NikkiZ has SEVERAL weird quirks. Almost Obsessive Compulsive type behaviors. One of them is this irritation by having food in front of her that she does not want to eat. Either because she’s done with it, or because she never wanted it in the first place. If she has no desire to eat it, so wants it no wear near the table in front of her face.
This started first as her taking food off her plate that she didn’t want and putting it on mine. This didn’t bother me too much at first because, Hey! More food for me! But then we realized it was probably not very good ettiquette to do such a thing and we started trying to teach her to just NOT EAT IT. Just because it’s there, doesn’t mean it has to go in your mouth! We promise! Ignore it!
Yeah. That didn’t work. Now? We just don’t put it on to begin with.
Then, she started doing this thing where she would push her plate as far away as possible when she was done eating. Usually towards me. Again – didn’t phase us at first. Then we realized it was kinda rude and obnoxious so we started teaching her to just LEAVE IT THERE. When someone clears the table, your plate will be removed. Otherwise? Leave it alone.
This did not work either. You can watch her fight the temptation to move the plate when she’s done eating. She’ll scoot it a bit and try to restrain herself from flinging it far away. It’s torturous for her to leave it IN FRONT OF HER when she’s not going to eat any more. WHY MUST WE TORTURE HER SO?
Well – tonight? NikkiZ discovered something truly glorious about eating out. We took the whole family to Chili’s for our first five-person outing. At some point in time, NikkiZ noticed that the waiter was taking dishes away as we finished them. Then it clicked in her head: This guy will allow me to break the rules! NikkiZ, our typically bashful-with-strangers daughter, confronted the waiter by handing him a piece of chicken she was done with. Now, he didn’t just take it (gross!) but he offered her a dirty plate he was holding to put it on. I thought she was going to DIE she was so happy. Then, she actually gave him her plate the next time he stopped by the table. THEN, she tried to flag him down because – God Forbid – there was a ranch dressing container on the table that no one was using. AND HE SHOULD REMOVE IT IMMEDIATELY.
It was hysterical. I think she felt such relief at realizing there was someplace on this earth where someone would recognize her pain of having to sit in front of food that would not be eaten. And they would REMOVE IT FOR HER.
Unrelated Photo Goodness:
My six year old is the same way. She loves restaurants for that very reason. At her age, we require her to leave both the food and plate in place at home.
When did AndyZ get so big?? Still such a cutie!
That is hilarious. I have weird compulsions too, so I can understand… thanks for picture goodness, they are so adorable!
So we’ll not be surprised when she’s a lawyer? Have you asked at school about the plate shoving? My kids were taught to do it at school, they just take it to extremes at home.
AndyZ is just getting cuter and sweeter every day. Is he cooing yet? Girls NikkiZ’s age get quirky. Ya know PB&J only for a month and the never ever again. Grin and bear it as MOST of the time this stuff fades.
I spy baby toes.
I know quite a few people who can’t stand to have the used plate in front of them when they have finished eating.
I have a silly question for you. The not putting food on her plate that she won’t eat makes sense to me. What happens if she loved corn yesterday and you serve it to her again today but isn’t on her eat list for the day?
I just about died when I read this post. Too funny! I never had that problem. The only quirky thing my eldest did (and still does) is not eat any food that touches another food. She didn’t even want to eat a hot dog in a bun. She would eat them separately. She’s better now but I still have to be careful. Thanks for starting my day off with a good belly laugh.
That is a very funny story, so had to comment. I have to admit that I still like restaurants, especially in the morning because the waitress keeps on re-filling the coffee over and over again, getting more attention than even my own wife or mother would ever give me.
That is too too cute! I bet the waiter thought she was adorable!!
AndyZ is getting big! He looks so long in that first pic, maybe it is the angle but he is growing so fast already!!
That is too funny. I bet NikkiZ is going to grow up to be a great tipper! Incidentally, my dad is the same way – he would always start clearing plates the minute we were done eating (and sometimes before we were done eating) — it drove my mom crazy!
Arun also insists that food he does not want be removed from his plate and shuffled over to MINE. Particularly, this is irritating when he is picking certain items off of his pizza.
I love the snaps of AndyZ’s chicken legs. I LOVE newborn chicken legs. Too sweet.
