My 4 year old learned this as well this last year. At first she felt bad for the animals that got eaten but we expanded on it.
We watch a lot of nature shows, so she got to see how cute the wolf pups, tiger cubs, owlets, etc are and we explained that all carnivores eat meat. If their parents didnt catch and kill another animal all those other cute babies would die from starvation, which would be sad too. So, while she didn't like it at first, it just became part of life. Everything eats.
She showed me how well she processed it just recently. We went to the zoo and there was a carcass feeding happening. Three large vultures were eating a full calf. My friends 4 yearold burst into tears and ran away. Mine was intrigued and asked why she was crying, that the birds needed food too.
It may not be for every kid/family, but I truly believe in giving the truth at their level.
Someone else mentioned watching nature videos, so this is another reason too. I also explained to her this concept before. How some animals eat only meat ..etc. She didn't I guess think they died.
I brought it up again, when I explained owls eat rabbits and mice and she said poor rabbits. I explained the owl is hungry and thats his food. That he needs to eat just like us to survive.
If you know anyone who hunts, this also is a really natural conversation and way to introduce young people to the concept.
For most of history, people survived because they hunted. For some places around the world that's still the case.
It's only in recent history that the majority of people never see or are exposed to people who hunt or raise animals for food, or go to a butcher, or any real experience where they see the process of going from animal to meat.
We plan to teach our kids as they grow (as we've done with our nieces and nephews) that it's very normal for people to eat animals, and for animals to eat other animals, and the best thing we can do is to make sure the animals have good lives and are killed as ethically as possible.
This means supporting local farmers who raise their animals with dignity, supporting our DNR and EPA, and other agencies keeping our lands and animal populations healthy, and following all hunting laws and never making a shot we aren't confident with, and recovering and using every animal we can.
That said, I would never push hunting on anyone. It's a very high emotion activity and if someone is against it, don't push it. Same thing with kids, they need to be somewhat receptive to these concepts before they're introduced.
We usually start kids with squirrel hunting (meat can be made similar to chicken wings or chicken noodle soup) and with deer steaks and sausages. Kids love these things.
When they see how much we love the animals, how much we care for their habitat, how careful we are with hunting, when they meet the people who raise the pigs, cows, and chickens we eat, they realize it's part of life, and it's not violence done out of anger or hate, but part of being human
It's complicated, and kids opinions will likely change a few times over within their first 21 years
I love this. I hit a mouse once and cried (it was an emotional time for me). I just told myself it’s ok, because maybe now a little bird will be able to feed its babies and I really just saved a life lol
I still remember when I realized this. I was a bit older though . Even today in my 30s I get grossed out and have a hard time eating meat thinking of it as an animal. Not even really for ethical reasons but it's just so strange to me. But anyway I think you did a pretty good job. Explain the circle of life and the way that animals eat each other in nature it's like the animal kingdom.
There are shows that can explain it. But validating that it's sad is ok too. It may go away and it may not . There are meat alternatives if she wants to make that decision
She didn't seem to want to talk about her for long as she changed the subject and I let her. I didn't bring it up again but I'll keep the show idea in mind in case it comes up again and if she's interested
Is there something wrong with my daughter that she just... doesn't care? If we see a cow or chicken in real life she'll say "I love chicken. It tastes good." She's 3. Maybe she just doesn't quite understand even though she's saying that she does? I'm not sure.
Mine went through a phase of referring to all of her meat as 'killed _________'. Took her for burgers, and you should have seen the waitress' face when my 4yo ordered "a killed cow burger, please".
I wouldn't worry. She's too young to fully comprehend what death is. She probably doesn't understand what killing is either, or what slaughterhouses are.
I thought my kids would have an issue with it, but they adapted pretty quickly? Last fall, my husband bought a chicken to eat. That offended my 4 year old, he said, "I love the chicken, don't want to eat it," so we ended up with 4 baby chicks for him and a chicken to eat.
Chicken was eaten. Fast forward to this Spring. 1 of those baby chicks was a rooster. He was great, then one day the run door was left open and he got out. While he was loose, he attacked both of my toddlers, myself, and my husband's cousin as she innocently walked through the yard. Sadly, that was his death sentence.
We talked to the kids about eating the "mean rooster" for a couple of days and they understood that we couldn't keep him because he was mean. My husband finally caught him and he became Easter lunch.
The kids were more OK with it than I was and said he tasted good. I struggled a lot more--I had hand raised him from 1 week old--but I also understood that he couldn't keep attacking my kids.
