Chicken. The other white vegetable.
Once again, I've won the 'Terrible horrible most awful mother of the year Award'.
The Girl went vegetarian last month.
The Thing has been a vegetarian for a few years and now that we are living together, it's a little hard to miss that fact. When we would all eat hamburgers and his 'burger' would be set apart...the terms vegetarian or fake meat being used almost daily...The Girl may be young, but she's not stupid. These things get noticed after a while.
So then she started asking questions. What's up? What does vegetarian mean? Why? How come? You know, the usual 8 million questions elementary students ask on an hourly basis. And I answered her. Cause that's what I do.
After about two weeks of this, The Girl resolutely announced one day that she was now a vegetarian. No meat for her.
Now I've been 'mostly vegetarian' for a while now. The occasional burger (cause hey, that shit is gooooood) but mostly not due to being more health conscious lately and just being around The Thing. So after confirming that The Girl knew what she was getting into, I told her that I would support her decision, help her anyway I could, and that as long as she was vegetarian, I would be as well.
Seriously, I've lost like 5 lbs already. And my only form of exercise is going to the freezer for more ice cream. But I digress.
This has caused an uproar like none I ever expected, but there are two opponents of this that are rallying against it above all others. First, the asshole in the corner that should surprise no one - The Paperweight.
I'm her mother...How could I let her do this...Why don't I stop her...blah blah fuckin blah...
Dude, it's not like I'm giving her brown liquor and pimping her out to sailors.
It was her choice. She brought it up. And if she ever decided she wanted a hot dog, I'd be the first one to grill it up for her. She gets protein out the wazu from all of the soy and peanut butter she eats - way more than she was getting before, but without all the fat.
Whatever.
So the second big Fauve-Sucks-As-A-Mom rallier?
The Thing's Mom.
Or as I like to call her, Your Mom.
So, Your Mom called this week to see if we were going to the local Big Ole Redneck Fair Bonanza or whatever it's called. Which of course we are because, hell, why not? So she was extolling the virtues of said local fair, mainly the food. The Thing, who is proud of The Girl and way more flattered than he likes to admit, bragged/commented that The Girl was now vegetarian.
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
So I can hear The Thing spending the next 15 minutes trying to assure Your Mom that The Girl is fine and healthy and is getting plenty of protein and that I'm not Satan incarnate.
There were actually a few minutes there toward the end that I started to worry that maybe I should force The Girl to eat some meat. I mean, we hadn't been to McDonald's in a month... What kind of mom was I?!
Then I heard The Thing snort and say 'No, mom. She doesn't eat chicken either.'
posted by ƒåυνέ @ 9:10 PM
8 Comments:
lol...I feel for ya. My daughter went vegan several years ago. There is nothing wrong with that but it sure makes it harder to cook for her when you can't use eggs, milk, etc.
It is actually a very healthy way of life but I need my meat fix from time to time.
In time everyone will get over it and accept her decision. It's actually a grown up decision on her part too so I think that alone is pretty cool.
How old is the girl? And who is the parent here?
She should eat what you tell her to eat. Period. When she's 18, she can eat whatever the hell she wants. As long as she cooks it.
It's not her decision what's for dinner.
When my children were young, I always told them, our home is not run like a democracy, it's run like a dictatorship. I make the rules, you kids follow them. Period. When you turn 18, you can do whatever the hell you please, including moving out.
They didn't listen to that part, they are still living at home at ages 25,23, 21.
Damn.
They turned out ok. I guess I didn't scar them for life.
Just happened upon your blog. Sorry, just had to throw my 2 cents in.
I enjoyed the reading. Great blog.
LMAO @ the chicken comment! Hey, it could also just be a phase, given her age. I surely wouldn't be concerned. I eat very little meat myself, but since I rarely eat peanut butter I rely on nuts and occasional eggs for alternate protein sources. There is also a great drink that The Girl would probably love -- Bolthouse Farms "Perfectly Protein" ... http://www.bolthouse.com/juice_main.html You can find them at Wal-Mart and other grocery chains. It's not like not eating meat is gonna hurt her.
Madison...we have friends who are vegan. YRLFSATP for example. I have a lot of respect for their beliefs but wow would that be a hard one and I know I could not let The Girl do that. Eliminating eggs and dairy would be detrimental at her current age. However, I think The Girl would rather die than give up cheese so I don't have to worry about that one. LOL
Anonymous...I always welcome everyone's 2 cents. As long as everyone understands that I get to throw my 2 cents back.
Don't misunderstand, it's not like I said 'you have to eat meat' and she is refusing. Otherwise, we'd have a problem. Our house, too, is not a democracy though I do tend to pick my battles. And this, in my opinion, is not even a battle. I mean, seriously, she wants to eat healthier?
Oh my god...
[note the sarcasm here]
In my opinion, that's like her saying she wants to study more and what am I going to do? Insist she doesn't?
Though, I will admit, my situation is probably a little different than what others might face. As we already had vegetarians in the house, it's not like we have to buy/cook anything special just for her. That stuff is already in the house.
CC, I'm not concerned at all. It just seems like other people are. Though, I think if they actually saw what she eats, they wouldn't. People just tend to judge what is outside the 'norm'.
I think it's pretty cool that she made that big of a decision at her age. I agree with the fact that you support her decision and if she changes her mind you will support that as well! It takes a great mom to roll with the punches!
I totally agree with you. I think you are handling this just right. She is free to make her own choice. And you are willing to let her change her mind and go back to eating meat, if she chooses. Sounds like a great setup.
Yeah, what Michelle said!
There are WAY worse things that a child could choose... it's nice that she has a mom who doesn't freak out over every little thing. And yes, this is a little thing. There are some weeks that I don't cook meat because, well, I didn't feel like spending the money on it!
I grew up with parents on opposite ends of the eating spectrum. My mom who grew up on a farm preferred vegetables, while my dad who grew up raising cattle liked meat. Because sometimes the paycheck didn't quite go far enough, the only meat on the table was on Daddy's plate. He would share a couple of bites, but I grew up knowing that no meat on the table wasn't a bad thing.
I still like a big pot of beans and a pan of hot buttered cornbread for supper.
Good for Girl and Great for you!
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