my mum an ddad won't let me be vegan?

Question

my mum and dad won't let me and the more informattion i give to them that it'll be better for me to be a vegan the more they say no and the more i show them the websites i have looked at showing me what i need to do to be one still the say no!! i have given them my resons and stuff but they still say no!!! can i have some advice on how i can try make them see it from why i want to become one!??!

sorri jst come bck on n thnks a lot 4 ya answers to this!! i'm 16 n been a vegetarian 4 bout 6 yrs nw!! my reasons r tht it's 4 my health, animals n personal reasons!! the reason my parents wnt let me is coz thy think it unhealth n thy fink i'll drop dead nxt wek if i do start bein a vegan!!

Answer 1

Well done for making a conscious choise..
I'm sorry that your parents are unable to support you in this for whatever reasons they may have. My advice would be to follow your heart .. just refuse to eat anything that you find offensive as long as youre clued up you shouldn't have any problems, i mean are they going to force feed you meat and dairy against your wishes ? i wouldn't have thought so .
I think they must be afraid of change especially if they are full on meatheads maybe they are scared to incase it makes them question their own actions..
Good luck i hope they come to their senses soon.
ps i have been vegan for 17 years, i have three daughters who have been vegan all their lives and are totally happy and healthy.

Answer 2

This is difficult. I've been a vegetarian since the age of 7 (I'm now 22) but fortunately my Mum was already vegetarian and my Dad wasn't that bothered so I had virtually no resistance from them. Are you already a vegetarian? If not I would certainly recommend that you give vegetarianism a chance first. You could use this opportunity to prove that you understand the responsibilities of healthy eating - making sure that you are still getting all your daily nutrients; proteins/vitamins etc to show your parents that it will not have a negative effect on your health. You could also introduce home cooking into this, perhaps even cook them a meal!

Then when you are ready, perhaps tackle the issue again. I guess how you get your point across will depend on your reasons for wanting to go vegan. I would recommend if you haven't already that you look up the vegan society etc.

Answer 3

I'm assuming they are letting you be vegetarian but not vegan, is that correct? if that's the case make an effort to do more of the cooking (for the whole family) yourself so many things that are vegetarian can easily be made vegan in fact by accident a large number of meals people consume are vegetarian or vegan already they just haven't made a conscious choice. Unfortunately at the end of the day if you are under 16 your parents are still going to have the control over what you eat so it might be a case of having to put up with some things until you are old enough to have control yourself.

Answer 4

Look, Veganism is a philosophical choice. Don't let anyone tell you it's a moral decision, it is based on beliefs that not everone shares. I can appreciate your frustration, but obviously your parents object to this philosphy. And becoming Vegan is a pretty major undertaking. You have to avoid all animal products, and that's not as easy as you might think. I would suggest that you scale back your expectations a bit. Go for vegetarian first, that's not as much of a burden on the family. Talk to your parents about why they object. Don't talk about why you want it, ask them why they don't. Don't argue or throw a fit, ask politely and calmly. Maybe they'll surprise you with something you hadn't considered.

But in the end, while you still live with your parents they have a certain level of influence and control. You can take matters onto yourself as much as possible, but until you move out you can't completely take charge of your whole life.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Until you come of age your parents have a responsibility over you plain and simple.

When you reach the correct age they will have no choice in your decisions. Don't be fooled by the preaching PETA types.
Your parents obviously care for you greatly and fear the Vegan lifestyle nay worry of the consequence of a growing young child on the Vegan diet.

You are a veggie and this should be enough when you are old enough then you can become a Vegan if you so choose take your time and respect your parents as they sound wise people to me.

Answer 6

You really should have said how old you are - that might not seem important to you but my answer to you would be different according to your age. However, you have shown some maturity by trying to educate your parents to the reasons why you feel you should be vegan. As with most things when growing up digging your heels in only makes your parents dig their heels in too - nobody gets anywhere. They are probably concerned about the nutrition you will be getting as you grow (so they are really being good parents) - COMPROMISE is always a good starting point - try eating as a vegetarian for a while which will show your parents you are getting nutrients and you are serious in your aims but it will also show them you to listen to their concerns as well. Try it anyway - nothing to lose and, good luck.

Answer 7

it depends on yr age. Obviously yr Mum and Dad r worried about nutrition if u become a vegan. They know u best how can we say when we dont know u or yr circumstance. It seems that u might be too young. What is the urgency, why dont u wait until perhaps u r older. Is a friend vegan and u want to be like them or is weight an issue.

Answer 8

Well for now I would just be vegetarian. You wouldn't want them to let you not be vegetarian at all. Like my parents took the longest time to even let me be vegetarian. They still don't agree. For now I'll accept it, because I know we'll get in a fight again and then force me to eat meat. You should just be vegan when your not with them, and try to avoid eggs/dairy. Then when they give you something with non-vegan things in it just eat it. Then when you move out, you can be vegan. =] Also, it will be hard if your on a budget for food because vegan food can be really expensive on some food items.

Answer 9

That's tough, but you have the power to make the choice... They can't force feed you dead animals against your will.
The best thing that you can do in this situation is stick to your beliefs and if they are human, they'll see how strongly you feel about the matter...sooner or later.
Refuse, and refuse as much as you can to take part in their diet... also stop calling it "VEGAN" because your parents are saying no to "veganism" but they cannot control your preferences, so instead of becoming vegan... simply "eliminate items from your diet". You don't have to be too specific on what you tell them but the fact that you're unwilling to give up your beliefs will one day open their eyes and who knows maybe once they see what you see, even they will begin to "eliminate" certain foods from their diets.


...Until then, be strong, be patient, and be sincere to yourself!!!
Good Luck!

Answer 10

Your parents need to respect your wishes. I have been veggie since I was 6 and vegan since I was 15. My parents have always respected my wishes and my brother's, who is also vegetarian. I told them how I felt about the suffering of animals and why I feel it is wrong to use them for food. I have never dictated to them or condemned them for eating meat. My dad is from Iraq, so meat plays a huge part in their life. He first thought I was going to keel over from not eating meat. Sooner rather than later, he realised I am probably more healthy than most canivores he knew and was not going to drop down in the street, weak from hunger.
I have even swayed my whole family into eating less meat- which was totally unplanned.
If your parents love you, they should respect whatever choices you make in life. Don't harass them when they tuck into a big steak or a burger. The same goes for you- if you love your mum and dad, respect their choices.