Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [151]
Deflating kids’ commercial interests (or at least explaining what they see)
Parents’ best efforts to get their kids to eat healthy foods like broccoli and beans are frustrated by commercials and advertisers. Commercials for foods aimed at kids are mostly for junky, processed snack foods, not natural, healthy items. Sodas, chips, and candy are sold in brightly colored, animation-adorned packages. Lettuce is not. It’s a tough battle when Shrek is shilling Twinkies instead of green beans.
By making it clear to your children, even at a young age, that these packaged snack foods aren’t healthy, aren’t vegan, and aren’t an option, you can raise a more savvy child. Keep in mind that I said “more savvy,” not perfect. They may still ask for these foods when they see friends with them. In these instances, talk with your kids about what advertisers are doing — selling unhealthy food to make money. My mother’s rule was “if you see something on TV and ask for it — you’ll never get it!” She stuck to it, so we never did.
Eliminating the pressure of the press
Sadly, peer pressure and marketing messages are powerful in getting kids to second-guess themselves. Many studies reveal that children and teens feel better about themselves when they buy certain products that they see on television. The pull to own items that their friends already have is so strong that kids will badger their parents dozens of times for a single item until they give in and buy it for them.
Vegan kids will be less likely to pressure parents for items if they understand the relationship between products and animal welfare. A company that sells a game or toy may be the same company that tests makeup on animals for its other products. Most junk food items in advertisements aren’t vegan and contain dairy, meat, or gelatin products. If a processed snack happens to be vegan, it’s most likely made by a company that uses nonvegan ingredients in its other foods. Help your kids see the links between their purchases and the health of the environment and the animals they love.
Coming up with responsible responses to media-induced panic
Make your home a healthy haven away from advertising by teaching your kids how to question the messages they see. Talk about them together. When you see a beloved character like Shrek, the Simpsons, or Spider Man selling junk food, help your child call or write the company to complain that you don’t like the way they’re doing business. Take a stand for your child’s health by working together to stop these insidious practices.
Get involved with your child to create positive changes in his everyday life. School lunch programs can be improved and advertising messages can be removed from the classroom. The USDA has created a program called Fruits & Vegetables Galore: Helping Kids Eat More to help school food-service teams create healthier lunches. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has resources available on its Web site about making healthy eating easier and more accessible to kids. Visit www.healthyschoollunches.org/resources/parents.cfm to take a look at these resources.
Creating game nights, dinner party nights, or other themed events for the family keeps the TV off and the media at bay. According to a 2003 poll by the nonprofit group The New American Dream, 57 percent of kids aged 9–14 would rather do something fun with their parents than go shopping. The point is this: Find creative ways to spend time together that don’t require shopping, money, or television.
Taking Care of Your Children When They’re Away
Parents and kids aren’t together 24/7 — and thank goodness for that! When school, trips, and sleepovers are on the calendar, it’s time to think ahead and make some strategic decisions. As the old adage goes, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” Going away from home as a vegan kid requires more forethought to ensure that