offerings from children:)

[muchluv]

I'm not vegan yet but im making a budge to go vegan now. I'm almost done with dairy, then just to get rid of egg and other things.

Today my little neice offered me some chocolate which I declined with a "no thankyou :)". as I havent been eating chocolate, but she insisted and I had it as I havent cut dairy out properly.

How do you deal with things like this? I thought I could say in the future, as you would in a nice way to a child "chocolate makes uncle matt sick:(" or something. But I wouldnt want to hurt her feelings.

What would you do?

[SheThrowsDown]

Having two kids and participating in my church's children's ministry has me face this fairly regularly. If I know the child personally sometimes i'll try to say something like "you know how you don't like carrots? I know its crazy but miss Christina doesn't like chocolate." mind you this sets it up so I also can't take any non-dairy dark chocolate or eat it in front of them without having to explain dairy to a 4 year old.
If I don't know the child and they just won't take no for an answer sometimes i'll tell them I'm full but i'll eat it later and I take it. Then give it to my omni husband :)

[muchluv]

Sounds like you got a good way of dealing with it :)

[hoodedclawjen]

i tend to say thankyou very much, thats a very kind and thoughtful thing to do, and then palm it off on my BF later too.

if they're big enough to understand that it'll make my tummy hurt or that its got stuff in which i don't eat, i praise them for being so thoughtful, and say that i know just the person who will love that, and that when i give it to them i'll let them know what a kind person gave it to me.

...cos thats what its about really- not the chocolatey thing, but the nice kind rewarded feeling that comes from doing something for someone. even if you can't eat/use it, they're still doing a nice thing by thinking of you and giving you something- its actually an extra nice thing in a way, cos they're helping you to do something nice for someone else too, by passing that chocolate along (you get to feel loved and special when you get the chocolate, and someone else gets to feel loved and special when you give them the chocolate, and gets a snack as well)! :D

[muchluv]

ahhh good answer!:P think I know what to try next time! what a good idea! :) ill mix the 2! save it for later and the kind thing :]

[Muffin_398]

I've had that problem too, I just say that I'll eat it later and give it to someone else. However, if they insist that I eat it at that moment I'll tell them that it makes me feel sick, which is actually true.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

i tend to say thankyou very much, thats a very kind and thoughtful thing to do, and then palm it off on my BF later too.

if they're big enough to understand that it'll make my tummy hurt or that its got stuff in which i don't eat, i praise them for being so thoughtful, and say that i know just the person who will love that, and that when i give it to them i'll let them know what a kind person gave it to me.

...cos thats what its about really- not the chocolatey thing, but the nice kind rewarded feeling that comes from doing something for someone. even if you can't eat/use it, they're still doing a nice thing by thinking of you and giving you something- its actually an extra nice thing in a way, cos they're helping you to do something nice for someone else too, by passing that chocolate along (you get to feel loved and special when you get the chocolate, and someone else gets to feel loved and special when you give them the chocolate, and gets a snack as well)! :D

+++ :nana::nana::nana: Perfect answer.

I work with special needs children who do not have the comprehension or ability to remember from one day to the next that I don't eat dairy products. Accepting a gift from them is a HUGE HUGE deal and I would never ever turn anything down. That said, most of the parents of my students know that I'm vegan, so most of the gifts are appropriate anyway. I always accept everything with enthusiasm/appreciation and have never had them worry that I wasn't tasting it right then. (And my own, not-quite-vegan children LOVE the goodies I bring home, so everyone's happy :) :) )