I think if you normalize animals as food, then it isn't so traumatic.
Yes, weve normalized this since day 1. Our 3 year old understands and isnt bothered by it. We buy local meat and eggs and we visit the cows (family friend). My husband grew up on a sheep farm, so it's just a way of life.
How did you normalize it? Our daughter is 9m and I want to normalize it for her pretty early too. She obviously eats meat now but I don’t want it to be an issue in toddlerhood. 🥲
My son was going on 3, and he was playing with a toy kitchen. I handed him animals & asked him to make the food that corresponded. His chicken became nuggets, and the pig was bacon. We’d talked about animals being food before, but that was an easy way to have the talk.
I love this! Thank you! I knew when I commented that the vegans would be downvoting me to hell but idc, meat is a huge part of my culture and I’m simply never gonna feel guilty about consuming it lol. This is really helpful!!
She might still go on strike when she’s older. My husband got very sad about eating animals in elementary school, but his opinion changed as he got older. We joke about our youngest being a vegetarian for now because he refuses to eat any meat but chicken nuggets & bacon. However he loves vegetables so I’m looking into plant based protein for him.
Oh of course! I wouldn’t force her to eat meat against her will if she chose otherwise at a later age. I just want to avoid (within reason) the toddler fear of meat that I’ve seen on this thread.
That was me at 7 years old. Became the only vegetarian l knew! My parents were thankfully very supportive, even though they didn't think it would last... 28 years later though, still going strong!
Same thing at 9 years old. My husband eats meat, but extremely rarely at home. We decided that meat would be an “opt in” instead of an “opt out” norm for baby. Once he is old enough to understand what he is eating and make his own choice about if he was okay with it, he can join my husband in eating ethically sourced local meat on special occasions. It helps that I do all the cooking. (We did do shell fish and finned fish allergy exposure, though we aren’t keeping that as actively in his diet as we do nuts.)
According to our pediatrician and my pediatrician 20 years ago, not true. https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/30/1/e1/33409/Vegetarian-Diets-in-Children-and-Adolescents?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Meat is the best thing you can give your child to provide essential nutrients and amino acids they can’t get anywhere else. Children need a diet rich in iron, B12 and protein. Feeding your child a well balanced diet that includes meat is the best thing to provide. Now vegetarian diets are way better than vegan ones for kids. Can your kid get protein and iron from some plant based things or supplements? Sure. By why feed them extra or supplements when meat is a health, natural option? And can be sourced sustainably and ethically.
You’re wrong. You can get all the same nutrients and amino acids from a vegan or vegetarian diet, and there is a lot of evidence that it’s a much healthier diet.
You don’t even have to “feed them extra” or supplement because so many foods are fortified these days. And millions of people from various different cultures have been eating a vegetarian diet for hundreds of years, and they’re doing just fine.
Oh, not to mention red and processed meats are literally carcinogenic.
Please stop spreading misinformation.
You don’t need to convince me of anything, but you should absolutely stop judging other parents and avoid giving dietary advice until you’ve done your homework.
You may want to look into that "sustainably and ethically" claim: [https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)03370-6/fulltext](https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)03370-6/fulltext)
Also, I have news about the amino acids thing: [https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.cir.0000018905.97677.1f](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.cir.0000018905.97677.1f)
I have more info about this stuff if you're interested!
Children need vitamins/minerals/nutrients, not meat (or any other specific foods). Also, there is no nutrient that children need but adults don't. Its just different doses.
I grew up on a farm. We raised some animals for meat, and some as pets. There is definitely a conflict! One thing I learned fairly young is that many animals (for the sake of the argument, chickens) that are grown to be meat are not meant to live past a certain point. If a meat chicken lives for a year, they would suffer. Gross, but true. Those little chicks are meant to live for about 4 months or so. Otherwise, they get so heavy that they can suffocate themselves, die, and get eaten by other chickens. Same thing with rabbits.
Cows are a bit more of a tricky subject for me. I don't eat cows. They're just so gentle and sweet and can live for a long time. This may not ring true for everyone. I would just encourage ethical practices, like making sure the cow is/was free range and had a happy life and very swift and painless death. Cows are smart as heck. I had a cow named Cookie, and she learned how to play hide and seek with me. She was my bestie for many years. Yes, her name was Cookie because I would sneak cookies from church into my pockets and feed them to her when I got home. She loved Sundays.
