Ethical discussion- conundrum

[gwywnnydd]

So, my Bug. He loves dinosaurs. They're the coolest. But he's quite insistent that *there are no carnivorous dinosaurs*. He's quite upset at the thought of a dinosaur eating another dinosaur, so they've all been deemed plant-eaters in his world.
It would not surprise me if, at some point, he made the connection that this 'meat' we've been feeding him? That's dead animals. Further, it would not surprise me if that connection produced a refusal to eat meat anymore. I have no idea how long he would stick with that. He can be a stubborn little sod.
I don't have a problem with feeding him vegetarian, but the question then becomes how much do I adjust his diet? Hunks of meat, those are right out. I can do that no problem.
What about meat broths? Would it be out of line for me to feed him something with broth in it, when I know he'd be making a moral choice? How much can a child be said to be making a moral choice, anyway?
What about cheese? Do I have to take the time to watch for gelatin? Ditto yogurt.
And eggs.

How much responsibility does my child's moral decision place on me?

Comments

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

I suggest starting with meat chunks. It may be a phase he goes through and grows out of. If he does not grow out of it, as he gets older, then pull back meat products from his diet. Leave the eggs and dairy until he specifically asks you to take them out. Dairy is not dead animals at all, so a lot of vegetarians do not cut it out of their diet.

and going vegetarian to not eat bambi is a fairly normal phase for children to go through. All children, not just those who live in really progressive societies and regions. Most, but not all, grow out of it. Some children stop eating foods of a particular style, region, or even color. It's all perfectly normal.

If he does stop eating meat, and chooses to not eat meat at all, you might consider taking him to one of the local dairy farms, so he can meet chickens and see how eggs are raised, and how milk is raised and processed. It may mean he consumes neither after that, but it may mean he consumes both.

And it may be that you end up with a child that will only eat foods that are organic and ethically raised (not a horror for you, I am sure).

I actually lost interest in meat for a short time, and then had the washington beef tour through my school - we went to the ranches, saw the slaughter houses, and the packing plant. After that, I ate meat again. It was more personal for me, but I also started using *more* gelatin and more leather. I ate beef heart, beef tongue, and I tried tripe and sweetmeats (tried only, I don't care for them). I made the choice to try to consume the whole animal, and to only consume animals that I would go out of my way to do that with. And I only eat meat from the PNW or the ocean (Pacific by preference).

[treebyleaf.livejournal.com]

Honey? Your life is peaceful enough that you need to borrow possible problems from the future???

Read Nina Planck's _Real Food_. Your responsibility is to get the building blocks his budding body is going to need into your child by whatever deception is necessary.

[gwywnnydd.livejournal.com]

"Your life is peaceful enough that you need to borrow possible problems from the future???"
Must be a reaction to the lessening of stressors in my life. An excellent point, thank you :).

_Real Food_. Has been on my list, will move it up :).

[codeamazon.livejournal.com]

If he doesn't want to eat chunks of meat, respect that. I suspect by the time our kids grow up meat will once again be a luxury item.

Me, I wouldn't worry too much about the ethics of it. Kids are not born absolutists, and that's a worthwhile thing to cultivate. If at some point he asks you not to use chicken broth, then you can decide how much you're willing to complicate meals on his behalf. (Also a good time to start teaching him to cook, and about nutrition.)

As he gets older and knows more, you can tell him about what's in various things and he can decide (to the extent you're willing to support.) The flip side of this is respecting his overall preference even if he strays. If he decides "no rennet" and then eats pizza out...well, balance is important. Don't do what family did to me when I craved Salmon during pregnancy. (Expected me to eat at McDonald's for their convenience!!)

Support his selecting reasonable dietary guidelines, recognizing AND ameliorating the impact on those around him, and being rational about the level of obsession. After all, broccoli often has a few aphids in it. ;-)

[katybeth]

I am neither parent nor vegetarian, but staxxy's and codeamazon's responses sound very reasonable to me.