I Secretly Made My Vegan Grandchildren Eat Meat

Family & kids
4 months ago

Family disagreements can get tricky, especially when it comes to raising grandkids. Our reader’s daughter, a dedicated vegan, is raising her kids with the same diet. Lately, she noticed they lack energy, have dark circles, and always complain they’re hungry. What our reader did sparked a family firestorm.

Our reader dropped us a message.

Kathy
4 months ago

It's not eating properly and nothing to do with being vegan. A wholefood plant-based diet provides everything a body needs at all ages. Grandma sounds ignorant about nutrition as possibly the daughter does.

-
-
Reply
4 months ago
Was there a comment here?
4 months ago
One simply does not let this comment remain here.
Christine Watson
4 months ago
Liz Guerra

Nope. Growing small children need very comprehensive nutrition. There have been many CPS interventions concerned with restrictive diets imposed on minors that become malnourished. A recent case in Australia saw a toddler die and parents found criminally responsible. Kids need loads of protein to grow. Yes you can create protein in vegan diets but the majority of vegans are not that nutritionally or culinary sophisticated and really mostly on carbs. Ok for everyday adult energy requirements. Not OK for baby and child development requirements.

-
-
Reply
Anjel DeMarco
4 months ago

Granny, report your daughter for child abuse. A person can live a healthy active life as a vegan if a very well balanced diet is followed. However, with growing children especially, your daughter should consult a nutritionist about what to feed her kids to keep them healthy. I also recommend you take those poor little girls to see a licensed doctor if they look that awful.

-
-
Reply
Evie K.
4 months ago

I don't know how long this post message was made but call CPS that's child neglect

-
-
Reply
J H
4 months ago

I am a vegan and my son went vegetarian at 11 years old. His cholesterol was 200 and in 6 months it was normal. I also did it very clean with multiple vitamins. Sounds like your daughter is underfeeding her children and not giving multiple vitamins. You need to know what your doing in any diet or you will malnourish your children. On the opposite I've seen parents giving
ultra processed meat,pizza,cake,cookies etc. This is also wrong those children are obese and have health issues. Feed your children fruits, veggies,nuts ,seeds and real food and enough food!

-
-
Reply
rb / sp
4 months ago

Our family is also vegan and nobody is underweightOur family is also vegan and nobody is underweight or low energy. You can be vegan and have a balanced diet. Sounds like your daughter's meal choices are not informed. If a relative secretly fed me to my grandchildren they would never be contacted again.

-
-
Reply
Imbadatusernames
4 months ago
rb / sp

Well, the reason these kids got a meal was since they basically weren't being fed, so if you're properly feeding them and they don't look like they're about to collapse on the street then it should be fine.
I'm curious though, have you ever asked the kid(s) whether they want to try meat/etc? Not saying veganism is bad, it's not my meal so I'm not affected by it, just ended up wondering whether the kid(s) want to be vegan. I'm obviously not a parent though which might explain if I sound dumb

-
-
Reply
RusAme Nation
4 months ago
Imbadatusernames

It's not a dumb question. Some kids don't want to eat it because they know the animal has to die; some kids make that choice themselves when they're young. I did. For some, if they struggled with the social aspect around others then they tend to want to be vegetarian or more flexible about meat

-
-
Reply
4 months ago
We took this comment away to our comment museum.
Cheyenne Williams
4 months ago
Imbadatusernames

I would never ask my kids if they wanted to eat products of violence and suffering. I regret that I did not know about veganism when I raised my daughter because believe me she would have been raised vegan. Raising kids to be compassionate and not participating in animal cruelty and suffering is the right thing to do.

-
-
Reply
eric hill
4 months ago
rb / sp

That's ridiculous. Being a Vegan is one thing, but cutting off family over a single incident of eating meat is nuts. I could understand if it could potentially cause them harm what they gave them but that is not the case at all. Especially when it was done because the children's health was suffering from a non-balanced diet. This kind of militant thinking is why so many people have a bad opinion of vegans.

-
-
Reply
4 months ago
This comment got punished.
4 months ago
If comments are hidden, there's a reason for this.

Thank you for reaching out to us! It's a tricky situation, and we'd like to give you some tips that might help you out.

Talk to your daughter.

Instead of accusing your daughter of being a bad parent, focus on the facts you've observed. Phrases like "Lately, I've noticed the girls seem tired a lot" are better than "You're starving your kids!"

It's ultimately your daughter's decision how to raise her kids. However, you can still advocate for their health. Explain your concerns calmly and see if you can find a middle ground.

Take them to a doctor.

Suggest a visit to their pediatrician. They can assess the girls' health and advise on a well-rounded diet for growing kids, even if it's vegan. Maybe your daughter just needs some help finding healthy vegan options that ensure the girls get the nutrients they need. There are tons of resources online and cookbooks dedicated to well-balanced vegan meals for kids.

See if there are other reasons.

Maybe the girls are tired because they’re not getting enough exercise. Offer to take them to the park, play some games, or do something active together. See if there are other kids in the neighborhood who enjoy being active. Plan a playdate at the park or organize a backyard obstacle course competition.

Find common ground.

Maybe you and your daughter can agree on adding more variety into the girls' diet, even if it remains vegan. There are plenty of delicious and nutritious plant-based options out there. Let your daughter know you're there to support her parenting decisions, but also express your concern for the girls' health. Approach it as a collaborative effort to find the best solution.

One of our readers had the perfect name picked out for her future kid, but her sister ended up using it for her own baby. Now, she’s feeling hurt and frustrated because she always loved that name and wanted to use it herself. It’s a classic case of sibling rivalry popping up in an unexpected way.

Preview photo credit Joseph Gonzalez / Unsplash

Comments

Get notifications
patricia Torres
4 months ago

I don't think it's very healthy for young growing kids to be on very strict diets. They need higher consumption of calories. Even if it's not eating meats ,they need to eat more. Your daughter needs to consult a pediatric nutritionist and dietician. You did right feeding the kids because their brains was literally eating itself. We all knew what white spots on the face and dark circles meant and it's not a lack of exercise, it's a nutritional need, aka malnourished. Apologize for the sake of the kids but push for the nutritionist and dietician, they will have the clarity you need your daughter to adhere to

-
-
Reply
diane Kelson
4 months ago

If your daughter is taking the kids for regular physicals, the doctor should be intervening. If the kids aren't home schooled, the teachers are going to say something to their mother.

-
-
Reply
PJ Stuart
4 months ago

Children can follow a vegan diet and be happy and healthy. I would guess that she isn’t feeding them correctly or enough. Maybe grandma could study up on how to eat a healthy plant based diet and make the children and her daughter some of those meals and dro them off as a peace offering with an apology as she shouldn’t have fed them behind their mother’s back.

-
-
Reply

Related Reads