I think it's wonderful when parents make the effort to bring their children up as rational thinkers. The most influential teacher a child has is his guardians and it's a parent's responsibility to make those lessons meaningful in the desire for a better world. It's obvious when we look at our world full of wounded beings and a scarred planet that most of us never had the opportunity to make those critical connections... I totally admire (vegan) parents who are working to make a difference for the good - And for enabling their kids to make just choices as well. Thank you!

Lucky you Mary! You get to hang out with a vegan friend all day, everyday... Even to get tires! :) Likewise, Sky will benefit too as she gets older and can formulate the questions - She'll have someone courageous enough to be truthful in her corner to explain it all. I don't envy that part for you though... I'm thinking it's quite the challenge to state reality: people kill/eat "friends", while preserving the tolerance necessary to function in a world like that. No wonder why so many parents opt for "the pork-chop tree". But they're also masking their own guilt... So no "good-egg awards" go to them either. :/ I met one of those people recently... The ones who call themselves vegetarian (actually this woman said "vegan")... Fifteen minutes or so into the conversation and she admitted... That she still occasionally "loved" her salmon. And that she "only" ate chicken if there was nothing else on a menu. I thought what the heck *x!#! If there's "nothing" available besides fishes or birds at a restaurant - Then boogie somewhere else! Real simple - Yes? The up-side that I draw from people like this is that somewhere in their minds... They really desire to eat differently. Or why the momentary white lie? I can only hope that eventually they follow through with what they really know is the right thing to do. I suppose in time, this will be part of what you'll tell Sky too... That people don't always do what they they should... And with other white-lies that people tell themselves about being an "animal person" - Don't let anyone steal that from you. You've earned that title several times over! ;)

Hi Mary... I'm a bit like CQ with my suspicious nature. When I saw this book after Melanie Joy's book - A hunch was to say that it was written to counter the sense in Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows. No doubt his conclusion "forgives" so much of what people want to be excused for. Even Temple Grandin's review on Amazon took a shine to his message: “Everybody who is interested in the ethics of our relationship between humans and animals should read this book.” (Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human) - That ought to say enough about Herzog's "ethics". Glad you marred the pages Mary, and that you made it unsuitable for donating... Doesn't sound worthy of anything more than the round file. ;)

Sky is gorgeous! She looks so happy and healthy. Obviously a much loved little girl. Fifteen years a go my husband and I attended a "MAP" program. "Model Approach to Parenting". Over the course of 6 weeks we learned a considerable amount about family dynamics, personal relationships and inner child work. A wonderful learning experience that hopefully would prepare couples to care for another life... A foster child - Possibly one that would be adopted. Unfortunately there was always the message that the state expected foster parents to make all efforts to reunite child with biological parent. Meaning, if the child was removed from the parents because they neglected or beat the child... Or if the parent was in prison for violent crimes... It was still the responsibility of the foster parent to get the family back together again. "To work hard at it" actually. That this was the primary goal of fostering. I believe they were stuck in the "blood's thicker than water" mentality. Although it would be painful to care and love a child then return them to a risky situation, if those were the rules, my husband and I were willing to do that... We were certainly ready to give it our best. The first child we were offered was a 7 year old boy who had been sexually abused... That scenario was much more than I thought we could handle. It thought it was right to be truthful about my doubts and limitations. We declined the boy and were never considered for another child thereafter. :( It left us feeling like something was terribly wrong in the system that would "disqualify" someone if they had specific (and justifiable) reservations. It shouldn't be this focused on returning kids to (monster) parents. But then... All that goes out the window with the realization that some older children, no matter how mistreated they were, still long to be with the only parents they've known. It's very complicated. I don't have any sure solutions as to the unloved, unwanted, homeless children right now. What I do know is that this situation is the same as with nonhumans. We've got to encourage responsible and planned births. It is totally unacceptable for dogs, cats and human babies to be put in these tragic and desperate lives. I love them all now that they're here... But gee, I wish people would observe reality when they create more. I just wish everyone would just take care of whose here now. :/