all, just because something tastes good, doesn't mean that it's good for your body. Nor does it mean that it's good for the animal from which it came. Also, she probably wants to eat meat not because she likes it, but because she wants to be more like her friends and do the things her friends do, listen to the music they listen to, wear the clothes they wear, etc.

Not knowing how to cook it... lame excuse. The real answer is, "it is the moral ethical sensible choice," but for your teen daughter, following all the newest trends and being in her social group etc. is the most important thing in her (lame) life. Her whole world revolves around gossip, what her friends think of her, what the other kids at school think of her, and she's a regular teen basket-case trying to fit in without realizing that once she turns 18 and graduates, it all ends and it was all for nothing. You knew this day was coming, so you should have been prepared and you should have prepared your daughter too. So, it's time to do some damage control. Explain to her just why your family has been vegan all these years and why it's so important. Explain that pretty soon her friends will be drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and all kinds of stupid things. Most people do not use their brains very much and will do just about anything to be 'cool' and fit in with some teen crowd. They pig out on junkfood like there's no tomorrow. They've never even seen an actual vegetable growing in actual dirt before. They don't even know what real food is. Everything they eat is from a package, microwaved, and just plain old junk. Cotton candy tastes good too - but should you eat it? Nope. Just once in a while, as a special treat? Does that make it any better for you? Nope. I don't know, it's just common sense to me to not eat meat. In the end, she doesn't need your permission, she'll do whatever she wants when you are not around. For me, I'd never cook her meat or allow it in the house. She can buy her own meat and the consequences will be her own. Some people make it sound like it should be her own choice, but it's not. Just change the word 'meat' to 'drugs' or 'beer' and would you say to her, "Well, it's your choice, you can do what you want. If you want to drink beer, go ahead" Now, some would immediately argue, "hey beer and meat are two different things. Beer can affect her health in a negative way." Uhuh, same goes for meat. Not only that, but animals were not killed to make beer. Meat and alcohol are foreign to the human body, it's as simple at that. Humans do not have the digestive system for meat (or alcohol). As a result, eating meat is not good for us. People that deny this are mindless naysayers and nothing more.

So, you can say, "Well, you don't have to ask my permission to try meat. What do you think my answer will be? I've already educated you about meat, where it comes from, why we don't eat it, why other people do eat it, etc. I'm your mother, and my whole life is all about doing what I think is best for my children; my whole life revolves around you. Everything I do I do for you. Instead of asking for my permission to eat meat, perhaps you should be asking me for more specific information on meat. Perhaps ask me for some books I might recommend that you read, or documentaries to watch." .... there are many different angles you could take... I've rambled enough... that's my two-cents-worth.

Let her eat meat outside the home at friends' houses or restaurants if she wants to. It's not like you can stop her anyway.

You don't have to buy it or cook it for her, though. When she is old enough to get a job, then she can buy and fix her own meals with meat.

Of course you aren't allowing her to make her own choices, it's called parenting.

But realize that she is 13 years old; if anything, trying to stop her from eating meat at all, even outside the home, is only going to make her want to try it MORE.

never a vegan, but I used to be 13 years old

she is old enough to make her own choices at this point. You did your part in raising her, now she has to do the teenage rebellion thing. It could just be a phase, and when shes a little older she may go back to being a vegan... who knows?

shes 13. friends are important. girls are catty and talk behind your back. she just wants to eat chicken fingers at the sleepover like everyone else. let her if it makes her happy.

also, cooking meat is not rocket science. cook the chicken till its not pink... pretty basic. its important that she can be her own person, and its important that YOU SUPPORT HER AND SHE KNOWS THAT. even if you dont agree. you have to be her support system through this time.

Just as a child living in an omnivorous family has the right to go vegetarian, a child living in a vegan family has the right to eat meat. I'm sure that your daughter can learn to cook meat, and may even be willing to buy it if you aren't. My suggestion is that you support her decision and help her find sustainably, humanely raised meat in your area.

13 is a good age to let your children start making their own decisions. Not ALL of them. but some. This doesn't seem like a big deal to me. And u dont have to learn to make it. but at lunch time at school or something she could have meat. that way she would be getting her way and it wouldn't be affecting your household. Just tell her that if u make it, she has to eat it, but she is ALLOWED to eat it.

