Ask the Editor

My 2.5 year old daughter goes to preschool 2 days per week. I am raising her vegan, but I know that at school she sometimes is served non-vegan cookies, cupcakes, and other snacks and I've been letting her eat them. I am concerned about how she's going to feel being the "different" one in the class. Do you think it gives her the wrong message to let her eat something at school that she is not allowed to eat at home? Is that like saying, "Well since everyone else is eating it, then it's okay?" - Chrystal

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Dear Chrystal, Often vegan parents are fearful of how their children are going to handle being different in school. Believe me, you're not alone. Rather than sacrifice your ideals to help your daughter avoid the "pain of being different" I would instead encourage you to teach your daughter that being different is okay.

< First, your daughter is still very young and probably is not aware that she is eating differently than the other kids. So you have time to figure out how you're going to handle this as she gets older. My daughter, Emily, who is currently 5 and attending preschool 5 days a week has no problem with the fact that she "isn't allowed" to eat the cupcakes and snacks that the other parents bring. She knows why she is vegan and why we don't eat non-vegan foods, and she accepts it. That said, I do have vegan snacks in the classroom for her to eat when the other parents drop off donuts or cupcakes, etc. My daughter is happy to eat the vegan foods from her stash.

I do think it is going to send your daughter a mixed message if she is eating vegan at home but allowed to eat non-vegan foods at school. She will eventually question why she needs to be vegan at all since she is not vegan all the time.

Today there are so many other kids in school with dietary differences such as kids with allergies, kids who are diabetic, and/or kids who are Kosher. Your daughter's dietary differences may not even be that noticeable to the other kids.

You may want to read my book, Raising Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World, for ideas on how to handle every school and social situation that you are likely to encounter. Raise a proud, confident vegan child who can show the other kids that it's possible to be vegan and have a great lunch at school.

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