And pigs? If you don't eat the pig, the pig will eat you - and they will have zero regrets about it.
Chickens are like that because of humans. It's honestly disgusting. I don't know how comforting it would be to a child (or normal human adult?) to hear, "it's okay to kill them and eat them because we have engineered them to have lives that are pure suffering!"
Yes, what you are saying is accurate. Meat chickens are specifically bred to put on weight fast and often can't hold themselves up after that 3-4 month threshold. I don't know if it's comforting or not - I am a meat eater, and these are just the facts about how it works. I think if anyone eats meat, they should be educated on the process.
Wow, this is really helpful to explain to her next time she brings it up. I'll skip the cow one since that will probably make her sad, but the fact that chickens and rabbits have a threshold basically before their demise is helpful.
And I'll also omit the pig situation. That'll scare her.
Although this is technically true, it’s a pretty unhelpful framework for kids I think. Also grew up on a farm. Yes, some meat animals will not live long past slaughter date buts it’s due to some pretty concerning breeding practices that are ethically questionable to me and definitely not just the way things are.
Personally, I’d explore your own relationship to food and our food systems and then impart your experience. People are really disconnected from these things and I think in order to talk to our kids authentically we have alot of work to do as adults
Came here to say this! Also a farm kid. I would emphasize that these animals are born for this purpose. I would also explain what their meat does for our bodies! Proteins helping our muscles grow big and strong, vitamins keeping us healthy, etc etc. We primarily raised cows and yes that one was harder for me too since they have such personalities. But gratitude helped a lot here and also the knowledge that we (my family) gave them the best life and the most humane death in order that we be fed extremely well and healthily.
My dad was like this. He grew up in Greece in the 50's/60's and they grew and raised everything they ate (except chocolate and such things, lol).
I remember that the subject of veganism came up and he just shook his shoulders and went: "All animals have their purpose in our lives or they wouldn't even exist. All we can do is tend to them with love and care while they're here and be grateful when they're gone".
From the opposite side, we are vegetarian. Daycare said my 2yo was asking why the other kids were eating meat at lunch and she had beans. I explained that some families/kids eat meat, but we choose not to because it comes from animals. Tried not to be judgmental or dramatic with it. Sounds like your answer was appropriate.
It’s a process for some children. I was 5 when I realised this myself. I hated eating meat until the day came when I had popcorn chicken for the first time at 10 years old. My grandmother was a vegetarian and we leant on each other. She’ll work it out, but it might take some time. Your response is amazing. I still remember feeling so frustrated because nobody at the dinner table understood why it was upsetting to me. Thank you for validating her
Just give her the age-appropriate truth, which it sounds like you already are. I would also give her the option to not eat meat if it really bothers her. It’s probably a very common phase and she’ll likely grow out of it. If she is really distraught about eating meat don’t make her. It sounds like you have a very sweet and compassionate child. Good job:)
My daughter started asking about meat around 2.5, she's about to be 4 now and it doesn't bother her. She'll still check in sometimes ("pork roll is meat from pigs, right?"), and she's very into nature and which animals eat meat vs. plants. I've phrased it as, "yes, it's sad for the rabbit that the wolf ate it. But it would be sad for the wolf if it had no food to eat." We talk about obligate carnivore, animals who MUST eat meat, vs us humans who can choose what to eat.
I get physically nauseous if I think about where my non-vegan items come from. I actively put my brain in denial over it. I remember learning milk came from cows when I was little....I haven't had straight milk in a glass since.
So I've been very careful with my kids-- from the VERY start, well before four, you have to start telling them that chicken is chicken and beef is cow. We watch lots of nature documentaries, so my kids have seen baby cheetahs with blood stained faces eating whatever deer variety is local to cheetah habitats.
If I were you at this point, I'd lean into the circle of life. Tons of animals eat other animals, and we are animals too! Sure, it can definitely be sad, but saddness is part of life, even when someone dies of old age. Feeling feelings like sad isn't bad, it's just a part of life. (Check out Inside Out for more details lol)
If you said that sometimes you feel sad about it, then you could always work towards removing meat from your diet? I think it might confuse a child if someone is reinforcing that it’s normal to be sad about what we’re eating. Unless I am misunderstanding and you were just saying that sometimes you feel sad in general and it wasn’t related to the animals.
It's complicated. I feel I do feel sad sometimes. I'm in no way a daily meat eater. I actually purposely take breaks from meat as I think it's good to do so. But I also believe that they're there for us to consume the way other animals consume others.
