In recent years, more people have taken an interest in going vegan or eating more plant-based food. Some people might go vegan for environmental reasons, while others adopt a plant-based diet because of health concerns or because they oppose animal cruelty. Regardless of their motive, some people who have embraced veganism would prefer if their families did the same.
One dad decided to go vegan because of his partner, but when they broke up, he eventually started eating meat again — and started introducing animal products into his children’s diets without consulting his ex first.
More from CafeMom: Mom Says She Won’t Leave Any Inheritance Money for ‘Ungrateful’ Adult Children
The man's ex was raised vegan, and their three boys have also been raised vegan.
In a Reddit post, the dad of three explained that he and his ex were together for more than 10 years. His ex, “Venus,” was raised vegan, and because she wanted him to adopt a vegan diet too, he decided to do so. While they were together, they welcomed three children: “Mercury,” 11, “Jupiter,” 9, and “Mars,” 7. Their kids also eat vegan.
After he and Venus broke up, the dad began questioning his vegan diet.
As he was used to his vegan diet, the dad continued to eat that way even after he and his ex ended their relationship. However, he began questioning his lifestyle choices more after their breakup. He realized his vegan diet made his life more challenging in several ways: “I had to be very careful with what I ate to ensure I got the proper nutrients, and my food bill every month was sky-high. I also had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety.”
For these reasons, he “slowly started to reintroduce meat” into his diet a few months ago, which has made him feel “so much better.”
More from CafeMom: More Than 10 Newborn Babies Die In ‘Massive’ NICU Fire
He began worrying about his kids' health.
After noticing how much better he felt when he started eating meat again, he started wondering about how veganism might affect his children. He did some research and “found some things that made (him) nervous.”
“I read that vegan kids can sometimes be shorter and might need supplements for things like B12, calcium, and iron if they aren’t getting everything they need from their diet,” he wrote, adding that he decided to consult a doctor before making any decisions.
Based on the information the doctor provided, the dad decided to start introducing animal products into his children's diets.
“6 weeks ago I decided to slowly introduce animal products into their diets whenever they had their time with me, but it has been slow,” the dad explained. “I don’t want to introduce it too fast and I gave them the choice with all the information I had and with what the doctor said.”
His ex was 'furious' when she found out.
When Venus found out her kids had started eating animal products again, she was “furious” with her ex. She thinks her ex is introducing animal products into their kids’ diets to be “vindictive to her,” even though he insists that this is not the case.
“She’s calling me cruel and she’s been telling our boys that they should refuse to eat any animal products and to say I’m forcing them,” the dad wrote. He added that “every time they’ve been over they’ve loved trying new foods like real milk, eggs, etc.,” though they’ve disliked some of the animal products they’ve tried.
The dad asked Redditors for their opinions so he knows whether he's in the wrong.
Some people defended the dad. “I am vegan and believe that you can bring up healthy vegan children,” one person wrote. “I also believe that when you have joint residency, you have to accept that the other parent will have their own rules.”
“They’re your children too,” another person told the dad. “You’re doing it in consultation with a medical professional and allowing your children to choose.”
Others had a problem, however, with the fact that he made this decision without talking to his ex first.
“Learn to communicate and co-parent,” one Redditor advised, adding that everyone in the situation is behaving badly. “Who takes their kids to the doctor and changes their diet without discussing it with the other parent first?!”
Another person pointed out that because the children have been vegan for years, eating meat could make them sick.
“It might’ve hit on her watch, and her with no idea why,” the Redditor wrote. “You didn’t talk to her about it at all, even though it’s shared custody. And while you may dislike why she’s vegan, or the potential issues it may cause, you also didn’t allow her to offer any solutions before going ahead and doing whatever you wanted.”
