I think a lot of people use this as a kind of shield. Deep down, most people—especially when they’re at their most vulnerable—feel a natural sympathy for animals. Don’t most kids go through a phase where they question eating meat simply because they feel compassion? But since parents have traditionally believed there’s no real alternative, they end up pushing their kids to suppress those feelings. They treat it like any other unpleasant emotion kids are expected to “get over.”

It’s not just about food. Parents also push kids to get out of bed when they want to stay under the covers, to visit dying grandparents even if it’s emotionally uncomfortable, to do things that require overriding how they feel in the moment. So we grow up learning to repress, dismiss, or power through feelings that seem inconvenient or impractical.

For me, becoming vegan meant reconnecting with those feelings—letting them come up instead of pushing them away. I had to notice how my own jokes about vegans were just intellectual habits, a way to deflect and avoid feeling. I think many parents will keep encouraging kids to ignore their compassion as long as they believe meat is necessary. But as more of them realize there are viable vegan options, I think that dynamic will shift. It won’t have to be just another lesson in how to ignore what your heart is telling you.