Cue the "but they don't get to choose that" or "that's forcing a diet on a child" responses. Even though no child really chooses their diet and any diet given to a child is "forced" on them. I'd rather have a diet that teaches my son about compassion towards others than to think that it's okay to mistreat animals.
It's hard to raise a vegan child...right?
Depends what your definition of hard is. When it comes to my son questioning why we're vegan, you'd be surprised at what children understand. Plus as children, we naturally love animals. So it's not hard to explain that because we love animals we don't want to hurt them. Also that you want what's best for them. Even a three year old can understand that.
It may be hard because you'll face scrutiny for it. But with anything involving parenting, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Everything you do as a parent is put up for criticism, so I'd rather stick to my morals.
You may also be afraid of your child receiving scrutiny for their food choices. While you as a parent are prepared to face this, you might not want the same for your children. While it is impossible to protect them from everything, you can do a few things to make it easier on them (if they're not being home schooled). You can request a copy of the school menu and try to replicate the meals as close as possible. I used to do this with my sons daycare when I lived in Florida and we never had a problem with it. If your child is in daycare, I would recommend finding one that is open to a vegan diet. You can also find cookbooks for children like Vegan Lunch Box by Jennifer McCann.
If you're wanting more information on switching to a vegan diet for your children Happy Herbivore has some thoughtful insights.
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