An article written July 17 for the Globe and Mail offers the opinion that accomodating a child's attempt at veganism is a waste of time for the parents.
The article Damage Control comes at an opportune time.Last week I was berated by a co-worker for mentioning that my children would be raised vegetarian.
“It’s not healthy for growing children”, I was told (while I bit my tongue thinking about the hours it took me to receive my B.Sc. in Nutrition). Coincidentally, this is also a point addressed be the Damage Control article (“…a growing boy can’t live on bok choy alone!”). Most vegetarians I know eat a far more varied diet than omnivores (see Eggplant and Zucchini – Yuck! for details).
Should the author of Damage Control, David Eddie, be so quick to dismiss his sons’ proclamation of veganism? The benefits of a plant-based diet are well-established (see Sabaté, 2003 for a review); perhaps he could learn something from his boys and their less biased view of the world. Instead, he seduces them into breaking down via a sneaky combination of animal fat-laden donuts and peer pressure.
Back to the assault by my colleague on vegetarian children: “How can you make that decision for them?” she stated, rather than asked.
Parents make decisions for their children all the time. It’s their job. They do what they believe is best for their children. Choosing to feed your children on a vegan diet is a choice in the same way it is to choose an omnivorous diet. Just as my parents respected the dietary choices I began making in my teens, I would and will respect the dietary choices my children make when they are old enough to make such decisions.
Need I mention the fact that a child who felt “deprived” of meat in his younger years (presumably this is the concern with raising vegetarian children) could be paralleled by a teen angry that his parents forced him to eat meat while growing up?
Are eight and ten-year-olds “old enough” to make their own decisions? David Eddie doesn’t think so. Since the rest of his article laments a time when children took on more household responsibility, why not include the boys in food shopping and preparation?
When I was ten I hated cooking, but had friends who would whip me up an omelette no problem sans parents the morning after a sleepover. Children are often capable of a lot more than we – or even they – think.
It seems counterintuitive that the first reaction of parent to their child’s vegan choice would be to spend time revising schemes to foil their plan, rather than to have a heart-to-heart about why the child has chosen a vegan diet in the first place.
While it is possible that veganism is a fad for some, for many it is a permanent lifestyle choice. To have such a choice belittled by a parent could affect that child forever. And no, I'm not trying to be overly dramatic - we've all received criticism in passing that for some reason has stuck for decades. It is common for young children to start dieting as early as nine in response to offhanded comments from family about being "big-boned' or having "baby fat".
To his credit, David does not get into the perceived insufficiency of a vegan diet - beyond the bok choy comment, anyway. Executed improperly, veganism might not be healthy - as is the case with any diet and lifestyle.
To reiterate, I don’t mean to slam anyone’s style of parenting. If nothing, this article shows that veganism is becoming more mainstream (yes, the friend’s parents are vegan, but hey – apparently it doesn’t matter) and that people are considering it a viable lifestyle option.
As with any lifestyle change, those switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet are much better off with support from their family and friends than in isolation. I hope that David’s children are not bitter at their parents for not being supportive when they do reach the age that is “old enough” to make their own decisions.
References:
Eddie, David. Damage Control. From Tuesday's Globe and Mail. July 17, 2007 at 3:21 AM EDT. Available from:www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070717.wxldamage17/EmailBNStory/Front/home
Sabaté J. The contribution of vegetarian diets to human health. Forum Nutr. 2003; 56:218-20. Available from: http://www.pubmed.com.
