TIFU by making my child vegetarian.

[u/CompetitionExtreme36]

I have a 6 year old son. We went to a fair a few months ago and there was a display of livestock that the public could pet.

Me, trying to be jolly, told him that he'd be eating them for dinner someday.

My son was shocked and asked me how was that possible. I told him that meat is made by killing animals and cooking them. He then asked me what all the meats were. I told him that it's chicken, beef, steak, sausages, salami and mutton.

Later that night at home, I noticed him seperating his dinner. He removed all the meat pieces from the rice and only ate the rice. My wife asked him what was wrong and he said he doesn't want to eat animals.

Thankfully, he's fine with milk and eggs. However, he continued refusing to eat any meat. A week passed and we went to the doctor. The doctor said that it's probably just a temporary phase and we should feed him vegetarian alternatives for the time being.

We now buy canned beans, lentils, greek yoghurt, olive oil, whey protein, soy nuggets and plant-based patties/sausages. We also order a cheese pizza for him.

It's been a few months now, and I've bought iron and B12 gummies for him. Even my wife and I are starting to go more vegetarian.

TL;DR: We went to a fair and there was a display where the crowd could pet livestock. I told my son he'd eat those animals soon, and he's a full blown vegetarian now.

[u/garbage-bro-sposal]

You know, I don’t think I ever did but I was always pretty aware that animals=meat. But I also have a lot of farmers and hunters in my family.

[u/Rowdy_Yates_ → u/garbage-bro-sposal]

Hunters, in particular, are very aware of where the food they eat comes from. Humans are the ultimate apex predators.

[u/ahuramazdobbs19 → u/Rowdy_Yates_]

We convinced at least two apex predators that it was better to NOT be hunters and to lay inside our houses and get belly scritches.

[u/guessmypasswordagain → u/ahuramazdobbs19]

Did we? Shit I knew I got black out drunk last night between big bang theory reruns but damn. Ho shit I really am an apex predator..I can enjoy the cold dominos I ordered last night guilt free. WOLF.

[u/iloveubitches → u/garbage-bro-sposal]

I was also aware that animals were meat growing up, since we were farmers! In my experience, I did this after I got attached to one of our animals who needed to be bottle fed. He was really small and cute, and was always super excited to see me. I was also at an age where I wanted my own puppy, so I taught him tricks and played with him a lot, pretty much just raising him like a dog. I was unaware that he had been butchered and we ate him for breakfast. I had no idea it was him until I asked where he was. It was pretty traumatizing, I still can't eat meat lol

[u/theredwoman95 → u/garbage-bro-sposal]

Yeah, I kinda wonder if this only happens for kids who weren't told where meat comes from in the first place. I always knew that meat came from animals and even though I had vegetarian friends growing up, I was never interested in that myself. Their food is tasty, sure, but you can still eat veggie food without being a vegetarian - can't do that the other way round!

[u/garbage-bro-sposal → u/theredwoman95]

Maybe so, I distinctly remeber my aunts and dad showing me how to clean and process fish, chicken, pheasant, and deer from an early age. But I could see how growing up seeing animals as companions only, then suddenly having the jarring realization that you kill them to eat them would be alarming LOL. I feel for the kid, even though for me the concept feels extremely alien.

[u/Jozz11 → u/theredwoman95]

I think so, my son is 7, he has been “helping” me clean and process fish we catch/ animals we hunted since he was big enough to sit up and be there with me. His favorite foods have always been animals we have harvested. It’s just how life works and it is perfectly understandable for a human unless it’s hidden from them (on purpose or inadvertently due to how food is pre-prepared nowadays)

[u/Ashmizen → u/garbage-bro-sposal]

This is the part I don’t get. I’ve known since like I was 3 or 4. it’s pretty obvious (chicken is like the one of first foods you eat and words you learn, and it’s also one of the farmhouse animals toddlers are exposed to constantly. Eat fish. Point at fish in aquarium.)

I was a pretty down to earth kid that also never believed in the tooth fairy or Santa Claus, despite my parents best attempts.

Still, I’m tryin to imagine how naive a kid has to be to not realize chicken is the same as chicken, and have that go on for years and year.

[u/Mekito_Fox → u/Ashmizen]

My kid made the connections. He's 8 now and has this weird car ride game with his dad when we pass cow pastures. They yell out "Dinner!"