Mom vs. Dad

When One Is Vegetarian and the Other Is Not

By Johnathon Allen

Unlike prehistoric dinosaurs, modern humans often find themselves in a quandary over what to eat because they are adaptable to both carnivorous and vegetarian diets. As a result, the battle between "veggies" and "meat eaters" often plays itself out in kitchens across America – where one parent is avidly against eating anything that had a mother, and the other can't imagine dining on anything more delectable than a plate of barbecued baby-back ribs.

Children enter into this foray of conflicting diets generally without preference – wide-eyed and hungry – willing to eat pretty much anything you give them if it's delivered with the right airplane noise. But what if one parent is adamant that the kids not eat meat and the other parent doesn't see what's wrong with an occasional chicken sandwich? On nights like this, things can get pretty ugly in front of the family refrigerator.

"I became a vegetarian before we got pregnant, but my husband has always eaten meat," says Pamela Markley, mother of 4-year-old Juniper from Vancouver, Wash. "It wasn't a big deal before Juniper was born because we were able to be more flexible, and we ate out more often. Now we eat most meals together at home, and it's becoming a bigger issue, especially as it relates to Juniper."

Markley is what is known as a vegan – a vegetarian who consumes no animal products or byproducts at all (including dairy items like milk, cheese and eggs). Her husband, David, grew up on a farm in central Oregon and has eaten meat all his life.

Want to see more?

• Take a peek at Melanie's Food Diary.
• Got Soy?
• Going All the Way: Becoming a Vegan Family
• So, You're a Vegetarian?
• She's a mother of one raising her family in a vegetarian lifestyle, and an iParenting expert!
• Ask her a question here.