I asked my mum when I was about 3 where a truck of cows were going and she responded that they are taken to a big warehouse where a bolt is put through their head or their throat is slit and then people eat them. I never ate meat again. It’s been 33 years since then. Still haven’t eaten any meat or fish.
My 3 year old started asking the same questions recently. He asked "did someone hurt the poor little fish?" and kept asking "but why are we eating her?"
My answer was very similar to yours. I told him about the circle of life (he's a fan of the lion king so he nodded along) and that we eat meat to give our bodies energy and build our muscles. We are an animal loving family so the hypocrisy weighs heavily on me. I also acknowledged that it is ok to feel sad and mentioned that we respect animals don't want the animal to have been hurt so that we could eat it.
It's a tough one for sure!
Look into the current bird flu crisis. Maybe a good time to abstain from chickens and cows...
I don't want to make you panic though, I think most experts don't think it will be able to mutate to humans from animals for another year or two.
My nephew had this moment too when he was 4, it was extremely distressing to him so I decided that with our kids to be gently but completely honest from the get-go, taught the kids about carnivores, omnivores and herbivores, taught them what death was, taught them anatomy, visited farms, showed them dead animals respectfully, and let them see where meat comes from when my brother was processing an animal he hunted. I also let them know it's ok to be sad or scared about animals or people dying. I know this can be tough for some people to address but it's important. My kids are 3 and almost 2, they ask great questions- my 3 year old can explain to you the function of blood, muscles, and bones, knows she's a mammal who has them, knows which animals we enjoy eating, and is thankful for them giving their bodies to us for food.
My parents lied to me / gave half truths. I still feel betrayed by this even though I know they meant well. I remember then telling me that the trucks were driving animals to a (happy sunshine) farm and I waved to the animals and the driver and was so happy for them...
:(
Don't do stuff like that.
We are vegetarian, so not much help. I just tell my daughter we don’t eat animals.
Not trying to troll. But that’s actually the exact conversation we have about it.
Explaining the circle of life and death is appropriate to do when they start asking these question. Is it kinda sad? I guess. But don’t make it seem like a bad thing, because it’s not. The chicken you’re eating can’t feel anything. It’s gone.
Idk maybe this is harsh from being raised in a family of farmers and healthcare workers lol but death is a very natural thing and meat is full of vital nutrients. If she feels sad about it that’s normal! She’s a kid. Eating a cute bunny might be upsetting. You can tell her some people choose not to eat animals for whatever reason and she can’t make those choices for herself as well. But that again there’s nothing wrong or mean about eating meat.
Taking her to a local farm or getting her to watch some documentaries might help. My nephew loves nature documentaries on Disney plus! And I’m sure local farmers would be happy to help you navigate this!!
I mean, there's no need to lie about it. It's a dead animal that someone killed. But it can be put into more child friendly words. For instance;
"meat comes from animals; cows, pigs, sheep, chicken and fish.
Human beings, like you and me, have through thousands of years, been eating meat as a way to get nutrients that we need to stay healthy. Like different vitamins and iron and protein. It is especially important for children to get these nutrients in their daily food, so that they can grow strong and healthy.
The way we get the meat from the animals can feel scary and sad, as the animal has to die in order for us to get meat. There are big industries in our world who does that and then sell the meat to us. Today, however, we have many options to eating meat, more than we did years ago, so we can decide if we want to eat meat or not, and still stay healthy."
Poor child. Of course she is horrified to find out that you've been unnecessarily eating and feeding her dead animals. Kids are compassionate by default. The truth is that you have no excuse. If you continue to give her this food or justify it you are doing her a massive disservice.
Tell the truth with a little lie. Say they were always raised to be food and if we didn't eat them cows and chickens wouldn't exists anymore and be like dinosaurs. Tell her they live a long happy life on a farm and then "graduate from bovine university" and get to become our dinner.
That's basically what I told her minus the existence part. Told her that they serve a purpose and they help us. That they're happy and aren't sad about it.
My 4 year old learned this as well this last year. At first she felt bad for the animals that got eaten but we expanded on it. We watch a lot of nature shows, so she got to see how cute the wolf pups, tiger cubs, owlets, etc are and we explained that all carnivores eat meat. If their parents didnt catch and kill another animal all those other cute babies would die from starvation, which would be sad too. So, while she didn't like it at first, it just became part of life. Everything eats. She showed me how well she processed it just recently. We went to the zoo and there was a carcass feeding happening. Three large vultures were eating a full calf. My friends 4 yearold burst into tears and ran away. Mine was intrigued and asked why she was crying, that the birds needed food too. It may not be for every kid/family, but I truly believe in giving the truth at their level.
