My parents will not "allow" me to be vegetarian.

[Skyler72]

Can they do anything legally to prevent me from being a vegetarian? I'm fifteen, so it isn't like I can leave or anything... but, I will take care of myself, I just don't want to eat meat anymore, but my parents flat out told me I cannot be a vegetarian.

I'm pretty sure that I can be whatever I want, but I just want to make sure they can't legally force me to eat meat or anything like that.

[cloudsoup]

i think your parents are probably looking at
the situation as a large responsibility, rather
than you just not eating meat. being a
vegetarian has pros and cons, and there are
many things you need to be aware of before
making that decision -- and i'd say you parents
aren't convinced that you're looking at it from
both sides of the fence.

have you researched anything about becoming
a vegetarian? i'm not an expert, but i do know
that meat has a lot of protein (something vital
that you need), and in order to cut that out of
your diet, you need to replace it with other
things that give you the same nutrients...
this may be one of their concerns.


i think you need to educate yourself on all aspects
of becoming a vegetarian, that way you'll have a
strong argument on your side and your parents
might be more willing to compromise  

[JessieKateRose]

Being a vegetarian, you will need to try a lot harder to get your protein. (and plenty other vital nutrients) It's just obnoxious trying to be a vegetarian. And you want your hair, nails, and skin to stay looking nice, don't you?

What you should do isn't stop eating meat. It's try to convince your parents to buy free-range meats and animal products, at least occasionally. Look into it to make sure you know what is and isn't truly free-range. (they'll put lots of things on those packages to trick you) If you eat free-range, those animals will still have died for your meal, but they won't have been TORTURED for it. They won't be shoved into cages so small they can barely move, hurt physically, and fed an unnatural diet. You'll be making a big difference in their lives. Eating meat is NATURAL for us. Torturing the animals isn't natural.

If you really want to make a difference, tell everyone about it. You can probably convince some other people to eat free-range eventually, and you'll have made even more a difference in some animal's lives.

Oh, and being vegan is UNHEALTHY AND UNNATURAL. There is no and has never been any society anywhere in the world that has been vegan. Any nutritionist worth their salt will tell you that it is extremely unhealthy. If you become pregnant, it can easily cause severe brain damage to your baby because of the lack of omega 3. If it can cause brain damage to a fetus, that should tell you what it's doing to you.

[dreamyxo]

My niece who is 15 became a vegetarian recently.  My brother and SIL didn't stop her.  She fixes her own meals.  Find out why they are so opposed to you becoming a vegetarian.  Maybe if you can convince your parents that being a vegetarian is better for you then maybe they will listen and not put up such a fight. 

They are just concerned for your health that's all.  I have a coworker who was a vegetarian but her doctor told her she needs to start eating chicken so he is starting to add more chicken to her diet.

Do your research.  Give your parents of a list of meals you will be eating and give them all the nutritional information and compare it to eating meat.  Show them how you will be getting all of your required nutritional needs and they might not be so upset about it.

[bschumacher]

Remember those boring research papers your teachers force you to write? Now is your chance to put those skills to good use! Write one of those papers about your desire to be a vegetarian in which you clearly state your reasons for wishing to do so. Inform your parents about the environmental and health benefits of vegetarianism. Include solid medical and scientific research --with footnotes-- to support your viewpoint. Provide some recipes for vegetarian dishes along with nutritional information so that your parents can see how the protein content compares to that of meat dishes. Lastly, learn how to do vegetarian cooking yourself. If you can show your parents that you're not going to annoy them with extra work on your behalf, you might have more success. If they still insist, quietly, discreetly, without confrontation, find a way to feed the meat to the family dog and pig out on nuts or cheese later on.

[klkwid]

These guys are right-you need to find out why they don't want you to be a vegetarian.  Maybe they think that you'll become anorexic by not eating enough or maybe they think that you won't get the correct nutrition from not eating meat.  Both of these ideas have some merit, but if you do it correctly, it's perfectly healthy to be vegetarian! 
You also need to figure out why YOU want to be vegetarian-is it to lose weight, respect animals, be healthier, or because friends are doing it too.  Again, these reasons all have merit, too, but you need to see why you want to do it for yourself and explain that to your parents too.  Maybe that will get them to respect your decision more.

[eneidaselina]

I've been a vegetarian for 3 years and my parents were supportive

[AmyTrivitt]

Can they do anything legally to prevent me from being a vegetarian? I'm fifteen, so it isn't like I can leave or anything... but, I will take care of myself, I just don't want to eat meat anymore, but my parents flat out told me I cannot be a vegetarian.

I'm pretty sure that I can be whatever I want, but I just want to make sure they can't legally force me to eat meat or anything like that.

They cannot LEGALLY force you to eat anything!! My oldest daughter doesnt like milk or cheese. Shes not allergic and I do not force her to eat it. (she does not like the taste of  cow products) I think you should talk to your parents about your reasons why you do not want to eat meat. And do some research PETA has some great stuff on their website for you to show your parents! And although your body will be suffering there are ways, (vitamins & other supplements) for your body to be as healthy as a meat eaters. And maybe hear your parents side to on why they do not want you to stop eating meat. Good Luck!!

[arms1977]

Well, I do not believe we are getting the entire story here. I agree that your parents only have your best interest in mind, but I would really like to know why they will not let you become a vegetarian. Do they feel this is a phase that will pass? Do you regularly change things in your life, just to restore them back to the way they were? Do you often make bad choices for yourself?

Believe it or not, parents only try to do what they feel is right for their children. It may not always be a simple decision, but it is done to protect the children. If I knew 20 years ago what I know now, I would have listened to my parents more and tried a bit harder to accept the decisions they made for me. I was angry then, but now, I know it was all for the best.