Veganism and Parents

A few nights ago (In fact, I think it was Friday. I am such a rock star.) I was in the Vegan Freaks chat room having a good time, chatting with some freaks.

A young lady of 19 joined us and she expressed concerns about being vegan while still living under her parents roof. We gave her the basics (buy and cook your own food, don't give into their bait, etc etc), but it got me to thinking.

I am 31 and my parents still give me shit about being vegan. My dad likes to throw hunting around in my face. My mom asks questions like "Do you eat olive oil?" (Why wouldn't I mom?) My in-laws don't understand at all. All family members tend to treat it like a passing phase. A trend if you will.

When does it stop? I don't question people eating meat, dairy, or eggs (at least not to their face). Is it just hard when your kids don't have the same opinions as you? I felt bad for this girl because it sounded like her dad could be a real jerk if he wanted to. And that can be rough.

For any vegans reading this, here are some helpful hints:

1. Don't give into taunts. That's usually what they want.
2. Don't talk about veganism over food. Bad idea.
3. You are not going to change some ones mind in one day.
4. There may be certain people you chose not to discuss your veganism with. Don't do it.
5. Stand your ground and don't be wishy washy.

(A lot of these came from Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World)