i need advice!

my cousin and her boyfriend seem to be taking my vegetarianism, transitioning into veganism harder then my own husband! my cousin she acts like its ridiculous and acts a bit hateful when it comes to the subject (she even has vegan friends though!) and her boyfriend is always making cracks at me. like the other day he actually got into a debate about "cow farts"! like saying he knew vegans that say the same thing , that cows farting is distroying the earth so we need to eat them all, and if we are eating all those veggies then our farts destroy the earth too! omfg.
and then last night we are at the grocery store and he tells me "are you actually going to DEPRIVE your children of meat?!" and im like "i dont know yet. my oldest daughter already prefers veggies and fruit over meat anyways, so im not depriving her of anything. and when she WANTS to eat meat like her daddy, i dont tell her no. but when i know how to cook more veggie meals and get the proper nutrition then , yea my kids will probly be veggie like me. but im still new to this."

i enjoy hanging out with my cousin and her boyfriend. but i need advice on how to deal, and how to stop their ignorant comments in its tracks. i need comebacks or something lol.
but i will say that my cousins boyfirend DID have a vegetarian fake chick'n salad last night lol. and for someone who eats NO veggies unless they are in refried beans form or rice , thats pretty kool.
but his comments are still annoying.
so advice please??? :)

Mon, 08/25/2008 - 4:25pm — hippiegirl88

Submitted by phactorri on Tue, 08/26/2008 - 4:03am.

I have a general life rule... if what I say is not being listened to, then I don't speak of it. its a waste of breath, and a bit more stress than I really want to deal with.

Submitted by lessthanthree (not verified) on Mon, 08/25/2008 - 8:38pm.

Remember that if you are focused on winning the argument, or convincing them of your point of view you may spend a great deal of time miserable. Your diet is about you and how you relate to the world.

Let your cousin and her boyfriend know that what you put in your body is about you and how you relate to the world and absolutely non of his concern and that he should remember that if *he* is focused on winning the argument, or convincing you of *his* point of view then *he* may spend a great deal of time miserable. Then make sure you smile. =-)

Be sure to be polite and calm as you have said that you care about your cousin and her boyfriend.

Then perhaps memorize some info from the following sites and spew as many as you can. =-) Yay!

Very good article about veggie diet.
http://drfuhrman.com/library/article5.aspx

Loads of article about veggie diet.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/

Submitted by KitKatKootie (not verified) on Mon, 08/25/2008 - 7:51pm.

yup, what smiles says ...i know she and i have almost the same exact experience with fathers not getting it. i find the best way to deal/combat the teasing or questions is to have KNOWLEDGE about why we do what we do. it stops most people dead in their tracks. and don't be condescending, that can be offputting and hopefully we are influencers to do good and spread that this lifestyle is worthy of pursuing. you will be fine. just don't throw a hissy fit, and they will learn to tolerate, then stop making fun, then maybe even learing from you.
xoxox,
katy

Submitted by veganvampira on Mon, 08/25/2008 - 5:36pm.

I have been a veggie for 25 years and my mother still thinks I am in "a phase." There are those people who will not accept it. I hope that he can at least try to be civil. Maybe just telling him to "knock it off" might help. He will then know that you are serious.

Submitted by smilesforthesun on Mon, 08/25/2008 - 4:45pm.

family generally tends to have more difficulty dealing with change than friends and partners (from my experience, anyway). all i can really say is, "welcome to the club!" ;P

it's been fifteen years since i first went veg., and i still get comments from my brother every now and then. now that i've eliminated ALL animal products, it's like a new thing all over again. =/ the comments and ignorance (or lack of knowledge/compassion) can definitely get annoying and frustrating, but there's really nothing in particular that you can say to make everyone stop being offensive. just read up, make sure you know your stuff, and stand your ground without lowering yourself to their level.

as far as the "denying" kids meat, i actually wrote a similar blog not too long ago after a conversation with my father. people get stuck in patterns and begin to think that anything different than what they know MUST be wrong somehow. "everybody's doing it! your kid's going to want to, too!"

hang in there. :)