3 year old vegetarian...

I have noticed my daughter since last Thanksgiving doesn't eat a lot of meat. I never thought much about it maybe a texture issue or something. Well last week she finally told me she doesn't eat animals. Animals are for petting she says. So all the meat she didn't eat was stuff she understood as an animal. I told her that chicken nuggets, bacon, and hamburgers are all made from animals and she decided even though she really liked them she wasn't going to eat them anymore. I support her in her choice and when she asks for what her brother has I tell her what animal it is from. Normally she doesn't want it anymore. Well over the weekend my husband cooked bacon for breakfast and she wanted some. I told her what it was and she still wanted to eat it. I let her.... but I don't know if that was the right thing or not?

[Kiara.I]

Yeah, I think that was the right choice. Holding a 3-year-old long-term to a decision they've made wouldn't be kind. You wouldn't do it for a career choice--it's okay to not do it for a food ethics choice too.

[flowermama]

That's amazing that she cares so much at that age, and that she has many times made choices that would be so hard for many to make.

It's hard for me to say this (as the thought of someone eating a pig is so sad to me!), but I think in the situation you described that letting her eat it was okay. Since her not eating animals was based on a decision she made for herself, letting her continue to make the choice she decides on I think makes good sense, but while encouraging her to do so in a mindful way, such as you have done when you let her know that she is eating an animal. My older two children took some time before they transitioned to being vegetarian and then vegan (I didn't start eating vegan until my third child was born, and my younger two have always been vegan).

It's so good you are being supportive of her desire to not eat animals. You could perhaps see if she might be interested in searching for ways to make alternatives to bacon. I absolutely realize the suggestions in this link will be seen by most who eat bacon as very poor substitutes for it , but I'll share this link just in case! http://veganstreet.com/dailymeme-3-18-14.html Or perhaps you could brainstorm (before your family eats bacon again) with her for other things she likes to eat that she could eat instead that she might enjoy just as much or better. Also, if you want to help encourage her to consider if she really wants to eat animals, perhaps share about Esther the wonder pig with her. She's such a sweet piggie. Here's a link to her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/estherthewonderpig And here's a link to a children's book about being vegetarian in case you'd like to check it out: http://theveganmom.com/2010/04/29/a-...-by-ruby-roth/