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You're a Vegetarian?
Raising Herbivores Among Omnivores
By C.J. Johnson
Although the percentage of vegetarians grows significantly each year, they are still the minority. Cloward says toddlers are too young to be aware of differences between themselves and others. "Even obvious differences like skin color or gender are lost on them," says Cloward. "Therefore, pointing out they are unique will not make sense to them and it will cause additional confusion. Until they are as old as 4, the differences will not matter." He believes we are all minorities in one regard or another and should teach our children to value diversity and respect differences in others. "We live in a section of San Diego where cowboys once reigned and barbeques are not just for summertime," says Tracie Childs of San Diego, Calif. "I don't know any other vegetarians or vegans nearby. Both my kids have many friends. None of them are vegetarian, but they seem to accept my kids' diet as part of the package."
Even when your vegetarian children are older, peer pressure need not bother them. The Welsher kids have not felt the sting of peer pressure. "My kids have not experienced much in the way of being singled out for being vegetarian. Mostly other kids think it's cool," Welsher says. "There are many vegetarian convenience foods available now. Fake deli slices are helpful both for letting your kid feel like everyone else and for letting parents slap together a lunch for the kids."
