Sunday, August 23, 2009

I know he loves me because he lets me eat first...

A long time ago, a friend told me that she knew that her boyfriend really loved her because he let her eat first. Now, I took it as he waited for her to take a bite before he dug into his meal. However, that was a terribly wrong interpretation. They were borderline broke and he let her eat first and then he had whatever was left over. I laugh at this now because they were 20-something and the relationship ended less than a year later. However, as a parent, I find that I let my kids eat first all the time. Once I get a meal on the table, I set out the kids' plates. Then get whatever I apparently forgot to get: a drink, another utensil, a napkin, etc. By the time I have done this and begun to serve myself something else is being requested. The husband, and do I love him dearly, serves himself and happily sits and eats while I rush around. I do not have much of an issue with this, except now the children ask ME to help them out, even if the beloved husband is sitting with the children in his lap. I finally get to eat when the children are finishing up. This doesn't happen every day or at every meal, but it is an often enough occurrence for me to notice it. Sometimes I find that if I'm rushing around in the evening, and the husband is working late, I'll eat after the kids are off to bed...and it's usually cereal.

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