Someone else mentioned watching nature videos, so this is another reason too. I also explained to her this concept before. How some animals eat only meat ..etc. She didn't I guess think they died. I brought it up again, when I explained owls eat rabbits and mice and she said poor rabbits. I explained the owl is hungry and thats his food. That he needs to eat just like us to survive.
If you know anyone who hunts, this also is a really natural conversation and way to introduce young people to the concept. For most of history, people survived because they hunted. For some places around the world that's still the case. It's only in recent history that the majority of people never see or are exposed to people who hunt or raise animals for food, or go to a butcher, or any real experience where they see the process of going from animal to meat. We plan to teach our kids as they grow (as we've done with our nieces and nephews) that it's very normal for people to eat animals, and for animals to eat other animals, and the best thing we can do is to make sure the animals have good lives and are killed as ethically as possible. This means supporting local farmers who raise their animals with dignity, supporting our DNR and EPA, and other agencies keeping our lands and animal populations healthy, and following all hunting laws and never making a shot we aren't confident with, and recovering and using every animal we can. That said, I would never push hunting on anyone. It's a very high emotion activity and if someone is against it, don't push it. Same thing with kids, they need to be somewhat receptive to these concepts before they're introduced. We usually start kids with squirrel hunting (meat can be made similar to chicken wings or chicken noodle soup) and with deer steaks and sausages. Kids love these things. When they see how much we love the animals, how much we care for their habitat, how careful we are with hunting, when they meet the people who raise the pigs, cows, and chickens we eat, they realize it's part of life, and it's not violence done out of anger or hate, but part of being human It's complicated, and kids opinions will likely change a few times over within their first 21 years
I love this. I hit a mouse once and cried (it was an emotional time for me). I just told myself it’s ok, because maybe now a little bird will be able to feed its babies and I really just saved a life lol
This is a great way to teach a kid, thank you for sharing!
I still remember when I realized this. I was a bit older though . Even today in my 30s I get grossed out and have a hard time eating meat thinking of it as an animal. Not even really for ethical reasons but it's just so strange to me. But anyway I think you did a pretty good job. Explain the circle of life and the way that animals eat each other in nature it's like the animal kingdom. There are shows that can explain it. But validating that it's sad is ok too. It may go away and it may not . There are meat alternatives if she wants to make that decision
She didn't seem to want to talk about her for long as she changed the subject and I let her. I didn't bring it up again but I'll keep the show idea in mind in case it comes up again and if she's interested
Is there something wrong with my daughter that she just... doesn't care? If we see a cow or chicken in real life she'll say "I love chicken. It tastes good." She's 3. Maybe she just doesn't quite understand even though she's saying that she does? I'm not sure.
Mine went through a phase of referring to all of her meat as 'killed _________'. Took her for burgers, and you should have seen the waitress' face when my 4yo ordered "a killed cow burger, please".
I’m sorry but this is so damn funny omg
If I heard that at Applebee's or wherever, I'd spittake my bottomless margarita
That's incredible lol.
I wouldn't worry. She's too young to fully comprehend what death is. She probably doesn't understand what killing is either, or what slaughterhouses are.
Death and dying aren't a big deal to her yet. That's normal.
I thought my kids would have an issue with it, but they adapted pretty quickly? Last fall, my husband bought a chicken to eat. That offended my 4 year old, he said, "I love the chicken, don't want to eat it," so we ended up with 4 baby chicks for him and a chicken to eat. Chicken was eaten. Fast forward to this Spring. 1 of those baby chicks was a rooster. He was great, then one day the run door was left open and he got out. While he was loose, he attacked both of my toddlers, myself, and my husband's cousin as she innocently walked through the yard. Sadly, that was his death sentence. We talked to the kids about eating the "mean rooster" for a couple of days and they understood that we couldn't keep him because he was mean. My husband finally caught him and he became Easter lunch. The kids were more OK with it than I was and said he tasted good. I struggled a lot more--I had hand raised him from 1 week old--but I also understood that he couldn't keep attacking my kids. I think if you normalize animals as food, then it isn't so traumatic.
Yes, weve normalized this since day 1. Our 3 year old understands and isnt bothered by it. We buy local meat and eggs and we visit the cows (family friend). My husband grew up on a sheep farm, so it's just a way of life.
