My mind was just trying to visualize the situation in Zelda's home while I was reading this story. I really appreciate what she has been doing. Being a Vegeterain, she married to a non-vegeterain and never forced him to eat veg. food. and she serves him and her in-laws non-veg. food. She is very matured. and quite understanding. Also, she wants her daughters to be vegetarian without ever forcing them not to eat non-veg. is really appreciable. I think she is absolutely right.. Zelda, Can I get your email-id please.?
i myself m a pure-veg from birth.i married aperson who was non-veg but he became veg for me.i have a son who is veg too.we both have always taught him to be veg but even introduced him to eat egg but he didnt like it.now he too tells everyone to become veg as its awful to kill anmals.so i think its abslutely right on a mothers part to expalin her daughters abt the advantages to remain veg,even though their father is a non-veg and other family members too.its not wrong on her part as its always the mothers duty to install right things in the children and she is right in doing so,i fully agree with her.she is absolutely right .she must expalin them that those who eat non-veg have a right to do so but those who have never eate shouldnt eat so.
i strongly believe that she is doing wrong in making her children think her way.she should leave their decisions to them.what one knows if they eat without her knowledge.they are not saints to have so strong will powers.there is nothing wrong in she thinking about being so called vegetarian. but god forgive me if iam revealing this to her that many foods which we get in the market contain or use nonvegetarain stuff for flavour or for the texture of the food products.how can she anyway know that. and coming to consumption of meat is the natural way of we the human beings depending for the survival right from the evolution of man.if he has not eaten those starting days of evolution i think we r not there at present. this is the way of life some like and some do not.and one cannot question anybody that how can one murder the animals and eat them. i ask her how is she able to eat the vegetables when they are also coming from a living plant.a plant also has a life . that too have birth and death if we leave them like that to grow. but we r not doing that because we all are interdependent on each other.
I fully agree with Zelda and i can feel what she is undergoing as of now as i share the same situation; the only difference is that i go one daughter while Zelda go two daughters. I too am in the quest of keeping my daughter vegetarian.I hope and pray that she remains a vegetarian.
It is indeed a challenge to bring up the kids as vegetarians in a home where one of the parents eats non-veg food.
Despite what many would refute I believe religion has a lot to do with this. If the highest ideal (what our Gods or Saints we believe in represent)appear to approve of eating flesh and if the atmosphere reinforces the same then there is a real high possibility that the kids will start eating non-veg some day albiet it may be a passing phase.
This again is just a logical deduction and not a prophesy that is bound to happen.
Having saaid this there is no doubt in my mind that most people can eat non-veg but cannot slaughter a live animal. Even if they do it once they cannot keep doing it the way butchers do. I remember one butcher, a Muslim by faith, intensely regretting the merciless profession he was into and the feeling of helplesness that resulted out of not knowing any other way of earning his bread.
I feel you can bring about a irreversible change in the attitude of your kids if you just show them the pain and torture an animal undergoes when it is transported, conditions in the slaughter house and when they are actually being slaughtered. RMuthukumar
this is simply ridiculous and unbelievably backward. i pity your daughters and sympathize with your husaband for having the strength to overlook your emotional blackmail. simply disgusting.
I feel it is absolutely right to teach your offsprings to be vegetarian even if your inlaws are non vegs.Every specie teach their sucessors eating habits and humans are and should be no exception. If one of the parent finds certain food practice against their values, he/she can try to inculcate the same thoghts and habits to their children, till the time they are grown ups( when they sensibly make decisions for themselves).
I went thro' your article about your professed hardcore belief on vegetarianism.Every person has his or her own faiths and beliefs,which in a way are their 'rights'.But trying to inflict their own thoughts on others(even if they are your own offsprings) is not an indication of a mature mind.Your daughters are individuals in their own right and they should be left to make their own choices. On one side,you cook non-veg meals for your husband and on other hand you preach your children about sufferings and the pain of the animals ,which may put a lot of confusion in their minds.Also,your are showing your husband (their father!!) and in-laws in bad light.But i don't blame you becoz' you are no different from a typical INDIAN parent who doesn't respect their children's individuality and believe that their children are guinea pigs on which they can actualize their personal dreams and beliefs.
I think zelda is right,and thats because she is not stubborn,but showing the way consciously.Although its unfair to wish to bring up childern in our own image,its perfectly OK to keep them away from something which is causing distress to some living beings.When the kids grow up and understand things in complete perspective,they may take a decision that being non vegetarian is nice.I also find this subject quite strange as discussion,as I could sense an undertone that zelda is guilty or something.I mean why is she so much worried.Is she not sure that what she is doing is right?Then i think she should not insist anything.But i understand that vegetarian foods are normal foods for human beings and non veg are,though tolerated by our body,not natural.It should be understood and put into minds of our youngsters.I mean those of us are perfectly OK and those opt to kill other animals,are abnormals.
As a mother it's gratifying that there are parents like Zelda taking decisions regarding thier children consciously and in the right direction. Let the children decide when they grow up whether they want to continue it or not.
We at home also practice vegetarianism. Our three and a half old daughter is also a strict vegetarian and does not even eat eggs. Our concept is to make her understand that nothing which is devoid of life is palatable. Our system is not designed to consume non-veg. But just as people smoke, certain people knowingly adopt wrong ways of life.
I am confident that our daughter will not feel cheated on having abstained from non-veg. When she grows up she can make a descison to continue or not. In this context Zelda has made the right choice. My advice would be to stop feeling guilty and at the same time do not feel bad if children do adopt to non-veg later on as you have done your job of a good parent.