Well as much as we try to help kids around here when their parents don't want them to be vegan or vegetarian i think it is only fitting to have to look at the flip side of the coin. meat isn't hard to cook at all. Its not like she is going to be braising lamb chops to start out. I don't know what to tell you on that one as it really chaps my hide when teens come on here for advice because their parents dint want them to be vegetarian. Tough decision for you and sorry you are posed with this, i'm sure this isn't something you are comfortable with or were prepared to hear. good luck

Tell her that if she would like to eat meat, which we agree is not very attractive, then ask her to eat small, small amounts. Her body is used to being fed healthy, and meat is not the healthiest thing.

Try to buy frozen or canned meals with meat? Steer away from chili or fried chicken, just assure her that the only benefit she will be gaining is the taste/ experience.

:)

Maintain your household as vegan but allow her to eat what she wants when she is out. That way you don't have to change your household and she has the freedom to experiment with animal products. After a while she will notice a difference in how she feels and make her own decision.

I would tell her OK. Be open to new things. Get a good cookbook, some organic, free range meats and some pots of her own. She probably just wants to eat burgers and chicken fingers with her peers. These things are really detrimental to your health, but that's what being a teen is about - discovery. I don't think this will last long once she begins to cook.

Girls can be fully grown at that age, so she may have you over a barrel. And after all greasy fatty meals can be nice just add some energy dense, low nutrient grains and a person can have what afflicts so many in developed western cultures....
If you are really determined to fight it education about how animals are treated may have some influence except they are unacceptable for children.

http://health.org.au/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Yn4AEWX…
http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_u…

Let her eat meat, and when it makes her sick to her stomach, she'll probably change her mind about not wanting to be vegan anymore. Sorry, that sounds mean, but it might work. :/

That's just what I would do if it were my child. School of hard knocks and all that. You don't have to take my advice.

you should never deny your children the right to eat healthy food. even though a lot of people think meat is bad, its not. it has nutrients that your body needs that you cant get in vegan food. i would let her eat it and you could at least buy her a book on how to cook it so she can learn.

Explain 2 her how meat is raised on www.factoryfarming.com & that U don't support that cruelty... U can also show her the Health section of www.goveg.com & explain all the problems that meat eaters can get & that's Y U R vegan.

Let her eat what she wants as long as she's getting proper nutrition otherwise. But I agree with you, let her cook her meals by herself. That's what most teenage vegetarians & vegans have to do if they live in an omnivore household.

Vegan

she should have the right to make her choices on this. let her eat meat. but she needs to learn how to cook it, and shes allowed to get it from restaurants and school if she wants.

tell her when she is old enough to pay for her own rent and meat she can eat whatever she wants. until then she has no choice.

thats what my mom told me when i wanted to go vegan

She's right, you're NOT allowing her to make her own decisions.
If she wants to eat meat let her eat meat.

You shouldn't force your beliefs on your children. What's can do is teach your children what you believe to be right and wrong, and let them choose what they believe.

let her do it! Its her choice really, and if she like meat, she will get it somehow, most likely by the school cafeteria, or her friends lunches.

Hello! I am a new vegan and want to raise my children vegan when and if I have them. Have you talked to your daughter about why you are vegan? Does she know the health risks to eating meat? Does she actually know what meat is, I mean she obviously knows it is a dead animal but does she know what it went through? She could also just be going through a rebel phase, I went through one when I was 13. If talking to her doesn't work tell her she can eat meat as long as it is not fast food (put some limitations on it) and she buys it herself with her own money, prepares it herself with her own time, and stores it on the bottom shelf of the fridge in a paper bag so it does not contaminate the rest of your food. That is my best advice. O, and during this time I would make some of your best vegan dishes that you have, and her favorites, remind her how kick butt it is being vegan.

Just let her try it out if she truly wants to. Thirteen isn't too young to try being vegan, so the other way around shouldn't be forbidden.
I know you're probably a little upset. But honestly it's normal for preteens to sort of "break away" from their parents at that age and try something new. I became vegetarian when I was 12, and NOBODY in my family is a vegetarian, not even my extended family. It was just a random idea that popped into my head.
Anyway, she may just want to TRY it, then maybe she'll decide it's not for her. But if she does want to continue eating meat, I know a common rule that vegan parents establish is that if they want meat, they have to eat it at school or when they're out (at the mall for example). Don't allow meat into your house if you don't want it. I hope that helps!

