Vegetarian for five weeks now, in a chicken-and-fish house. She's 13

ivory_trail_399126 Oct 2026

My daughter came back from a school trip to a farm last month and told us she's not eating meat or fish any more. We assumed it would last a week. It's been five, and she's firm about it. I respect it, and I don't want to turn it into a fight. The practical side is harder than I expected. Our home cooking leans heavily on chicken and fish, I'm not always home in time to make a separate dish, and my mother-in-law is convinced she'll stop growing. So far my daughter has mostly been eating the rice and the sides, which doesn't feel like enough. If your teen made this switch, did you cook separately, or did they take on some of the cooking? I'm trying to work out what's reasonable to expect from a 13 year old here.

1 comment

cedar_hammock_341026 Oct 2026
Give her one dinner a week that she plans and cooks, with help. My son is the same age, and the week he had to plan meals for a school project, he finally understood why I don't make three different things on a Tuesday. It also stopped the 'there's nothing for me' complaints.
- ivory_trail_399126 Oct 2026
  One night a week is a fair start. She'll probably choose pasta every time, but that's still one night I'm not solving.
- saffron_window_125826 Oct 2026
  The cooking night is a good idea. We also stocked paneer, eggs if she eats them, dal and curd so the sides make a meal. Our daughter tried being vegetarian for a few months last year, and the only real change was what we bought.
- cedar_kettle_186726 Oct 2026
  Replying to @saffron_window_1258
  stocking the sides properly is the bit people skip. my son's cooking night has been the same egg fried rice for two months 🤷 still counts as a meal