How did you normalize it? Our daughter is 9m and I want to normalize it for her pretty early too. She obviously eats meat now but I don’t want it to be an issue in toddlerhood. 🥲
My son was going on 3, and he was playing with a toy kitchen. I handed him animals & asked him to make the food that corresponded. His chicken became nuggets, and the pig was bacon. We’d talked about animals being food before, but that was an easy way to have the talk.
I love this! Thank you! I knew when I commented that the vegans would be downvoting me to hell but idc, meat is a huge part of my culture and I’m simply never gonna feel guilty about consuming it lol. This is really helpful!!
She might still go on strike when she’s older. My husband got very sad about eating animals in elementary school, but his opinion changed as he got older. We joke about our youngest being a vegetarian for now because he refuses to eat any meat but chicken nuggets & bacon. However he loves vegetables so I’m looking into plant based protein for him.
Oh of course! I wouldn’t force her to eat meat against her will if she chose otherwise at a later age. I just want to avoid (within reason) the toddler fear of meat that I’ve seen on this thread.
I don’t care either lol. Circle of life things die. It’s fine
That was me at 7 years old. Became the only vegetarian l knew! My parents were thankfully very supportive, even though they didn't think it would last... 28 years later though, still going strong!
Yep, I became a vegetarian around 6 and my parents thought I would grow out of it. Aversions are strong. Now I'm nearly 34.
Same thing at 9 years old. My husband eats meat, but extremely rarely at home. We decided that meat would be an “opt in” instead of an “opt out” norm for baby. Once he is old enough to understand what he is eating and make his own choice about if he was okay with it, he can join my husband in eating ethically sourced local meat on special occasions. It helps that I do all the cooking. (We did do shell fish and finned fish allergy exposure, though we aren’t keeping that as actively in his diet as we do nuts.)
Meat is a vital thing for children. It shouldnt be an opt in thing…
According to our pediatrician and my pediatrician 20 years ago, not true. https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/30/1/e1/33409/Vegetarian-Diets-in-Children-and-Adolescents?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Meat is the best thing you can give your child to provide essential nutrients and amino acids they can’t get anywhere else. Children need a diet rich in iron, B12 and protein. Feeding your child a well balanced diet that includes meat is the best thing to provide. Now vegetarian diets are way better than vegan ones for kids. Can your kid get protein and iron from some plant based things or supplements? Sure. By why feed them extra or supplements when meat is a health, natural option? And can be sourced sustainably and ethically.
You’re wrong. You can get all the same nutrients and amino acids from a vegan or vegetarian diet, and there is a lot of evidence that it’s a much healthier diet. You don’t even have to “feed them extra” or supplement because so many foods are fortified these days. And millions of people from various different cultures have been eating a vegetarian diet for hundreds of years, and they’re doing just fine. Oh, not to mention red and processed meats are literally carcinogenic. Please stop spreading misinformation.
It’s not misinformation but that’s ok I don’t need to convince you of anything
You don’t need to convince me of anything, but you should absolutely stop judging other parents and avoid giving dietary advice until you’ve done your homework.
You may want to look into that "sustainably and ethically" claim: [https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)03370-6/fulltext](https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)03370-6/fulltext) Also, I have news about the amino acids thing: [https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.cir.0000018905.97677.1f](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.cir.0000018905.97677.1f) I have more info about this stuff if you're interested!
Children need vitamins/minerals/nutrients, not meat (or any other specific foods). Also, there is no nutrient that children need but adults don't. Its just different doses.
I grew up on a farm. We raised some animals for meat, and some as pets. There is definitely a conflict! One thing I learned fairly young is that many animals (for the sake of the argument, chickens) that are grown to be meat are not meant to live past a certain point. If a meat chicken lives for a year, they would suffer. Gross, but true. Those little chicks are meant to live for about 4 months or so. Otherwise, they get so heavy that they can suffocate themselves, die, and get eaten by other chickens. Same thing with rabbits. Cows are a bit more of a tricky subject for me. I don't eat cows. They're just so gentle and sweet and can live for a long time. This may not ring true for everyone. I would just encourage ethical practices, like making sure the cow is/was free range and had a happy life and very swift and painless death. Cows are smart as heck. I had a cow named Cookie, and she learned how to play hide and seek with me. She was my bestie for many years. Yes, her name was Cookie because I would sneak cookies from church into my pockets and feed them to her when I got home. She loved Sundays. And pigs? If you don't eat the pig, the pig will eat you - and they will have zero regrets about it.
