Should vegetarian parents force their children to be vegetarians too?

Question

Is it possible for vegetarian parents to have meat-eating children? Just curious.

Let's say the child chooses to eat meat. Are the parents required by law to prepare meat for the child to eat? What happens if the parents refuse to provide meat for their child?

Answer 1

The child needs to eat what is prepared for lunch/dinner/supper. Be it a vegetarian meal or not. That's the way it works in the household. We've all sat there as children and tried to feed something that we didn't like to the family dog, or hide it somehow, but we were never made special meals because we didn't 'like' something. The child will be subject to meat at school, at friend's house, etc., and it is ultimately the child's choice. But, at home, what's served is served.

Answer 2

There is no law stating what a parent should feed a child, but I think the child should be given a choice. When I went veggie, I continued to prepare meat for my then 8 year old daughter. I gave her snippets of information as I saw fit, and slowly educated her about meat and where it came from. It didnt take her long at all to make a CHOICE to go veggie. She knows that anytime she wants meat she can have it, but there is NO doubt in my mind that that is not likely to happen. She is now 12, and wants nothing to do with anything meat related-she wont even eat the phoney meats. I do believe children can make reasonable choices if given the proper facts to do so.

Answer 3

Well, the parents would raise the child to not eat meat from birth, so there is no chance that the child would want to eat meat. But if that did happen, I think the kid would get in MASSIVE trouble for eating meat and yes, the parents would refuse to cook meat for her/him.

Answer 4

well being vegetarian could just be seen as a healthy eating habit while it could also protest to stop children eating meat.
i think if it is a pro vegetarian then the children might start having meat when they move out of the house.
if the person does it for a healthy lifestyle then they will probably not push the children to eat meat. like how parents act with children when they eat sweets.

Answer 5

I think children should eat what the family prepares in the home. If the family is vegetarian, then the child would also eat that food at home.
The parents should explain to the child why they do not consume meat. Then the child can decide when he / she is older if that is how they would like to eat.

Answer 6

Well, there is no question that the parents should be allowed to decide what is served and eaten in the family home. Naturally, they have the right to forbid any foods they wish.

As to whether the children should be allowed to eat meat elsewhere, I go back and forth on the issue, but I think the cutoff should be around age 13. Younger children should not be expected to make all of their own decisions regarding either ethics or nutrition. They should be taught that some things are just plain wrong. They are not allowed to kick their neighbors' dog just because the neighbor also kicks it, and they should not be allowed to eat cow flesh just because their friend eats it. At some point, though, it becomes impossible (and probably counterproductive) to be the child's dietary police officer, and I would roughly stay that starts in the tweens or early teens. At this point, parents can continue to advise, but begin to allow the child to develop his or her decision-making skills independently.

Answer 7

Anything is possible. But more than likely while the children are young they will eat what thier parents eat, making them vegetarians and as they get older and start going to freinds places for parties or dinner they will be introduced to meat. And then there is the influence of the fast food world: McDonalds, KFC, Burger King etc.

Answer 8

Yes you can have meat eating children perfectly natural and is very much ok....You don't have to prepare meat for your children but you should let the choice for them to become vegetarian their own and not force it on them. As long as you provide proper nutrients for your children and they are not malnurished there's nothing the law can do to you.

Answer 9

I've been a vegetarian for 2yrs. I have an 11yr old daughter who calls herself a "part-time" vegetarian. Basically, she's a vegetarian at home - or at least mostly. I will not cook her meat, but she does have "convenience foods" like instant chicken soup, etc occassionally. Most of her meat-based meals she gets at school or at friends houses. Sometimes, even when we eat out, she'll opt for something vegetarian. Other times she won't.

When parents force their children to be vegetarian (or force them not to be) it just creates resentment. Diet is a personal choice. If a parent forces it on their kid, the first thing they're gonna do when they "grow up" is fight back and change it. I hope that my daughter becomes a vegetarian, but I know if I were to force her to not eat meat, she'd end up resenting the lifestyle.

Answer 10

It's possible, but the main thing is what meals are being fixed at home. It's not likely that vegetarian parents are going to cook meat for their kids.