Eating Habits

I have a very vivid childhood memory that my mom swears never happened. She's wrong, though, because it so DID happen and it has affected me ever since. I was scarred for life and she's just in denial!

This must be something big, right?

Right. Because when I was little I liked to eat my food one at a time, moving in a circle around my plate. I don't know why. It's just the way I wanted to eat. Until one day...

One night we were eating dinner and I was doing my usual eat around the plate thing, when my mom flipped out. (Ok, 'flipping out' MAY be an exaggeration, I just remember wondering WHY she was making such a big deal out of this). So, she may or may not have yelled, but she was definitely stern about it when she told me I couldn't eat my food like that. I HAD to eat a little bit of everything at a time. I remember sitting there having been eating one thing and her saying, "Now take a bite of something else." I may or may not have willingly complied. But I do remember being coached through that meal on how to "properly" eat my food.

Ever since then, I CAN'T eat all of one food before I eat some of something else. Even if there is something soooo good on my plate that I could easily devour the whole serving plate of it...that good ole Lutheran guilt kicks in and I HAVE to take at least one bite of something else before I completely finish the one food. Just as much as I used to have this inner desire to eat one food at a time, now I have an inner compulsion to NOT eat all of something at a time. If I even get close, I remember my mom that night at dinner...and I HAVE to take a bite of something else. Scarred, I tell ya. I'll never be the same.


Fast forward from that night to tonight at my dinner table with my kids. Here's the conversation:

Micah: JOSIAH! You've GOT to try this bread! It is sooooooo good!

Josiah: I can't. I'm eating my salad.

Micah: But you could stop and take a bite. (Duh!)

Josiah (rolls his eyes and with a bit of a snooty attitude, pitying those who clearly just don't understand): MI-cah. One thing at a time!