Isn't part of being a parent teaching your child right from wrong and how to live in the world? Don't most parents teach their children according to their beliefs? If a vegan is "forcing beliefs" on their children when they teach them to respect animals, then isn't a non-vegan "forcing beliefs" on their children when they teach them to exploit animals? It could also be said that we push our beliefs on children when we teach them not to bully other children, or not to hit their siblings. We teach them what WE believe is right and we don't allow children to do what WE believe is wrong. Giving a child "freedom to choose" obviously should not apply to everything. We don't give our children the choice to play in traffic, eat whatever they want (what if your child wanted cake and candy for meals?), or stick objects in electrical outlets. And we don't give our children the choice to steal from the neighbor's yard or throw rocks at passing cars.
It's part of being a parent to raise and guide a child, and harming others is not a personal choice. Choosing to use animal products is not like choosing which colour of shirt to wear or choosing what movie to watch. The choice to use animal products is a choice to cause unnecessary harm to OTHERS. It is a choice to exploit, torture, and kill another sentient being for reasons of pleasure, convenience, and/or tradition.
There is nothing wrong with a parent teaching their child to have respect for other sentient beings. If anyone is "imposing their will" on others it's non-vegans when they force their speciesist beliefs on non-humans by enslaving, exploiting, torturing, and killing them against their will.
To all vegan parents out there: I think it's great that you are teaching your children to respect all sentient beings and refrain from exploiting them! Don't let anyone convince you that you are being "unfair" or "cruel" to your children by raising them as happy, healthy vegans!
To non-vegans reading this, please go vegan! Animals have the right not to be treated as property and exploited for our use. Check out the slideshow Theory of Animal Rights to learn more about the rights of animals.
16 comments:
Thanks for addressing this subject! I have heard this a few times, myself. I also consider raising children vegan to be an 'informed consent' issue--I'm not going to let my children be responsible for taking the life of another living creature, or partaking in an act that perpetuates torture and abuse--when they cannot understand the full ramifications of their actions. If my kids get older and decide they want to 'try' animal products, I'll ask them to watch some slaughter videos first, so they actually know what they're doing. The whole argument is backwards to me. I would much rather have grown up without any blood on my hands than have the burden of knowing I cluelessly contributed to so many deaths before I had ever heard the word 'vegetarian'.
Right on!!! (And I love this picture of Rose and Jack.)
Great post. I have been accused of borderline child abuse on my own blog for bringing my children up vegan. The 'forcing your beliefs' argument is inherently flawed as you rightly point out - every time we teach our child ANYTHING, we are forcing our beliefs on them!
Your critics might have more of a leg to stand on if they weren't giving their children books that painted a completely idiotic and unrealistic view of animal farming! I don't know how they can do that.
Thank you for writing on this! I cannot stand when people talk about us forcing our beliefs on others. This is especially true when it comes to parenting. I couldn't have said this better myself.
I am raising my 4 year old vegan, and it has been interesting, to say the least! I often times feel 'extreme' or 'fanatical', or at least that's how I think others perceive me, but I am firm in my beliefs and will continue on the vegan path. Weird how I'M imposing MY beliefs, but not them. Also, raising a vegan, high-rawfood child in the regular SAD world is difficult due to peer-pressure. Well-meaning people slip him junk food everywhere we go. Kids 'share' their candy. What should I do, say no? It's a difficult (but rewarding) journey, for sure! Always like to hear what other vegan moms have to say. We need to support each other!!
I agree and I really can't stand that "imposing beliefs" stance. Taking your child to a place of worship or making them eat the same food everyday is the same. Children do what they're taught to do and as long as they're happy and healthy it shouldn't matter.
Good text! Gonna share this!
Hi we raised our 4 children as vegans, and their upbringing was healthy and happy. However when our son reached 18 years old he decided to become vegetarian. This was his choice and we respected this, in just the same way that I would expect anyone to respect the choices that vegans make.
Cheers, Graham
Hi Graham. I don't really think that's a good comparison. The choice to exploit others and the choice to avoid participating in exploitation are not really the same. It's like comparing the choice to run a no-kill shelter to the choice of running a dog fighting ring. The choice to harm and the choice to avoid harm are quite the opposite. I think it's great that you raised them to be vegan. I'm very sorry to hear that in the end he felt he wasn't against exploiting animals for his use.
Thanks for sharing!
And thank you everyone else for your comments!
I have a friend who's vegetarian who refuses to raise her daughter vegetarian because she believes she would be forcing her beliefs in that instance. I've tried to explain to her that no matter how she's raising this baby, she's forcing some kind of ideal on her, but she doesn't seem to understand or perhaps care. I find it odd that her desire to help animals is taking a back seat to a completely illogical argument.
Thanks for posting! We have encountered this "argument" too and it's great to see more vegans addressing it.
A human child would never eat an animal unless already killed and processed. Even so, usually babies initially reject them and they are forced by their parents to eat those things. Like Dr D.Graham wrote: a lettuce, a banana and a rabbit...which one a baby will play with or eat. Meatarians are those forcing their own children to eat things that they would not eat until they are fully force-addicted to them. Beyond this, they also lie to them as they never tell their babies were their food come from.
Thank you!
I have heard this before - I have a son - and to that my response has been along similar lines. It is crucial for parents to raise our children with critical thinking skills and values. People raise their children with the values of the parents. As a vegan, I can guarantee you that my son is far more aware of different ways of eating than I was at his age or his peers are. When he was five, he could talk at length about the differences between herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. (And he would never call an omnivore a carnivore!)
Also, the line between his "choice" and my overriding veto is when others might get hurt. (This includes him, of course, such is he should try to exercise his right to run out into the street. :)) He is being raised to be thoughtful, actively engaged in the world and compassionate. His critical thinking skills are activated! It is a parent's imperative to raise our children with convictions, compassion and values. Those who claim that it's "unfair" are thinking superficially about the subject and not thinking about the role parents play in a child's development.
I LOVED this post. This is one of the most infurating things that I hear.
Having engaged in this arguement more times than I care to think, you've made me realise that my 'defence' needs reviewing. I've always taken the position that, no it's not forcing beliefs on a child, it's giving them all the options, showing them that cruelty isn't the only option. When really I should point out that, yes, it is passing on your beliefs, and that's a parent's job! Duh!
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