No, your children have free will you know

I wouldn't say it is no. Just the same as a child who eats meat should be given the option not too. I would say it's likely until the child hits school age they will eat what their parents eat anyway as they don't know any other way, however once the "can I eat meat" question comes up I think it's wrong to not allow the child to try it. The same way I'd think it was wrong to refuse to allow a child to be vegan or vegetarian.

keep in mind as well that vegetarianism has to be supplemented with a special diet in adults for them to remain healthy, in kids the case is the same the diet is not. If you are considering feeding your child a vegetarian diet be sure to speak to a pediatrician and a nutritionist.

I think that as long as the child is receiving adequate nutritition, I don't see anything wrong with it. Part of parenting is being able to pass your own values on to your children. You'll be teaching them healthy eating habits that will help them avoid becoming overweight adults! Most non-vegetarians eat way more meat than they need to, anyway. The children will have opportunities to eat meat at school or at friends' homes and can decide for themselves then whether to indulge or not. They may find they don't even care for it, or they may come home and ask you to fix them a hamburger! Let them decide for themselves at that point, because you've already set a healthy eating pattern for them. If you don't want meat served in your home, that's your decision to make, but you could also use the opportunity to teach them about the nutritive value and fat contents of different types of meats and help them make the healthiest choices in that regard.

As a parent I believe you have the right to determine what is best for your child, just as you have a responsibility to ensure that your children are well cared for. If a vegetarian diet is what you determine to be best, you are well within your right to enforce it on your children as long as it is well balanced in all needed nutrients.

As far as how you would handle the inevitable question from your child as to whether they can eat meat, it is entirely up to you. By law, and by parenting conviction you can insist they adhere to your diet until they are 18. Maybe, as you see how their maturity levels develop as they grow older you might give them an opportunity to choose at an age you deem appropriate. You would also have to be ready to respond to the inevitable instances when your child may stray from a vegetarian diet while at school or a friend's house, or by peer pressure.

I personally would not place my children on a vegetarian diet, but you as the parent are well within your right to do so.

It’s not wrong to raise a child with vegetarian food choices. If you are providing necessary supplements and compensate with foods that meet the same nutritional requirements as foods in the meat category, that should be sufficient to keep your children healthy. However, be careful not to impose your own beliefs or preferences onto your child. There is a difference between a child who truly does not desire eating any meat and a child who just follows along with your customs or to please you. Children become used to their parents every day manners very quickly from little on and tend to adopt them as their own without questions. That, too, is fine, but be sure that if your child observes another child eating meat and inquires about it that you do give him/her the option to try it for themselves (if they would like to), to see if they like the taste. If your child is curious about meats but cannot stomach the thought of an animal having died in order for people to consume its meat, then also respect your child’s wishes and continue their vegetarian diet. To be sure, you may want to inquire with your pediatrician or a nutritionist whether there are any nutritional or other health-related consequences associated with childhood vegetarianism.

yes

Parents raise their children in a specific faith or lack thereof, in a certain social status, with certain moral values, so why would you question teaching them healthy eating habits early on in life?

Parents are supposed to lead a child in a way that they believe will be best for them. Soon enough, they will be teenagers, out with their friends at McDonald's and you will have no control over what they eat. Raising them during their early years in the healthiest way possible will hopefully help them maintain that health as they strike out on their own and make their own food choices.

While some say that vegetarianism is not good for young bodies, I disagree. As long as all nutritional requirements are met, there is no danger in it. As they grow, they will be invited to join their friends in a number of activities where they will have to make choices as to whether to stick to a vegetarian diet or not. In some cases, they may not have the choice. That is actually when peer pressure and their power to make a choice comes into play.

As carnivores predominate in this society, they will have enough time to try eating meat and find out if it is what they enjoy. They will know the way of being a vegetarian, and they will experiment with being carnivorous just like they will experiment and challenge other boundaries.

When they are young, you just do the best you can do, according to what you believe, and let them make their own choices when they are old enough to understand the consequences.

I'm going to start by saying that I have tried vegetarianism but unsuccessfully, I love meat too much.

That being said, the habits you pass on to your children will stay with them for life. I know people who were brought up vegetarian and eat meat today. But what I have noticed is that they have a healthy attitude towards food and don't overdo it with the meat.

A vegetarian diet is usually a healthier alternative to the way the rest of America eats. Children are always subjected to the dietary habits of their parents, I think its great that someone is asking themselves the question if this is ok. As long as its healthy, its ok.

But say your child eats over a friend's house, or is prone to experimentation and decides they want to try meat. Limiting that isn't fair to your child. Especially since he or she may be craving it for a reason.

Yes... Its not a problem at all.

My daughter eats what we eat. She doesn't get the special Kiddy foods. She gets a chance to try everything we do. If I try swordfish for the first time then she'll get to try it to. If I don't eat veal (and I don't) she isn't going to get it for dinner either.

As to he vegetarian diet in particular I'm assuming that we're talking about a balanced diet that contains all the vitamins and nutrition that she needs.

Now as to the choice angle. I think that you should explain your choices to children at a level they'll understand. How you do this depends a bit on the reasons why you have a vegetarian diet in the first place.

If its primarily for health reasons ( and there is a definite case for that) then explain those reasons. If she wants to eat bacon sandwiches later on thats fine as she can make an informed choice there.

Likewise if its for religious, ethical, environmental reasons then thats ok as well. You just need to explain why you've made that choice, and let them make their own when they are at a age that they can do so.