Mobile Nachos: Mommy, why do we eat the animals?

This is a piece I wrote a while back. Here is the original Facebook post feel free to comment and share on Facebook, btw add me on FB, I LOVE new friends. Also be sure to like the blog's FB page as well.

I have noticed an influx of parents interested in learning about veganism and not sure about how to include their children in the change. I find this a very positive problem to have :) And thought that I would revisit this piece and share some links to things that have helped me with my kids. Look for the links at the bottom of this post.

by Ash Menacho on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 12:54pm:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/family-parenting/the-family-room-blog-post.aspx?post=3d5bab3e-8aee-4216-8712-17711fd6400c

A good friend of mine posted the above link yesterday and the absurdity of what he says in response to the question of "Why do we eat animals" just really struck a nerve with me. As a parent I value honesty with my children as much as possible (I have been known to lie and said there are no cookies when there really are lol). I was an uneducated vegetarian when I had my sons ~~7 and 5~~ 9 and 7 years ago, when they came off the breast I bought soy milk, I refused to feed them those baby meat jars. There was constant pressure from pretty much everyone around us to feed them meat, and I know that my ex (their dad) and their grandmother fed them every meat thing they could get their hands on while I was at work to make up for my "neglect." As time went on I gave in, I weakened, the boys went on regular milk and Mcdonald's chicken nuggets became a normal treat for them. Over the years found myself eating chicken, bacon, lunch meat, it progressed until about 2 years ago at which point I was pretty much a full blown meat eater. I hated myself, I was the heaviest I had ever been, I was sick all the time and I almost died from liver failure when pregnant with my daughter. I didn't connect the dots at all, I just knew I was unhealthy and unhappy. Then about a year ago my husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and I knew we had to change. I started educating myself and my family, we went vegan to save my husband's life. I could have just let him go at it on his own and keep on the way I was going but the questions the kids asked, were to me, the single most deciding factor in MY decision to to go vegan. They asked "Why do we eat animals?" I could not answer it with an answer that I thought was up to par with the honesty I always have with them, I would never say "Because it's cool" or "because everyone else does it." I honestly had no answer for it. So for me, with that one simple question, my kids kicked my butt into gear and got me back on the right track. =) They still ask "Why did we used to eat animals?" But now I have an answer, I tell them "Because we didn't know what we know now."

Can you honestly explain to your children how they go from love and compassion like this...

and this...

to this?

Honestly, without using a bullshit excuse like "Just because" or "They taste good" explain to your child how this...

becomes this...

Tell them how compassion like this is ridiculous...

and they should instead be treating animals like this...

I could not because I refuse to lie to my children, there are other ways to eat. Ways that are HEALTHIER for you, CRUELTY free, and KIND to the earth. The single biggest thing anyone can do to make a change for our planet is to adopt a plant based diet and when you eat food that is FABULOUS and DELICIOUS like this: