Our family has been cooped up for what seems like forever. Yesterday the sun was shining and singing to us “come outside”… so we started brainstorming.
Our local Play Place isn’t the best for little ones and we were sure it would be swamped. We were on snow day #3… enough said.
I had been out the day previously to grab some groceries. The roads weren’t perfect, but considering we just suffered went through a blizzard they were pretty good! We figured they would be even better…
So, we decided to just “get out”. It happened to be lunch time so instead of the local Mickey D’s we decided to head over to a lunch buffet that had been advertised for $2.99… yes, we are cheap.
After a nice lunch filled with giggles and grins we headed over to Sams Club to pick up our main snack staple… popcorn. Yes, we purchase popcorn in 50 lb bags!
We decided to browse a little and let Emma & Ethan skip off a little of their lunch. As we walked past a cooler, an adorable little curly headed girl looked up at her Momma and uttered the words every meat eating parent dreads…
“Mommy… what is ham made of?”
Our family is slowly evolving into a vegetarian (almost vegan) lifestyle. Three of us do not eat meat at all anymore, the rest eat it on occasion. When we heard that sweet little angel ask her Momma that question our eyebrows raised and we gave each other “that look”.
We have tried to adopt the stance of “don’t lie to the kids… tell them just enough to answer their question”. That applies to all questions.
We have had to answer that question once or twice before with Emma. The answer seems to make her think, but she is only 4 and I think that the broad scope of the answer doesn’t sink in all the way.
We have never tried to force our thoughts or beliefs on anyone and we by no means judge anyone for their choices, but we do freely share what we know when asked.
At that moment in Sams Club, I wish that I could have been a fly in their basket. We were walking in opposite directions or I would have tried to eavesdrop.
How do you handle this type of question in your house?
We are vegans in our house so I would tell the truth! I wonder if that Mama gave her the proper answer…kids are just so smart so I’m sure if she suspected a false answer she will probably just ask others instead! Good luck with the veggie transition…I am raising 2 vegan babies and have some vegan recipes on my blog http://www.childofnatureblog.com
lol i guess its better then where do babies come from? its still tough.. 🙁 let me know what u decide
We do live on a farm and the kids learn right off where different meats come from. I have to laugh because the other day, our 3 yr. old granddaughter asked ” What is water made of?” Now that was a harder question. But we did answer her to the best of her knowledge. Terri, is right they will ask till they get the answer that satisfies them. So it is best to tell them the truth. Good luck to those of you who have chosen to go vegetarian. I am sure that it isn’t always easy. Thank you for sharing.