While kids are still little, parents make food choices on their behalf (adhering to recommended guidelines, of course) since they aren’t yet capable of doing it themselves. But as they grow up, they start voicing preferences on what they’d like to eat. When that happens, parents need to decide whether to give them the freedom to enjoy the food they want or try to impose some mandatory rules to maintain their diet at least somewhat healthy.
Since this mom was a vegetarian, she chose to enforce the same eating habits on her children. Even when her son came to her, admitting he wanted to eat meat, she forbade him from doing it. However, her husband supported the child’s choice, which seemed to upset the wife even more.
Parents make food choices on behalf of little kids, but as they grow up, their preferences might change
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As did this kid, who wanted to try eating meat after being vegetarian his whole life, but his mom strongly protested against it
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13% of families feed their children vegetarian diets
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Parents who are already vegeterian might pass on their eating habits to their kids. In fact, 13% of families feed their children vegetarian diets, with this figure slowly yet steadily growing every year. For the majority, the reason behind this is health benefits, with some omitting meat from their diet for animal welfare.
While a vegetarian diet can be healthy for kids, such a nutritional choice requires a lot of planning to ensure that the little ones get all the nutrients they need to grow and lead a wholesome life. Due to the effort it takes to be veggie and other additional reasons, one study (which people find to be questionable) found that 84% of vegetarians go back to eating meat.
Such a change can bring some conflicting emotions, but it shouldn’t be something to be embarrassed about. There are usually significant reasons why people give up a veggie lifestyle, but it can still feel challenging adjusting to giving it up.
"It's a reflection of people's ethical or moral beliefs," psychologist Catriona Davis-McCabe said. "It also is part of expressing how individual we are, how unique we are and what it means to be me."
Anyone who considers quitting a specific lifestyle or diet should set new boundaries based on their values, suggests Dr. Davis-McCabe. "Ask other people to respect your wishes and share how you're feeling with family and friends," she says.
According to Dr. Davis-McCabe, there’s no wrong or right way to navigate the challenges that come with letting go of the ‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ label, but it always helps to be kind to yourself.
"Acknowledge your emotions, accept how you're feeling and go easy on yourself, because it's not an easy process," she says.
If kids are forced to eat specific foods, it can have a negative effect on their health and behavior
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If a child comes to vegetarian parents saying they want to eat meat, the adults should approach the conversation with understanding and curiosity. If they ignore their wants and force kids to eat specific foods, it can reinforce poor eating habits that affect their behavior and health even into adulthood.
It can also make the children seek the ‘forbidden’ foods in secret, which spreads mistrust in kid-parent relationships. To avoid such negative consequences, it’s better to approach children’s desire to explore different diets with understanding and curiosity, as long as it’s not causing harm to them.
The same goes for kids who may want to do the opposite—go from eating meat to being vegetarian. “Parents need to keep their ears open and their mouths closed to start, and allow their child to explain their decision to them,” registered nutritionist Lianne Phillipson says. “It could be really hard, but that’s part of honoring their choice. If [children] feel supported in what they’re doing, they’re going to be far more open to a discussion around it.”
Supporting a child’s decision to go veggie or to eat meat also means that parents should make sure that kids understand what it actually entails and how it can affect their life. “It’s a big decision for the individual, but it’s also a big decision for the family,” Phillipson says. “So everyone needs to get onboard.”
Commenters believe that the son has the right to choose