She is getting to an age where she needs to start trying things for herself, and making some small decisions. She's wanting to try meat, not crack, and while I understand it's against your beliefs, she is becoming her own person, and beginning to form her own beliefs (and rebelling against mom a little bit). I would explain that you don't want to cook her meat, but if she would like, you will look for some simple culinary classes for her to take (that way she learns to cook meat properly, and doesn't use your pans and cutting boards). Also, take her to see her doctor, after never eating meat, she may not be able to, or may have to introduce it very very slowly because she doesn't have the enzymes to digest it. My parents went through the same situation with me, but reversed. When I was 10, I decided to go vegetarian. They didn't like the idea very much, but agreed, so long as I made my own meals and was willing to visit a nutritionist to learn how to be vegetarian the healthy way. I also wasn't allowed to eat pre-packaged fake meats or junk food of any kind. All home made, from scratch, nutritionally balanced meals. I'm still a vegetarian, the method they took taught me proper nutrition, so I'm still very healthy, and I'm also an excellent vegetarian cook. My parents thought it was a phase, but it is something I really believe in. They've never really liked or understood me not eating meat, but after all these years, their finally realizing it isn't the worst thing I could have become. Your daughter will eat meat with or without your approval. It's not like it's hard to come by. Better to make sure that she is still eating a proper diet with meat than her sneaking McDonalds. Good luck, and it really isn't the biggest deal.

Vegetarian for 12 years

Edit: one more thing, my husband eats meat and I do not. We plan to raise our children vegetarian (that way, they never have to eat meat unless they chose to) until they are 13-ish. Then, they can make their choice, and we will in turn make sure they learn to cook and eat healthfully with whichever diet they choose.

Well, she is going to eat meat outside of the house anyway, so "allow" her to do so. If she wants to spend her own money on meat, that is fine. You do not have to buy it for her, prepare it for her, or keep it in the house. It is absolutely fine to forbid meat in the house. That is your right as a parent and guardian.

I would suggest sitting her down, reminding her of why you wanted to raise her vegan and why the value is important to you. I don't suggest having a meltdown and trying to guilt her into staying vegan, but explaining why you are not going to allow her to eat meat in the house is just fine. "You are my daughter and I love you. I do not believe that eating meat/dairy/eggs is compatible with displaying a love of or respect for animals and the environment and I am disappointed that you do not share that value with the rest of the family. However, at your age, you are able to think for yourself and make that decision. I will not punish you if you eat meat with your friends. However, I will not actively support by buying you meat or other animal products. If you want to eat meat, you can do so with your friends and you will have to spend your own money. This should go without saying, but I do not want you to actively persuade your younger siblings into following your lead. When they are old enough to make that decision, they will be given the same opportunity that you have to make their own choice."

I see this as no different from any other type of "rebellion." It does not matter if she is feeling peer pressure at being different or if she actually does want to eat meat because she likes it. She has expressed an interest in doing something different from the family. You can require that she follow the house rules when she is at home, but should not try to do so when she is with her friends. This is no different from, for example, a Catholic child stating that he is an atheist. The parent, of course, cannot require him to believe in God, or pray when he is with his friends. However, it is perfectly reasonable to expect him to respect the fact that the home he is living in is a Catholic one. The parents can require him to say grace or pray with the family when he is at home. They can require him to come to church with them when he is at home. There can be consequences if and when he demonstrates disrespect for the values (for example, trying to convince his siblings, who still believe, that there is no God, or mocks them for praying). However, it is not fair to require or expect that he says grace or prays when he is at a slumber party with friends.

The fact that your child has rejected a value that you tried to instill in her does not mean that you have to reject your values for her pleasure.

I would let her eat meat. It would be very anti-social around friends when she gets a bit older and couldn't eat most of the stuff at friend's houses or parties.

If she wants to eat meat you should let her. She can learn to cook it and so can you. My daughter has been cooking since she was 8. She taught herself.

let her eat. being vegan would hella suckl