r/tifu May 29 '24

TIFU by making my child vegetarian. S

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.

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u/EmberOnTheSea May 29 '24 edited May 29 '24

no cows are hurt or killed when making milk

You know that isn't true though, right?

The entire industry requires cows to be lactating, which requires pregnancy. Where do you think those baby cows go?

And the egg industry literally macerates male chicks.

I get this is outside the scope of a child's awareness but all adults should be aware of this.

I'm not a vegetarian but I don't lie to myself about where my food comes from.

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u/Droviin May 29 '24

Never really thought about the dairy cows before. I suppose that also explains why veal is in steady supply.

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u/Former-Departure9836 May 29 '24

Veal is even more fucked , they essentially keep them out of the sun and feed them a specific diet to keep the meat lighter ๐Ÿ˜‘

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u/strawberry_vegan May 29 '24

They actually confine them to tiny pens so their muscles canโ€™t develop properly :(