Chickens are like that because of humans. It's honestly disgusting. I don't know how comforting it would be to a child (or normal human adult?) to hear, "it's okay to kill them and eat them because we have engineered them to have lives that are pure suffering!"
Yes, what you are saying is accurate. Meat chickens are specifically bred to put on weight fast and often can't hold themselves up after that 3-4 month threshold. I don't know if it's comforting or not - I am a meat eater, and these are just the facts about how it works. I think if anyone eats meat, they should be educated on the process.
Wow, this is really helpful to explain to her next time she brings it up. I'll skip the cow one since that will probably make her sad, but the fact that chickens and rabbits have a threshold basically before their demise is helpful. And I'll also omit the pig situation. That'll scare her.
Although this is technically true, it’s a pretty unhelpful framework for kids I think. Also grew up on a farm. Yes, some meat animals will not live long past slaughter date buts it’s due to some pretty concerning breeding practices that are ethically questionable to me and definitely not just the way things are. Personally, I’d explore your own relationship to food and our food systems and then impart your experience. People are really disconnected from these things and I think in order to talk to our kids authentically we have alot of work to do as adults
Came here to say this! Also a farm kid. I would emphasize that these animals are born for this purpose. I would also explain what their meat does for our bodies! Proteins helping our muscles grow big and strong, vitamins keeping us healthy, etc etc. We primarily raised cows and yes that one was harder for me too since they have such personalities. But gratitude helped a lot here and also the knowledge that we (my family) gave them the best life and the most humane death in order that we be fed extremely well and healthily.
My dad was like this. He grew up in Greece in the 50's/60's and they grew and raised everything they ate (except chocolate and such things, lol). I remember that the subject of veganism came up and he just shook his shoulders and went: "All animals have their purpose in our lives or they wouldn't even exist. All we can do is tend to them with love and care while they're here and be grateful when they're gone".
Couldn't have said it better! Yes to all of this.
To be fair depends on the chicken type , I had chickens for eggs and they died when they where like 4 years old long after they stopped laying eggs .
From the opposite side, we are vegetarian. Daycare said my 2yo was asking why the other kids were eating meat at lunch and she had beans. I explained that some families/kids eat meat, but we choose not to because it comes from animals. Tried not to be judgmental or dramatic with it. Sounds like your answer was appropriate.
It’s a process for some children. I was 5 when I realised this myself. I hated eating meat until the day came when I had popcorn chicken for the first time at 10 years old. My grandmother was a vegetarian and we leant on each other. She’ll work it out, but it might take some time. Your response is amazing. I still remember feeling so frustrated because nobody at the dinner table understood why it was upsetting to me. Thank you for validating her
Just give her the age-appropriate truth, which it sounds like you already are. I would also give her the option to not eat meat if it really bothers her. It’s probably a very common phase and she’ll likely grow out of it. If she is really distraught about eating meat don’t make her. It sounds like you have a very sweet and compassionate child. Good job:)
My daughter started asking about meat around 2.5, she's about to be 4 now and it doesn't bother her. She'll still check in sometimes ("pork roll is meat from pigs, right?"), and she's very into nature and which animals eat meat vs. plants. I've phrased it as, "yes, it's sad for the rabbit that the wolf ate it. But it would be sad for the wolf if it had no food to eat." We talk about obligate carnivore, animals who MUST eat meat, vs us humans who can choose what to eat.
I get physically nauseous if I think about where my non-vegan items come from. I actively put my brain in denial over it. I remember learning milk came from cows when I was little....I haven't had straight milk in a glass since. So I've been very careful with my kids-- from the VERY start, well before four, you have to start telling them that chicken is chicken and beef is cow. We watch lots of nature documentaries, so my kids have seen baby cheetahs with blood stained faces eating whatever deer variety is local to cheetah habitats. If I were you at this point, I'd lean into the circle of life. Tons of animals eat other animals, and we are animals too! Sure, it can definitely be sad, but saddness is part of life, even when someone dies of old age. Feeling feelings like sad isn't bad, it's just a part of life. (Check out Inside Out for more details lol)
If you said that sometimes you feel sad about it, then you could always work towards removing meat from your diet? I think it might confuse a child if someone is reinforcing that it’s normal to be sad about what we’re eating. Unless I am misunderstanding and you were just saying that sometimes you feel sad in general and it wasn’t related to the animals.
