My son doesn’t eat meat.  He rarely eats dairy.  Therefore, how does he get his vitamin B12?  Sometimes I really second guess myself about raising my son vegetarian, worried that he doesn’t get all the nutrients that the meat lovers get, and that this deficiency will somehow turn him into a spindly little skeleton with an underdeveloped brain.  That would completely contradict my belief that humans are meant to be vegetarian.

I’m not a vegetarian, by choice.  I’d like my son to decide on his own whether he wants to introduce meat into his diet.

I came across this article, which dispells the vitamin B12 myth.  Supposedly, B12 is found in animal derived foods. Many other sources claim that vegans and vegetarians might not get enough B12, and it’s this big scary deal if your toddler is lacking in that area. Well, calm down ya’ll. Here is one important excerpt from the find:  “All of the Vitamin B12 in the world ultimately comes from bacteria.  Neither plants nor animals can synthesize it.  But plants can be contaminated with B12 when they come in contact with soil bacteria that produce it.  Animal foods are rich in B12 only because animals eat foods that are contaminated with it or because bacteria living in an animal’s intestines make it.” From The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family (1996) Virginia Messina, MPH, RD, & Mark Messina, PhD p. 102

I also came across an article that referenced a study that was done on developing nations that have a large population of vegan diets. There is no B12 deficiency there thanks to the fertilizer being used on their plants. This “not enough B12″ thing is just another scare to make people think you really need meat in your diet. You don’t.

There is a lot of “scare” factors on the internet that try to make it seem like a vegan or vegetarian diet for a toddler is inadequate. I’m glad I came across that website, it really put my mind at rest.

We remember the scene in “Sex and the City” where Carrie looks like crap (for once) and almost smacks into the ex-boyfriend of all ex-boyfriends, Aidan.  Then he turns around to face her and *plop* there’s a baby on his tummy.

I’ve never run into an ex, or even someone I’ve just casually slept with, who now has a baby.  (Or one that I know of.)  I don’t know what it’s like.  However, I have run into a couple of former blasts from the past while my son was snug in his Baby Hawk.

I expected the reactions to be negative.  I’m not sure why.  Mostly because I thought of these particular men as “anti-baby” — having kids being the last thing on their mind, or having a vasectomy being the next thing on their mind!  I imagined them reacting in disgust, complete with a think bubble stating, “Holy shit, thank goodness it wasn’t me who knocker her up!”

The first ex I ran into was at a dive bar.  Baby boy wasn’t with me on this one, but it was definitely a reunion I never thought I’d have since he had moved away and we were no longer speaking.  I eyed him from across the way and approached him, and we shared a warm hug and sincere smiles.  As we uttered the usual “What are you up to?” I told him that I had a son, and he told me that was great.  “Really great,” in a very caring tone.  What a change from his mood swings and Jeckyll and Hyde personalities!

Another ex passed me by in the street and was excited to see me with my son strapped to my chest.  “Congratulations!” he said, observing my son’s face.  We hadn’t seen each other in a couple years, and I noticed how he aged some.