ENCOURAGING YOUR TEENAGE VEGAN

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ENCOURAGING YOUR TEENAGE VEGAN

Forwarded message from Fidyl <fidyl@yahoo.com>

[ Subject: Encouraging Your Teenage Vegan
[ From: Fidyl <fidyl@yahoo.com>
[ Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005

Encouraging Your Teenage Vegan

By Tammie Ortlieb

http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-teens/encouraging-your-vegan-teen.htm

I was vegan for three months. Religiously, I loaded my
plate with leafy greens, deep reds, soy this, soy that,
and a sprinkling of nuts and berries any mother would be
proud of. I experimented with egg substitutes, dairy
alternatives, and even a sampling of foods I couldn't
pronounce. I was beaming from my newfound accomplishment
and noticeably healthier. It was the drive-thru that did
me in.

Four kids in the back of the van and baseball practice to
get to, I would attempt to concoct some sort of creation
from the inevitable "meat and potatoes" menu. Usually my
dinner consisted of buns and veggies, tacos with beans
and lettuce, or supersized fries and a pop. Boring to say
the least. And where was the nutrition in all of these
white paper bags? Was I missing something or just
creatively constipated?

This frustration with the fast food business caused me
pause and motherly reflection. If I, an experienced,
self-assured adult, found myself stammering at the burger
joint order window how must my teenagers feel as they
step to the counter with a group of friends? How must
they feel when they frantically search a menu where the
one or two vegetarian options are loaded with cheese? How
do they make smart choices when they feel that every eye
in the restaurant is on them and the clock is ticking?

Adolescents are by nature social creatures gifted with
the talent of maturing physically almost at the speed of
light. They eat. They hang out. They party. They eat.
Then they browse the mall and eat some more.

Friends are the lifeblood that keep them running. Food is
the medium with which they cement their relationships.

My older two were dragged into the herbivorous lifestyle
by their militant animal rights activist cousin. Quick
converts to the plant based ways, they now shun companies
that employ animal testing, choose book report topics
decrying common circus practices and the fur trade
industry, and absolutely refuse to wear any clothing made
of leather, wool, or silk. Understandably I was not
surprised the day my fourteen year old asked for soy milk
on her Cheerios.

But asking Mom to use bananas instead of eggs the next
time she bakes a batch of cookies is a far cry from
interrogating a minimum wage employee on the ingredients
of a bun. And most likely he doesn't know any more than
you do anyway. Even the best of intentions can go awry
when the heat is on and the steaks are down. Oh, I
believe I meant stakes.

My struggling herbivores have learned to do a little web
surfing before visiting a new eating establishment. By
clicking onto websites of local restaurants, they can
learn not only menu options, but all sorts of nutritional
information including ingredients. This lessens the
stress of going to an unfamiliar place and helps them
establish a few "safe" foods beforehand.

As a proud mama, I must say that my children's' friends
have been so impressed with their strong convictions and
obvious self-confidence that a few have even been
converted themselves. This has only served to reinforce
the benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle. Not only do my
teenagers now enjoy a renewed sense of competence and a
deeper relationship with their friends, but they are
experiencing the more grown up feeling of pride in
contributing to the well being of the planet and those
who live on it.

As parents we should not underestimate the incredible
impact of peer pressure and significance of exploration
in the development of our child's identity. You may
occasionally find your daughter taking two steps forward
in her quest toward veganism only to fall back three more
steps when confronted with a dairy laden menu on a
marching band stop over for dinner.

Encourage your teenager through these fits and starts.
Remain positive and avoid pressure at all costs. This is
not a contest. Slipping back to scrambled eggs and
grilled cheese is not failing or losing the race.
Instead, reward a successful switch to soy milk and tofu
scramblers. Applaud your teen for filling her subs with
more veggies and less cheese, topping her toast with
jelly instead of butter. She is coming to terms with the
big question of life at this stage: Who am I when nobody
else is looking?

And who are we as adults to expect perfection from our
children? After all, didn't we get to where we are
through years of research, trial and error, and
occasional, or not so occasional, slip ups? Why should we
expect any less from our own sons and daughters?

Tammie Ortlieb is a mother of four with a Masters in
Developmental Psychology. A vegan-wannabe and mainstream
mom, she takes great pride in successfully maneuvering
birthday parties, school lunch menus, and Little League
concession stands. Her essays and recipes have appeared
in Veggie Life, Vegetarian Baby and Child, Vegfamily, and
mothering.com .

End of forwarded message from Fidyl <fidyl@yahoo.com>

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

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http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate

The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.

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