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So Frustrated with Family!!
Started
by Jackie
on November 19, 2009
Well, broke the news that I am not planning to have my son eat any meat. You would think I said that I was feeding him to the lions. "He has to eat at least a little chicken.." Why? "Because.....he needs to grow!" I am so frustrated with people having so much to say about something they know nothing about!!!!! Do the research, and then we'll talk. I thought I might be disowned when I said I was trying not to drink milk - I am expecting- oh... what a horrible person I am! Sorry for the negativity, I am just so frustrated with the smart remarks. And when I just try to slip in some FACTS they suddenly don't want to talk about. Anyone else dealing with this? I think I might just need a pep talk! Heh- Thanksgiving dinner should be a hoot!
I have a 3 year old and am having the same issues. The kicker is that my Sister is a RN and when I said that we were giving up ALL animal products including dairy she asked, " where will you get your calcium? and what about iron?". And when I tried to tell her that milk isn't really the best source of calcium....she flipped her lid. She wouldn't listen to anythign I tried to tell her. I am amazed at how brainwashed society in general has become. I tell you what I have been vegan for only about 8 weeks and I feel better and better everyday about my decision.
Hang in there and keep coming back to this website for support. It will get better. And once your family sees that you and your child are healthy and thriving hopefully they will make the switch as well......but if they are anything like my family...they will continue looking at you like you have grown a third eye..... :)
I have a 14 month old baby boy and I'm going through the same thing right now. My husband is a restaurant chef and HUGE meat eater. He insists that our son "needs meat". No, he needs the protein from the meat. I regularly like to post vegan information on my facebook for friends and family and every single time I get smart remarks and comments about how UNHEALTHY being a vegan is. It is almost not even worth the effort to argue. They know meat isn't the answer, they just feel better about themselves telling others it is! xoxo
Keep your chin up Jackie - the world is full of people who will disagree with your choice - however if you stick to your guns they will soon realize that it isn't a passing fad and even if they don't agree with it they will at least quite making little comments about it. However be prepared for your child's grandparents to try to sneak him vitamins when your not looking (LOL) - that's what my mom does!!!! Anyway don't worry about Thanksgiving - last thanksgiving I had had enought of it and during our little round the table thanks - I gave thanks to all my family for all the caring support they had given me ( I said it like they had really been the most caring supportive family in the world - I even cried some) and you know what - they haven't made one snide remark since.
People won't accept you for your beliefs unless you accept yourself first.
Anyway Good Luck!!!
Hi Jackie,
I feel your pain and I don't even have kids yet so I can only imagine how much harder that is as far as family goes. I'm pretty nervous for Thanksgiving myself. I am to the point where I'm not even telling people anymore b/c I'm so tired of all their completely unresearched opinions. Sigh...I wish everyone would read this book...it would make life so much easier. Ha! It's really hard to have to defend your choice over and over...sigh. I'm happy w/my decision. Why can't others be?
I am going through the same thing right now with my in laws. Just stick to your guns. This is your child and this is your choice. My husband has been supportive and has agreed to let me take everything but seafood or chicken out of our sons dies - hey, it's a start. I have been incorporating more vegan foods into their diets. As I do this, I will slowly take the chicken away.
it's tough to try and convince people meat isn't necessary when they've been taught otherwise for so long. people get defensive really easily because it's not natural to eat meat! they've been denying their nature for so long that they can't stand to admit it. everyone needs to come to the truth at their own pace... life is a journey, after all. i find it best if i don't try and argue with people, just let them have their say and if they have questions for me, i'll answer them.
but really, people are totally brainwashed! breast milk is about 6% protein, and babies who are breastfeeding need nutrients for growth more than anyone! if 6% is good enough for them, it's good enough for children, and for adults, don't you think?
One way to think about it, to give yourself a little perspective...
People used to think that the Earth was the center of the universe. They believed this so strongly that anyone (like Copernicus, Galileo) who disagreed was put on trial and villified.
It didn't take long for that Earth-centered theory to go out the window, just like eventually people will wonder why we thought meat was so necessary.
Last year, my SIL asked if a person could live without cow's milk (where do you get calcium from?). So I started researching. I wasn't sure. Medical school doesn't teach much from a nutrition perspective, unfortunately. Best book I ever read was The China Study, by T. Collin Campbell. I recommended it to my SIL, and she's slowly turning around. Get a copy for your family, and ask them to read it!
I'm happy I found the truth, and am feeding my children without animal products. They (5 & 3) are thriving. Other family members think I'm nuts, but it doesn't matter. I know I am protecting my kids from heart disease, diabetes, and a myriad of other diseases, and that is what matters. I recommend vegan eating to all I know!
I posted this in one of the other annoying family threads and, while it doesn't have to do with kids, still applies so I thought I'd share it here. :)
"Being a guy who has lost 120 pounds in a year through diet and exercise, it makes it a bit easier to explain my decision to my family and friends. Though I ate meat and dairy (though in limited amounts) while I was losing the weight, I have since cut out all animal products.
Before Thanksgiving, I had mentioned to my family that I don't eat meat or dairy. I showed up to dinner trusting that they understood and would have at least one dish I could eat. Of course, I couldn't eat one thing. Of course my grandmother had put butter and milk in the mashed potatoes already and didn't even save me so much as a solitary potato.
Recently I was playing cards with her one night to keep her company and she offered me a cookie. I explained that it was made with eggs and that I don't eat any animal products and she told me it wouldn't kill me. I politely declined and said I wished she'd respect my decision for better health. She got up to use the restroom and I put a pistachio at her place at the table because she has diverticulitis, thus can't eat them. She said, "I can't eat that. I have diverticulitis." I said, "Come on, Grandma, it won't kill you." She got the point in a begrudgingly, curmudgeonly way.
My aunt's long-time, live-in boyfriend was mocking me by asking my mom if the pie she made was vegan or not. I never mocked him for the years and years that he used to come to family events and drink and drink and hit on my sister and then pass out.
I haven't decided yet if I'll be bringing a couple of dishes that I can eat to Christmas (for myself or for everyone) or if I'll just eat before.
I live in Iowa and am vegan and atheist. I think I'm more rare than a unicorn. :)"
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