Dad's response as vegan daughter tells parents to cut meat out at home

A father has sparked a lively conversation online after revealing his vegan daughter is angry he won't cut out meat in the family home.

The dad, who isn't vegan himself, had a crisis of conscience and wanted to ask the public if he was in the wrong for saying no to the request.

Posting under the account u/frustratingbaconeate on Reddit, he said: "We’ve always been a meat-eating family, we live in the rural Midwest, and bacon for breakfast is pretty much a given.

"This year, my 14-year-old daughter decided to go vegan, and I jumped to her support with enthusiasm.

"We learned how to substitute ingredients, cook new things, try new things, I adjusted our budget to include more expensive vegan substitutes for her, etc.

The dad didn't wanna give up meat in his own home (Credit: Getty)

"None of this has been a problem for me until recently," he went on.

"She saw me cook bacon in a pan, and then, I rinsed it out to load in the dishwasher. She exploded in anger...and said that that was HER pan for vegan food.

"I was completely floored and said, 'Kiddo, this here is a family pan, older than you, it’s not YOUR pan.'

"She asked me to purchase her a pan that she can solely use for vegan food. I didn’t want her to feel weird about food, so I said sure, and ordered her a few colored ones that are only for her," he said.

"The reason they’re coloured is so it helps me remember that I’m not to touch them unless I’m cooking vegan."

The teenager wanted her own frying pan (Credit: Getty)

However, her boundaries became stricter after that.

"Now, apparently the dishwasher is ‘contaminated’ with animal product, and the fridge has ‘bacon grease fingers’ on it (because I eat bacon and then touch the fridge), and she’s asked me and her mom to completely stop eating meat at home," he went on.

"Frankly I’m on team hell no. Her mom is much more amenable and strongly wants me to consider taking our daughter up on the request.

"My wife’s reasoning is that both our parents live close, so we can eat meat products there, and that she doesn’t want our daughter to feel uncomfortable in the kitchen."

However, the dad said he needs his daughter to "adapt" and live "side by side" with him and his wife, and their eating habits.

"I’m not going to stop eating bacon in my own house," he reasoned.

The teenager wasn't happy with sharing a fridge, either (Credit: Getty)

In the comments on the thread, it's safe to say that people had some thoughts.

"I never once asked for anyone else to change their diets, sponges, pots, or pans they used, how they used the dishwasher, or anything like that," said one person, who was vegan themselves.

Whilst another wrote: "You've been supportive of her new diet choice and have been very accommodating by getting her pans to use for vegan food. She can't expect you to change your whole lifestyle to cater to her."

A third was more reasoned, but suggested some reasonable solutions.

The dad wasn't willing to give up bacon (Credit: Getty)

"When you first start any major lifestyle change, veganism included, there is an early period where you are extremely enthusiastic," they wrote.

"Combining this with the teenage propensity for taking things to the extreme, this attitude from your daughter is perfectly normal.

"As to what you should do: She has her own vegan cookware. She also has access to the sink where she can hand wash anything she doesn't want "contaminated" by the dishwasher. You can also offer her a shelf in the refrigerator that is to be kept 'pure'."

What do you think?

Featured image: Getty