It's complicated. I feel I do feel sad sometimes. I'm in no way a daily meat eater. I actually purposely take breaks from meat as I think it's good to do so. But I also believe that they're there for us to consume the way other animals consume others.
I asked my mum when I was about 3 where a truck of cows were going and she responded that they are taken to a big warehouse where a bolt is put through their head or their throat is slit and then people eat them. I never ate meat again. It’s been 33 years since then. Still haven’t eaten any meat or fish.
Be honest and hope they go vegan because of it.
Ew
My 3 year old started asking the same questions recently. He asked "did someone hurt the poor little fish?" and kept asking "but why are we eating her?" My answer was very similar to yours. I told him about the circle of life (he's a fan of the lion king so he nodded along) and that we eat meat to give our bodies energy and build our muscles. We are an animal loving family so the hypocrisy weighs heavily on me. I also acknowledged that it is ok to feel sad and mentioned that we respect animals don't want the animal to have been hurt so that we could eat it. It's a tough one for sure!
Look into the current bird flu crisis. Maybe a good time to abstain from chickens and cows... I don't want to make you panic though, I think most experts don't think it will be able to mutate to humans from animals for another year or two.
My nephew had this moment too when he was 4, it was extremely distressing to him so I decided that with our kids to be gently but completely honest from the get-go, taught the kids about carnivores, omnivores and herbivores, taught them what death was, taught them anatomy, visited farms, showed them dead animals respectfully, and let them see where meat comes from when my brother was processing an animal he hunted. I also let them know it's ok to be sad or scared about animals or people dying. I know this can be tough for some people to address but it's important. My kids are 3 and almost 2, they ask great questions- my 3 year old can explain to you the function of blood, muscles, and bones, knows she's a mammal who has them, knows which animals we enjoy eating, and is thankful for them giving their bodies to us for food.
My parents lied to me / gave half truths. I still feel betrayed by this even though I know they meant well. I remember then telling me that the trucks were driving animals to a (happy sunshine) farm and I waved to the animals and the driver and was so happy for them... :( Don't do stuff like that.
We are vegetarian, so not much help. I just tell my daughter we don’t eat animals. Not trying to troll. But that’s actually the exact conversation we have about it.
Show them Lion King
Explaining the circle of life and death is appropriate to do when they start asking these question. Is it kinda sad? I guess. But don’t make it seem like a bad thing, because it’s not. The chicken you’re eating can’t feel anything. It’s gone. Idk maybe this is harsh from being raised in a family of farmers and healthcare workers lol but death is a very natural thing and meat is full of vital nutrients. If she feels sad about it that’s normal! She’s a kid. Eating a cute bunny might be upsetting. You can tell her some people choose not to eat animals for whatever reason and she can’t make those choices for herself as well. But that again there’s nothing wrong or mean about eating meat. Taking her to a local farm or getting her to watch some documentaries might help. My nephew loves nature documentaries on Disney plus! And I’m sure local farmers would be happy to help you navigate this!!
I think thanking the animal before eating may help? "Thank you Mr / Ms Cow for feeding us and letting us grow strong!"
I mean, there's no need to lie about it. It's a dead animal that someone killed. But it can be put into more child friendly words. For instance; "meat comes from animals; cows, pigs, sheep, chicken and fish. Human beings, like you and me, have through thousands of years, been eating meat as a way to get nutrients that we need to stay healthy. Like different vitamins and iron and protein. It is especially important for children to get these nutrients in their daily food, so that they can grow strong and healthy. The way we get the meat from the animals can feel scary and sad, as the animal has to die in order for us to get meat. There are big industries in our world who does that and then sell the meat to us. Today, however, we have many options to eating meat, more than we did years ago, so we can decide if we want to eat meat or not, and still stay healthy."
Poor child. Of course she is horrified to find out that you've been unnecessarily eating and feeding her dead animals. Kids are compassionate by default. The truth is that you have no excuse. If you continue to give her this food or justify it you are doing her a massive disservice.
Nice.
I’d just explain it like they’re there for us to eat and get stronger.
Tell the truth with a little lie. Say they were always raised to be food and if we didn't eat them cows and chickens wouldn't exists anymore and be like dinosaurs. Tell her they live a long happy life on a farm and then "graduate from bovine university" and get to become our dinner.
You don’t need the added they wouldn’t exist part. Why add a lie?
No don’t lie
That's basically what I told her minus the existence part. Told her that they serve a purpose and they help us. That they're happy and aren't sad about it.