Hah – Abby has the same issue. She used to shove her plate so hard it would fly off of the table without parental intervention, so we had to nip that one in the bud. We’ve compromised that she is allowed to push it “one finger” away – move it with one finger the length of one finger – and then say “all done, please” and we will move the plate further away. We don’t eat with the Queen much anyway, so we’ll take “meltdown avoidance” over Emily Post manners for now.
Sabrina has some of those weird quirks – we call her Monk Baby. Too funny to watch them.
My BFF has the food/plate quirk. She does manage to stop herself from flinging the plate away but has to cover it up with her napkin so she can no longer see it when she is finished. She is 35 years old and we’ve been friends for 20 and I still make fun of her for it.
That is hilarious! When Lil’bug is not interested in something it goes on the floor. I wish she’s just push it to the side/away. If she’s done with something it must be removed. I understand NikkiZ, though, when I’m done with my plate and it’s just sitting there in front of me, it’s in the way.
Oh, and I love AndyZ’s expression in the first pic. Priceless!
Hee. I think most children that age have weird little compulsions, especially to do with food. I remember my brother would NOT use a fork if it was already on his plate, touching his food … because GOD FORBID. His fork or spoon had to be delivered separately, and then eventually he outgrew it. Who knows why kids do these things?
Also, AndyZ looks like he’s breakdancing in that second picture. Cracks me up.
I’m so glad someone ELSE’s kid does this too! I’m always joking that B got my OCD, but seriously, she does some funny stuff, and this is one of them! When she is finished eating, that plate has to go as far away from her as possible! I mean, she gets SO upset if you tell her to just leave it there. I battled her about it for awhile, but now when she is finished I just move her plate away, but still ask her to sit with us for a little bit.
I’ve given up the battle to hopefully win the war…
My little niece does the same thing. She’s 3 (almost 4) and has a panic attack if food stays in front of her after she is done. We are lucky though, we aren’t the parents
so we just move it out of the way! Yes, aunts and uncles encouraging bad habits all around the world (almost like grandmas!)
I feel so much better that so many other children have the same affliction as my kid. Although lately, she’s been not just putting food on my plate or pushing it far away from her… but actually throwing her entire plate on the floor. HELP.
What is it about kids and food? My sister did this when she was little, too. (And the different foods could NOT touch each other on the plate.) My parents pretty much let her do it, as long as she wasn’t rude or demanding, and I swear she wasn’t still doing it in the college cafeteria. A few years ago, my cousin’s daughter objected that she hadn’t ordered the parsley that came with her food and my sister reached over and just plucked it off the plate and removed it. My aunt looked startled and my sister commented “It has to go; I get it.” This, too, shall pass and all that.
It sounds like a good time to teach her to take her plate to the sink if she doesn’t want to look at it. I love AndyZ’s facial expressions! He has gotten so big.
You should totally post that on iamneurotic.com
Oh, wow! That’s so funny (but frustrating for you at times, I’m sure). I loved that part about how she was so happy about the waiter — and how it was like she finally found someone who “understood” her needs.
Neither of my kids will allow food on their plate that they are not going to eat. It has to go somewhere, anywhere but not on their plate. It is so doggone annoying because my kids aren’t really picky eaters, however, one day they love a food, the next day they aren’t touching it so you never know if it is a good idea to put it on their plate or not….it’s a fight at almost ever freakin’ meal and it makes my husband crazy. Me, I just ignore it, remove the food and keep going like I haven’t even noticed they’ve said anything, but if hubby is the one that catches them complaining first, he pitches a bigger fit than they are over the whole issue.
Oh my darling little man is the exact same way, when he is done that plate better be removed. He’s getting a bit better but it still gets a little crazy at times.
How cute that she flagged the waiter down though. Aidan will gather up his plate and napkins when our waiter will come around but so far he hasn’t flagged one down
Hey… where did your son get these shorts? (http://www.flickr.com/photos/misszoot/2593379249/)
My son has been looking for a pair like that!
Well, when I was younger, I did not want my food to touch. Now that I am an adult, I still am that way to a degree, especially food that has juice with it like corn.
The photos are so cute!
My 12 yr old niece does the exact same thing. She will (and always has) gone into hysterics the moment she realizes there is something on her plate and she is not going to eat it. Just agonizing.