Vegan in a workplace

[Ally]

Hello my name is Ally and I'm about to go into my third year of university,
From last October I began more jobs around childcare, as teaching primary is something I feel I would like to do when I graduate.
I've been vegan since January and I love working with children. The only part of my work I find different is around mealtimes, where I have to encourage children to eat their food (mostly meat-based). Today I have tried to almost put myself in a mindset of saying 'its only soy/tofu' and I felt I managed this better without feeling like a hypocrite.
I love working with the children, however I still feel at unease around these mealtimes. I am the only vegan in my family and so am used to it however I feel bad having to encourage the children to eat meat.
Has anyone else here felt simply, and if so do you have any advice for making this part easier?
Thank you
Ally

 

[amberfunk]

It helps to think that they are only children and that they have to eat. A lot of kids don't like vegetables and it's even harder to get them to eat vegan. I've offered my son our vegan meat alternatives such as vegan hamburgers that look exactly the same as real meat and he has tried it but doesn't like the taste. I'm fine with buying and cooking him meat if it gets him to eat. Children have to eat to grow and thrive. It took a bit for me to just think of it that way. The most important thing is that they eat.

 

[Plant Muncher]

I have no issue with others eating whatever they choose. Proselytizing your vegan beliefs or simply extending them to others is above your pay grade and mine. Take care of yourself and let others come to their own decisions. You are not being a hypocrite, you are controlling the things you can control accepting the things you cannot control. PERIOD.